Open Division Local Qualifying Concludes For 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup; First Round Games Up Next For 11 Local Qualifiers

CHICAGO (Dec. 21, 2021) – The final week of Open Division Local Qualifying for the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s National Championship – concluded over the weekend of Dec. 18-19 with five teams from opposite coasts advancing to play in the First Round of the tournament proper in March.

 

Contra Costa FC advanced in dramatic fashion. After trailing Metro FC at halftime, Contra Costa FC leveled the score in the second half. The score remained 1-1 after extra time with Contra Costa advancing 8-7 after kicks from the penalty mark.

 

Also on the West Coast, two more California teams advanced in intra-state matches. Escondido FC advanced 3-1 winners against Sporting ID11 in Temecula, while San Fernando Valley FC bested Capistrano FC 2-1 in Encino.

Back on the East Coast in an all-Florida matchup, City Soccer FC traveled to face Florida Soccer Soldiers and came away with a 4-0 victory. The week’s fifth match was decided by forfeit as the impacts of COVID-19 forced South Carolina United Heat (S.C.) to withdraw on Friday, Dec. 17, awarding a 1-0 forfeit victory to see Orlando FC Wolves qualify for the tournament.

 

The 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup resumes with First Round action in March. The tournament schedule was announced last July.

 

The U.S. Open Cup, holding its 107th edition, is the only high-profile event in American team sports that grants amateur sides the opportunity, should they advance far enough, to face professionals in meaningful competition.

 

Open Division Local Qualifying is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis. Matchups are determined geographically to minimize travel time and expense, with random selection used when practicable to determine opponent pairings. Home teams are determined via random selection.

 

2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Local Qualifiers

 

The following teams have advanced to the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round via Open Division Local Qualifying:

 

Azteca FC (Colo.)
Brockton FC United (Mass.)
D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Texas)
City Soccer FC (Fla.)
Contra Costa FC (Calif.)
Escondido FC (Calif.)
Lynchburg FC (Va.)
Nova FC (Va.)
Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.)
Oyster Bay United FC (N.Y.)
San Fernando Valley FC (Calif.)

2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Local Qualifying Results

Southeast Region – Fourth Qualifying Round

 

Date	Game (home team listed first)	Result	Venue
Dec. 18	Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.) vs. South Carolina United Heat (S.C.)	1-0 (forfeit)*	Celebration High School Stadium; Celebration, Fla.
Dec. 18	Florida Soccer Soldiers (Fla.) vs. City Soccer FC (Fla.)	0-4	Broward College-South Campus; Pembroke Pines, Fla.

 

* South Carolina United Heat withdrew from U.S. Open Cup qualifying on 12/17 due the impacts of COVID-19 on the team.

West Region – Fourth Qualifying Round

 

Date	Game (home team listed first)	Result	Venue
Dec. 13	Escondido FC (Calif.) vs. Sporting ID11 (Calif.)	3-1	Patricia H. Birdsall Sports Park - Field 3; Temecula, Calif.
Dec. 19	Contra Costa FC (Calif.) vs. Metro FC (Calif.)	1-1, 1-1 AET (8-7 PKs)	Salesian College Preparatory; Richmond, Calif.
Dec. 19	San Fernando Valley FC (Calif.) vs. Capistrano FC (Calif.)	2-1	Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex; Encino, Calif.

About the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Playing its 107th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is U.S. Soccer's National Championship. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, with pro sides receiving byes to the later rounds. Having crowned its first champion in 1914, the oldest national soccer competition in the USA was renamed in 1999 to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

Atlanta United FC is the reigning Open Cup champion, having earned the club's first tournament title with a 2-1 victory against Minnesota United FC on Aug. 27, 2019 in front of an Open Cup Final record 35,709 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

 

usopencup.com is the official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Fans can also follow the competition on Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.