U.S. Soccer has announced the schedule for the Round of 16 for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with all eight matches being played on Wednesday, May 25, and broadcast live on ESPN+.

The pairings for the Round of 16 and potential hosts for the quarterfinal round were determined during a live draw from the Los Angeles studio of “Futbol Americas” on ESPN+ on Thursday night. Along with the draw, the bracket for the final 16 was revealed with the path to the final now known for all remaining teams.

Headlining the Round of 16 are two games featuring lower division teams hosting Division I (MLS) opponents. One of the early kickoffs features USL Championship (Division II) club Louisville City FC hosting Nashville SC, while the late kickoffs include Sacramento Republic FC hosting the San Jose Earthquakes.

The only other lower division side remaining in the competition, USL League One’s Union Omaha (Division III) will hit the road in hopes of keeping their dream run alive against 2019 Open Cup finalists Minnesota United FC.

The remainder of the schedule includes an array of intra-league clashes between MLS teams, including a pair of rivalries as Orlando City SC welcome fellow Sunshine Staters Inter Miami CF and MLS originals Los Angeles Galaxy host Los Angeles Football Club.

Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo will rekindle a once fierce rivalry, while the regional rivalry between New York and Boston will add an Open Cup chapter when 2021 MLS Supporters Shield holders New England Revolution travel to Queens for a crack at reigning MLS Cup champions New York City FC. MLS expansion side Charlotte Football Club will head up the Eastern Seaboard to tackle Red Bulls.

OW ROUND OF 16 & QUARTERFINAL MATCHUPS WERE DETERMINED

Teams were pooled geographically into groups of four. A random draw determined the pairings within each group. Instances where a logical geographic fit didn’t exist in determining the groups were resolved by random selection. The winners of the two matches in each group were paired for the Semifinal, with the two teams at the ‘top’ of the bracket draw into the first Home and Away spots for the Round of 16 set to also host the Quarterfinal

 

SEMIFINAL PAIRINGS

U.S. Soccer announced that the Northeast and Southeast teams and the Central and West teams will be paired in the Semifinal. Hosts for the Semifinals and hosting scenarios for the final will be determined after the Quarterfinals are complete.

THE PATH AHEAD

The business end of the 2022 U.S. Open Cup will round into view as the 16 remaining sides square off in late May. The teams are now set in a final bracket that will determine their matchups on the path to the 2022 U.S. Open Cup Final.  A draw to determine hosting priority for the Final will be held following the conclusion of Quarterfinal play in late June.

 

May 25                         Round of 16

June 21-22                    Quarterfinals

June 23                         Draw to Determine Semifinal & Final Hosts

July 26-27                     Semifinals

Sept 7*                         Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final

*Subject to change

 

SCHEDULE

 

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

Time Game (home team listed first) Venue
7 p.m. ET Orlando City SC (MLS) vs. Inter Miami CF (MLS)* Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
7 p.m. ET Louisville City FC (USLC) vs. Nashville SC (MLS) Lynn Family Stadium; Louisville, Ky.
7:30 p.m. ET New York City FC (MLS) vs. New England Revolution (MLS) Belson Stadium (St. John’s Univ.); Jamaica, N.Y.
8 p.m. ET New York Red Bulls (MLS) vs. Charlotte Football Club (MLS)* Montclair State University Soccer Park; Montclair, N.J.
7 p.m. CT Minnesota United FC (MLS) vs. Union Omaha (USLL1) Allianz Field; St. Paul, Minn.
7:30 p.m. CT Sporting Kansas City (MLS) vs. Houston Dynamo FC (MLS) Children’s Mercy Park; Kansas City, Kan.
7:30 p.m. PT Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) Heart Health Park; Sacramento, Calif.
7:30 p.m. PT LA Galaxy (MLS) vs. Los Angeles Football Club (MLS) Dignity Health Sports Park; Carson, Calif.

 

QUARTERFINAL PAIRINGS & HOSTS

 TUESDAY, JUNE 21 OR WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

(To Be Determined After Round of 16)

 

Group Game (home team listed first) Venue
Southeast Orlando City SC (MLS) or Inter Miami CF (MLS)*
vs.
Louisville City FC (USLC) or Nashville SC (MLS)
Exploria Stadium; Orlando, Fla.
or
DRV PNK Stadium; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
     
Northeast New York Red Bulls (MLS) or Charlotte Football Club (MLS)*
vs.
New York City FC (MLS) or New England Revolution (MLS)
Red Bull Arena; Harrison, N.J.

or
Bank of America Stadium; Charlotte, N.C.

     
Central Sporting Kansas City (MLS) or Houston Dynamo FC (MLS)

Vs.
Minnesota United FC (MLS) or Union Omaha (USLL1)

Children’s Mercy Park; Kansas City, Kan.
or

PNC Stadium; Houston, Texas

 

     
West LA Galaxy (MLS) vs. Los Angeles Football Club (MLS)
vs.
Sacramento Republic FC (USLC) vs. San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Dignity Health Sports Park; Carson, Calif.
or

Banc of California Stadium; Los Angeles, Calif.

 

 

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.