CHICAGO (April 10, 2019) – The pairings for the First Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer's National Championship, have been determined by U.S. Soccer.
The First Round will commence May 7-8 and consist of six Division III (USL League One) pro clubs and 32 Open Division teams (USL League Two, National Premier Soccer League [NPSL], local qualifiers) in head-to-head, single-elimination competition. Two of the 19 matches are between teams from the same qualifying pool under a First Round provision that allows avoidance of extensive travel at this stage of the tournament.
The Second Round follows on May 14-15 and introduces 25 Division II (USL Championship) professional sides. Division I Major League Soccer teams enter in the Fourth Round on June 12.
Home teams for each round are determined by a random selection process among those clubs that have applied to host and whose venues meet the minimum tournament requirements.
Every game of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, including those in the First and Second Rounds, will be available for fans to watch on ESPN+.
This year's winning team will receive $300,000, a berth in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.
The Houston Dynamo is the defending U.S. Open Cup champion, having earned the club’s first tournament title with a 3-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 26, 2018 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 105 consecutive years dating from 1914. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
2019 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SCHEDULE
First Round – May 7 & 8
Northeast Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
May 7 |
Richmond Kickers (USLL1) vs. Virginia United (Va.) |
7 p.m. ET |
City Stadium; Richmond, Va. |
|
May 7 |
New York Red Bulls U23 (USLL2) vs. FC Motown (NPSL) |
7 p.m. ET |
Montclair State University; Montclair, N.J. |
|
May 7 |
FC Baltimore Christos (NPSL) vs. West Chester Predators (Pa.) |
7:45 p.m. ET |
Homewood Field (Johns Hopkins Univ.); Baltimore, Md. |
|
May 8 |
Erie Commodores FC (NPSL) vs. Dayton Dutch Lions (USLL2) |
7 p.m. ET |
McConnell Family Stadium (Gannon University); Erie, Pa. |
|
May 8 |
Lansing Ignite FC (USLL1) vs. AFC Ann Arbor (NPSL) |
7 p.m. ET |
Cooley Law School Stadium; Lansing, Mich. |
|
May 8 |
Reading United AC (USLL2) vs. Philadelphia Lone Star FC (NPSL) |
7 p.m. ET |
Alvernia University Stadium; Reading, Pa. |
| May 8 | New York Cosmos B (NPSL) vs. Black Rock FC (USLL2) | 7:30 p.m. ET | Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium (Columbia Univ.); New York, N.Y. |
Southeast Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
May 7 |
Lakeland Tropics (USLL2) vs. The Villages SC (USLL2) |
7 p.m. ET |
Lake Myrtle Sports Complex; Auburndale, Fla. |
|
May 7 |
South Georgia Tormenta FC 2 (USLL2) vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (USLL1) |
8 p.m. ET |
Erk Russell Park (Georgia Southern Univ.); Statesboro, Ga. |
|
May 8 |
Greenville Triumph SC (USLL1) vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC (USLL1) |
7 p.m. ET |
Legacy Early College Field; Greenville, S.C. |
|
May 8 |
Miami FC (NPSL) vs. Florida Soccer Soldiers (Fla.) |
7 p.m. ET |
Buccaneer Field (Barry Univ.); Miami Shores, Fla. |
Central Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
May 7 |
Bavarian SC (Wis.) vs. Forward Madison FC (USLL1) |
7:30 p.m. CT |
Uihlein Soccer Park; Milwaukee, Wis. |
| May 7 | Laredo Heat SC (NPSL) vs. Brazos Valley Cavalry FC (USLL2) | 8:15 p.m. CT | Texas A&M International Univ.; Laredo, Texas |
|
May 8 |
Little Rock Rangers (NPSL) vs. NTX Rayados (Texas) |
7 p.m. CT |
Episcopal Collegiate School; Little Rock, Ark. |
|
May 8 |
Des Moines Menace (USLL2) vs. Duluth FC (NPSL) |
7:30 p.m. CT |
Cownie Soccer Park; Des Moines, Iowa |
|
May 8 |
Midland-Odessa Sockers FC (NPSL) vs. FC Denver (Colo.) |
7:30 p.m. CT |
Grande Communications Stadium; Midland, Texas |
West Region
|
Date |
Game (home team listed first) |
Time |
Venue |
|
May 7 |
Academica SC (Calif.) vs. El Farolito (NPSL) |
7:30 p.m. PT |
Academica Field; Turlock, Calif. |
|
May 7 |
Cal FC (Calif.) vs. FC Mulhouse Portland (NPSL) |
7:30 p.m. PT |
Orange County Great Park- Field 25; Irvine, Calif. |
|
May 7 |
Orange County FC (NPSL) vs. FC Golden State Force (USLL2) |
7:30 p.m. PT |
Orange County Great Park – Championship Soccer Stadium; Irvine, Calif. |
Second Round – May 14 & 15*
Third Round – May 29*
Fourth Round – June 12*
Round of 16 – June 19* (also June 18-23 if home team chooses and visiting team has at least three non-game days on each side of chosen date, with any overlap of U.S. MNT Gold Cup games on June 18 and June 22 disallowed)
Quarterfinals – July 10*
Semifinals – August 7*
Final – August 27 or 28
* Any game from the Fourth Round through to the Semifinal Round where one of the participants has a league game the following Friday will be moved up a day (exception to this occurs when the team's opponent is scheduled for a league game the preceding Sunday; in this case, the provisions in the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Handbook to determine the match date will prevail). In addition, any game chosen by U.S. Soccer to be broadcast nationally in any round is subject to being moved up a day. The Commissioner has the authority to set outside of the confirmed schedule the date for any match if such a change is in the best interests of the tournament.