Ten days on from the glitz-and-glamor Final of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup in sunny Los Angeles, high school fields and public parks across the nation were alive with the buzz of the First Matchday of 2025 Amateur Qualifying. A roster of 64 teams were in action from Massachusetts to California with the eventual 32 winners moving closer to the dream of booking one of the 14 precious places in the 2025 Tournament Proper on offer via these Qualifying Rounds.
Two familiar names to early-round Open Cup fans – and those with a taste for the-best-of-the-best of the American amateur soccer scene – laid down statement results on Day One.
New York’s Lansdowne Yonkers FC, led by a pair of early goals from Ali Dawha (the first of two for the former Iona standout) and Musa Bala Danso, strolled to a 6-1 rout of KidSuper Samba. West Chester United SC of Pennsylvania also scored six with Josh Luchini, the Penn star and Wexford, PA native, putting four in for Blaise Santangelo’s men in a big 6-0 win over historic United Soccer League of Pennsylvania mates United German Hungarians.
Both Lansdowne Yonkers and West Chester SC are now a win away from a place in the Final Round of Qualifying and will face Zum Schneider FC 03 (who beat Central Park Rangers 2-0 this weekend) and four-time Champions Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals (who received a bye through the First Round) in the next Matchday on October 26-27 respectively.
Peter Wilt’s Chicago House AC took a step toward a second consecutive place in the Tournament Proper. A winning goal late in extra-time from Ricardo Avalos saw off crosstown rivals Edgewater Castle 3-2 and handed former midfielder Shannon Seymour his first Open Cup win as head coach (3-2).
House will now take on UPSL side Chicago Strikers, who received a bye through the First Round, in a Matchday Two contest on October 26-27.
Other Saturday action of note saw Open Cup regulars South Carolina Heat knocked out by Mint Hill FC (1-0) while out on the West Coast, Chula Vista FC needed penalties to see off Desert FC after a 1-1 draw. Fellow Golden-Staters Real Galt had a simpler go of it in their 3-1 win over Acoreano Sport.
Atletico Miami International were one of two Florida teams to win out on Qualifying Matchday One(alongside Miami Soccer Academy) with a 3-2 result over Hodler Miami FC. Steel Pulse FC recorded the largest margin of victory of all 32 games of the Round with a 7-0 hammering of in-state rivals Maryland Bobcats II. Other Sunday contests saw two teams put five past their opponents – with Buffalo’s FCY New York knocking out Rochester’s Roc City Boom in a 5-3 goalfest and Azteca FC besting Boulder United FC 5-1 in Colorado.
Alloy Soccer Club and NY Renegades FC tallied one finger shy of a handful in their wins on Saturday, and four was again the number for a pair of victorious teams on Sunday. Pennsylvania’s historic Vereinigung Erzgebirge knocked out league mates Colonial SC 4-0 and Cambridge, Massachusetts’ CD Faialense beat Boston Street 4-1 in a coup for the ethnic-based teams still in the mix.
International San Francisco – the SFSFL-based new boys aiming for a second straight year reaching the Tournament Proper – rounded out the Matchday’s four-goal heroes with a 4-1 win over SF Vikings SC. Former Open Cup Semifinalist Matt Fondy, once of MLS’ Chicago Fire, scored twice for International SF in a game that saw the Vikings lose one goalkeeper to injury and his back-up to a red card.
There was another Ghost of Open Cups Past in action for Long Island-based Leros SC. Kevaughn Frater – who reached the Quarterfinals with New Mexico United in 2019 and was once capped for his native Jamaica – was one of two players sent off as the Long Island-based club finished with nine men but still had enough in the tank to beat NY Empire FC 2-1.
Qualifying continues later this month with a Second Matchday on October 26 and 27th with 80 teams and 40 games on the docket. Twenty-six of those will be Second Round games, with the winners moving on to the penultimate (Semifinal) stage of Qualifying. Another 14 games will be Third Rounders, with the winners of those moving through to the Final (Fourth) Round of Qualifying.
Two teams will receive byes through to the October 26-27th Matchday (StrikerZ DFW Soccer Club of Dallas and Kansas’ Woodland Football Club). In action for the first time on Matchday Two – having received byes through this First Round – are Open Cup favorites Tulsa Athletic, Sharktopus FC of Seattle, Colorado’s Harpos FC, D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club and SoFla powers Miami United FC.
These Open Division Qualifying Rounds will send 14 teams through to the 2025 Tournament Proper. They will join up with USASA National Amatuer Cup winner NY Pancyprian Freedoms, UPSL Spring Champion Soda City FC and 16 teams from the National League Qualifying Track, split between the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two.
FC Omens 1 (3) vs Project Football 1 (4) PKs
Playmaker FC 2 vs 1 Independiente
City Soccer FC 0 vs 2 Miami Soccer Academy
Kensington Soccer Club 4 vs. 3 Vidas United FC
Patuxent FA 0 vs 1 MSI Pro
Chula Vista FC (3) 1 vs - 1 (1) Desert FC PKs
Alloy Soccer Club 4 vs 3 Oaklyn United FC
South Carolina United Heat 0 vs 1 Mint Hill FC
New York Greek American SC 3 vs 4 NY Renegades FC
Lansdowne Yonkers FC 6 vs 1 KidSuper Samba AC
West Chester 6 vs 0 United German Hungarians
Chicago House 3 vs 2 Edgewater Castle AET
Acoreano Sport 1 vs 3 Real Galt
Valhalla FC 1 vs 3 Southern Indiana FC
Colonial SC 0 vs 4 Vereinigung Erzgebirge
Atletico Miami Intl 3 vs. 2 Hodler Miami FC
Steel Pulse 7 vs 0 Maryland Bobcats II
Roc City Boom 3 vs 5 FCY New York
Peak Eleven Football Club 1 vs 2 FC Denver
Guerrilla FC 2 vs. 3 Alexandria Reds
Boulder United FC 1 vs. 5 Azteca FC
Timbers SC 0 vs 1 Colorado Rovers
Dalton United 3 vs 0 Pre-College Development Academy
Zum Schneider FC 03 2 vs 0 Central Park Rangers FC
Boston Street FC 1 vs. 4 CD Faialense
Washington Athletic Club 4 vs 3 Bellevue Athletic FC
VA Revolution Pro 3 (3) vs Nova FC 3 (0) PKs
Bowling Green FC 3 vs 0 Southern Indiana Guardians FC
Aegean Hawks FC 2 vs 1 DC Hyper
Leros FC 2 vs. 1 NY Empire FC
NJ Alliance FC 2 vs. 0 SC Vistula Garfield
SF Vikings SC 1 vs. 4 International San Francisco
CALIFORNIA-NORTH (Qualifying Round 2)
FC Folsom (UPSL / Calif.) vs. Real Galt FC (UPSL / Calif.)
Modesto City Football Club (NISA Nation / USASA / Calif.) vs. Valley 559 FC (UPSL / Calif.)
JASA RWC vs. International San Francisco (San Francisco Soccer Football League / USASA / Calif.)
Bay Valley Suns Sports Club (UPSL / Calif.) vs. Napa Valley 1839 FC (UPSL / Calif.)
CALIFORNIA-SOUTH (Qualifying Round 2)
FC Balboa (UPSL / Calif.) vs. Chula Vista FC (Southwest Premier League / USSSA / Calif.)
San Diego Internacional (UPSL / Calif.) vs. City SC San Diego (UPSL / Calif.)
Irvine FC (UPSL / Calif.) vs. Playmaker FC (Southwest Premier League / USASA / Calif.)
Laguna United FC (UPSL / Calif.) vs. Trojans FC (UPSL / Calif.)
WEST (Qualifying Round 2)
Holac FC (UPSL / Ore.) vs. Washington AC (Seattle Recreational Adult Team Soccer / USASA / Wash.)
Sharktopus FC (Seattle Recreational Adult / USSSA / Wash.) vs. Deportivo Rose City (UPSL / Ore.)
Next Level Soccer (UPSL / Ore.) vs. UDA Soccer (UPSL / Ore.)
LV Legends FC (NISA Nation / USASA / Nev.) vs. Soccer Acad. Nevada (NISA Nation / USASA / Nev.)
Colorado (Qualifying Round 3)
FC Denver (Colorado Premier League / USSSA.) vs. Harpos FC (Colorado Premier League / USSSA)
Azteca FC (Colorado Premier League / USSSA) vs. Colo. Rovers (Colorado Premier League / USSSA)
TEXAS (Qualifying Round 2)
D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Dallas Soccer Alliance / USSSA / Texas) vs. FORO SC (UPSL / Texas
Austin Thunder (Austin Men's Soccer Association / USASA / Texas) vs. 210 FC (UPSL / Texas)
Houston Regals SCA (USSL / USSSA / Texas) vs. ASC New Stars (Houston FA / USASA / Texas)
Bye: StrikerZ DFW Soccer Club (Dallas Soccer Alliance / USSSA / Texas)
MIDWEST (Qualifying Round 2)
Chicago Strikers (UPSL / Ill.) vs. Chicago House AC (Midwest Premier League / USASA / Ill.)
United SC (Greater Chicago Soccer League / USASA / Ill.) vs. Wisloka Chicago (UPSL / Ill.)
Tulsa Athletic (UPSL / Ill.) vs. FC Bartlesville Buffaloes (UPSL / Ill.)
Bye: Woodland Football Club (The Select League / US Club Soccer / Kan.)
FLORIDA – 2 SLOTS (Qualifying Round 2)
Palm Beach Flames SC (UPSL / Fla.) vs. Miami Soccer Academy (USSL / USSSA / Fla.)
O'Shea's FC (USSL / USSSA / Fla.) vs. Atletico Miami Internacional FC (USSL / USSSA / Fla.)
Miami United FC (UPSL / Fla.) vs. River Miami FC (USSL / USSSA / Fla.)
Naples United U23 (Sunshine Conference / USSSA / Fla.) vs. Red Force (Premier Futbol / USASA / Fla.)
Hurricane FC (Florida Gold Coast League / USASA / Fla.) vs. Pinecrest Premier SC (UPSL / Fla.)
Inter Nona SC (USSL / USSSA / Fla.) vs. International Soccer Association (UPSL / Fla.)
Kissimmee Soccer Club (UPSL / Fla.) vs. FC America CFL Spurs (USSL / USSSA / Fla.)
Harbor City FC(UPSL / Fla.)vs. Deportivo Lake Mary FC (UPSL / Fla.)
EAST (Qualifying Round 3)
Dalton United (UPSL / Ga.) vs. Mint Hill FC (UPSL / N.C.)
Bowling Green FC (UPSL / Ky.) vs. Southern Indiana FC (UPSL / Ind.)
NORTHEAST (Qualifying Round 3)
Pittsburgh Dynamo (Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League / USASA / Pa.) vs. FCY New York (UPSL / N.Y.)
Project Football (UPSL / Mass.) vs. CD Faialense (Bay State Soccer League / USASA / Mass.)
NEW YORK (Qualifying Round 3)
Zum Schneider FC 03 (EPSL / USASA / N.Y.) vs. Lansdowne Yonkers FC (EPSL / USASA / N.Y.)
Leros SC (Long Island Soccer Football League / USASA / N.Y.) vs. NY Renegades FC (UPSL / N.Y.)
PHILADELPHIA (Qualifying Round 3)
Kensington Soccer Club (EPSL / USASA / Pa.) vs. Vereinigung Erzgebirge (United Soccer League of Pennsylvania / USASA / Pa.)
West Chester United SC (United Soccer League of Pennsylvania / USASA / Pa.) vs. Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals (United Soccer League of Pennsylvania / USASA / Pa.)
DVM (Qualifying Round 3)
Virginia Dream FC (Virginia Super Soccer League / USASA / Va.) vs. Alexandria Reds (UPSL / Va.)
MSI Pro (UPSL / Md.) vs. Aegean Hawks FC (American Premier League / USASA / D.C.)
MID-ATLANTIC (Qualifying Round 3)
New Jersey Alliance FC (UPSL / N.J.) vs. Alloy Soccer Club (EPSL / USASA / Pa.)
Steel Pulse FC (Maryland Super Soccer League / USASA / Md.) vs. VA Revolution Pro (UPSL / Va.)
Fontela is editor-in-chief of usopencup.com. Follow him at @jonahfontela on X/Twitter.