CHICAGO — The opening round of Open Division local qualifying of the 2018 Lamar Hunt/U.S. Open kicks off this weekend. Ninety-eight teams will take the field from coast to coast in the history-filled annual tournament, entering its 105th year.
Among the local match-ups of note:
* The New York Pancyprian Freedoms host the Newtown Pride FC (Conn.) at Belson Stadium at noon Sunday.
* The Jackson Lions welcome the Lansdowne Bhoys at Jackson Justice Complex in Jackson, N.J. at 4 p.m. Sunday.
* And the Rochester River Dogz visit the Tartan Devils Oak Avalon at Rooney Field at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Some notable matchups include 2017 Cinderella story Christos FC (Md.) taking on local power Aegean Hawks FC (Md.) Sunday (1 p.m. ET at Troy Park – Field 4 in Elkridge, Md.); FC Boulder (Colo.) hosting Harpos FC (Colo.) at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colo. (Sunday at 5 p.m. ET); and 2016 Open Cup amateur standard bearer La Máquina FC (Calif.) visiting Bell Gardens FC (Calif.) on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET (John Anson Ford Park in Bell Gardens, Calif.)
Schedule Changes
The Leu Blacks FC (Fla.) vs. FC Kendall (Fla.) game has been postponed due to the original venue (Tropical Park in Miami) no longer being available, the result of scheduling adjustments in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. The game is being rescheduled for another date and location still to be determined.
Carpathia FC (Mich.) and Santa Fe Wanderers KC (Kan.) have both proactively withdrawn from the competition due to their inability to field enough players. Their respective opponents, Ann Arbor FC (Mich.) and Stegman’s Soccer Club (Minn.), thus automatically advance to the second qualifying round, set for Oct. 21-22.
A number of other schedule changes have been made since the original list of matchups was announced Aug. 29. Fans are encouraged to review the updated schedule below to confirm the date, time and location of games.
U.S. Soccer will live-Tweet the draw for the second qualifying round on Monday, Sept. 25, starting at 11 a.m. ET. Fans can follow the action through the official Open Cup Twitter feed @opencup. Exact dates, times and locations for the matches, scheduled for Oct. 21-22, will be announced later that same day.
2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Open Division Local Qualifying Schedule
First Qualifying Round: Sept. 23-24
Northeast Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| None | Carpathia FC (Mich.) vs. Ann Arbor FC (Mich.) | 0-1 (forfeit) | None (Carpathia FC withdrew Sept. 12) |
| None | Santa Fe Wanderers KC (Kan.) vs. Stegman’s Soccer Club (Minn.) | 0-1 (forfeit) | None (Santa Fe Wanders KC withdrew Sept. 19) |
| Sept. 23 | Unations FC (Mass.) vs. Safira FC (Mass.) | 10 a.m. ET | Burncoat High School; Worcester, Mass. |
| Sept. 23* | Kendall Wanderers (Mass.) vs. Boston Siege FC (Mass.) | 2 p.m. ET | Danehy Park; Cambridge, Mass. |
| Sept. 23* | Lynn United (Mass.) vs. GPS Omens (Mass.) | 3 p.m. ET | Manning Stadium; Lynn, Mass. |
| Sept. 23 | Southie FC (Mass.) vs. Mass United FC (Mass.) | 4 p.m. ET | Medford High School; Medford, Mass. |
| Sept. 23# | Salone FC (Pa.) vs. Junior Lone Star U23s (Pa.) | 4:30 p.m. ET | West Chester United Turf Field; West Chester, Pa. |
| Sept. 23+ | West Chester United (Pa.) vs. Junior Lone Star FC (Pa.) | 7:30 p.m. ET | West Chester United Turf Field; West Chester, Pa. |
| Sept. 23 | Aurora Borealis Soccer Club (Ill.) vs. United Serbian Soccer Club (Wis.) | 7:30 p.m. CT | Ohio Moose Sports Complex; Mooseheart, Ill. |
| Sept. 24 | New York Pancyprian Freedoms (N.Y.) vs. Newtown Pride FC (Conn.) | 12 p.m. ET | Belson Stadium (St. John’s Univ.); Jamaica, N.Y. |
| Sept. 24 | NLS Graduates (Md.) vs. Izee Auto FC (Md.) | 1 p.m. ET | Banner Field at Latrobe Park; Baltimore, Md. |
| Sept. 24 | Christos FC (Md.) vs. Aegean Hawks FC (Md.) | 1 p.m. ET | Troy Park – Field 4; Elkridge, Md. |
| Sept. 24+ | Phoenix Soccer Club (Pa.) vs. Upper Darby FC (Pa.) | 2:30 p.m. ET | Phoenix Sports Club; Trevose, Pa. |
| Sept. 24* | Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pa.) vs. United German Hungarians (Pa.) | 4 p.m. ET | Vereinigung Erzgebirge Clubhouse; Warminster, Pa. |
| Sept. 24 | Tartan Devils Oak Avalon (Pa.) vs. Rochester River Dogz (N.Y.) | 4 p.m. ET | Rooney Field (Duquesne Univ.); Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Sept. 24 | Jackson Lions FC (N.J.) vs. Lansdowne Bhoys FC (N.Y.) | 7:30 p.m. ET | Jackson Justice Complex; Jackson, N.J. |
Southeast Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| Sept. 23*^# | Majestic Soccer Club (Ga.) vs. Lowcountry United (S.C.) | 3:30 p.m. ET | Atlanta United Training Ground; Marietta, Ga. |
| Sept. 23 | Central Texas Lobos (Texas) vs. NTX Rayados (Texas) | 5 p.m. CT | Gregg-Clarke Park; Kyle, Texas |
| Sept. 23 | Austin Real Cuauhtemoc (Texas) vs. Celtic Cowboys Premier (Texas) | 6 p.m. CT | McMasters Athletic Complex; Georgetown, Texas |
| Sept. 23# | Hurricane FC (Fla.) vs. Boca Raton Football Club (Fla.) | 7:30 p.m. ET | Seacrest Soccer Complex – Field 1; Delray Beach, Fla. |
| Sept. 24 | FC Ginga (Fla.) vs. Red Force FC (Fla.) | 10 a.m. ET | Barry University; Miami Shores, Fla. |
| Sept. 24* | South Florida FC (Fla.) vs. Miami United FC U23 (Fla.) | 5 p.m. ET | Brian Piccolo Park; Cooper City, Fla. |
| Sept. 24 | Orlando Storm (Fla.) vs. InterUnited AC (Fla.) | 7 p.m. ET | UCF Soccer & Track Complex; Orlando, Fla. |
| Sept. 24 | Gaffa FC (Miss.) vs. Motagua New Orleans (La.) | 6 p.m. CT | Freedom Ridge Stadium; Ridgeland, Miss. |
| Sept. 24 | Miami Wolves FC (Fla.) vs. Miami Nacional SC (Fla.) | 8 p.m. ET | Flamingo Park; Miami Beach, Fla. |
| TBD | Leu Blacks FC (Fla.) vs. FC Kendall (Fla.) | TBD | TBD |
First Round Bye: Cajun Soccer Club (La.), Nashville United (Tenn.)
Mountain Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| Sept. 23 | Gam United FC (Colo.) vs. FC Denver (Colo.) | 4:30 p.m. MDT | Aurora Public Schools Stadium; Aurora, Colo. |
| Sept. 23 | Azteca FC (Colo.) vs. Denver Metro FC (Colo.) | 7 p.m. MDT | Aurora Public Schools Stadium; Aurora, Colo. |
| Sept. 23 | Chiapas FC (Ariz.) vs. Inter EmpireWorks FC (Ariz.) | 8 p.m. MST | Desert West Sports Complex – Field 1; Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Sept. 23 | Ojuelos Jalisco (Ariz.) vs. ALLSTARS SC (Ariz.) | 8 p.m. MST | Desert West Sports Complex – Synthetic Field; Phoenix, Ariz. |
| Sept. 24 | FC Boulder (Colo.) vs. Harpos FC (Colo.) | 3 p.m. MDT | Fairview High School; Boulder, Colo. |
| Sept. 24 | Indios Denver FC (Colo.) vs. FC Union Jerez (Colo.) | 3:45 p.m. MDT | Englewood High School Stadium; Englewood, Colo. |
| Sept. 24* | Colorado Springs FC (Colo.) vs. Colorado Rovers (Colo.) | 4:30 p.m. MDT | Grace Center for Athletics; Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Sept. 24 | Colorado Rush (Colo.) vs. Club El Azul (Colo.) | 5 p.m. MDT | Shea Stadium; Highlands Ranch, Colo. |
| Sept. 24* | Fort Collins United (Colo.) vs. FC Greeley (Colo.) | 7:30 p.m. MDT | Loveland Sports Park; Loveland, Colo. |
First Round Bye: Galati FC (Ariz.), Sporting AZ FC (Ariz.)
Pacific Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| Sept. 23 | Davis Legacy SC (Calif.) vs. Western Nevada Futbol Club (Nev.) | 5 p.m. PT | Davis Legacy Soccer Complex; Davis, Calif. |
| Sept. 23 | Valley United SC (Calif.) vs. Los Angeles SC (Calif.) | 5:30 p.m. PT | Heritage High School; North Hills, Calif. |
| Sept. 23 | Academica Soccer Club (Calif.) vs. Oakland Pamperos (Calif.) | 7 p.m. PT | Academica Fields; Turlock, Calif. |
| Sept. 23 | Dynamos FC (Calif.) vs. El Farolito (Calif.) | 7 p.m. PT | Dougherty Valley High School; San Ramon, Calif. |
| Sept. 23 | Las Vegas Mobsters FC (Nev.) vs. Pacific Side FC (Calif.) | 7 p.m. PT | Kellogg-Zaher Soccer Complex; Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Sept. 23 | Santa Ana Winds FC (Calif.) vs. Outbreak FC (Calif.) | 7 p.m. PT | Lake Forest Sports Park; Lake Forest, Calif. |
| Sept. 23 | IPS/Marathon Taverna (Ore.) vs. Boise FC Cutthroats (Idaho) | 7 p.m. PT | Rob Strasser Memorial Field; Portland, Ore. |
| Sept. 23 | Bell Gardens FC (Calif.) vs. La Máquina FC (Calif.) | 7:30 p.m. PT | John Anson Ford Park; Bell Gardens, Calif. |
| Sept. 23 | Real San Jose (Calif.) vs. Cal Victory FC (Calif.) | 7:30 p.m. PT | PAL Stadium; San Jose, Calif. |
| Sept. 23 | Vanquish FC (Calif.) vs. C.F. Cachorros USA (Calif.) | 8 p.m. PT | Great Park, Main Stadium; Irvine, Calif. |
| Sept. 24 | UFA Hawks L.A. (Calif.) vs. Santa Clarita Storm (Calif.) | 5:10 p.m PT | Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, CA |
| Sept. 24 | Buena Park FC (Calif.) vs. Newport FC (Calif.) | 3 p.m. PT | John F. Kennedy High School; La Palma, Calif. |
| Sept. 24^ | SFV Scorpions (Calif.) vs. AC Brea Steaua United (Calif.) | 4 p.m. PT | Alemany High School; Mission Hills, Calif. |
| Sept. 24 | Newcastle United FC (Calif.) vs. Del Rey City SC (Calif.) | 5 p.m. PT | SilverLakes Sports Complex; Norco, Calif. |
| Sept. 24*^ | San Pedro Monsters FC (Calif.) vs. Fontana International SC (Calif.) | 6:30 p.m. PT | Banning H.S. Soccer Stadium; Wilmington, Calif. |
| Sept. 24 | Strikers FC South Coast (Calif.) vs. Chula Vista FC (Calif.) | 7 p.m. PT | Lake Forest Sports Park; Lake Forest, Calif. |
| Sept. 24 | L.A. Wolves FC (Calif.) vs. Real Sociedad Royals (Calif.) | 7:30 p.m. PT | John Anson Ford Park; Bell Gardens, Calif. |
* Time changed ^ Date changed # Venue changed + Home team switched
Second Qualifying Round : Oct. 21-22
Third Qualifying Round : Nov. 18-19
