U.S. Soccer has determined the pairings for the First Qualifying Round of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, it was announced on Monday.

The historic annual tournament, entering its 108th edition, is the only high-profile event in American team sports where Open Division sides have the potential opportunity to face professionals in meaningful competition.

 

Seventy of 107 Open Division teams will see action in the First Qualifying Round, scheduled for Sept. 17-18. The remaining 37 teams have been issued byes, either due to geographical considerations (13 clubs) or the result of being randomly selected (five teams), into the Second Qualifying Round, set for Oct. 15-16.

 

Both matchups and byes for the First Qualifying Round were determined by either geographical considerations or by random selection among clubs within a defined region or metropolitan area to minimize total travel distance across all four qualifying rounds. The matchups for each ensuing round will be determined and announced after each preceding round of games has taken place.

 

A total of nine slots in the 2023 tournament proper will be available to the teams left standing after the four rounds of qualifying competition. The tournament proper will begin the week of March 20, 2023, with the Final scheduled for Wednesday, September 27, 2023.

 

The local qualifying survivors will be joined by Bavarian United (Glendale, Wis.), the 2022 U.S. Adult Soccer Association (USASA) National Amateur Cup champion. The club also seized a berth in the 2019 tournament – the first edition of the Open Cup to award a direct slot to the Amateur Cup champion – by virtue of winning the USASA crown.

 

The championship match of the 2022 U.S. Open Cup will be played on Wednesday, Sept. 7 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+) and pits Division I club Orlando City, which is seeking a first trophy as an MLS side, against Div. II (USL Championship) cupsetters Sacramento Republic FC, who aim to become only the second lower-division team to claim the trophy since MLS began play in 1996.

 

2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Open Division Local Qualifying Schedule – First Qualifying Round

 

EAST

Saturday, Sept. 17

Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals (Pa.) vs. West Chester United SC (Pa.) – 10 a.m. ET – Ukrainian American Sports Center; North Wales, Pa.

Florida Soccer Soldiers (Fla.) vs. City Soccer FC (Fla.) – 4 p.m. ET – Broward College-South Campus; Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Club de Lyon (Fla.) vs. Deportivo Lake Mary FC (Fla.) – 5 p.m. ET – Showalter Field; Winter Park, Fla.

Juventus Academy (Fla.) vs. Doral SC (Fla.) – 7 p.m. ET – Broward College-South Campus; Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Germantown City FC (Md.) vs. Aegean Hawks FC (Md.) – 7 p.m. ET – River Hill High School Stadium; Clarksville, Md.

Kensington Soccer Club (Pa.) vs. United German Hungarians (Pa.) – 7 p.m. ET – Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School; Philadelphia, Pa.

SC Vistula Garfield (N.J.) vs. New York Pancyprian Freedoms (N.Y.) – 7:30 p.m. ET – Athenia Steel Recreation Complex; Clifton, N.J.

Nova FC (Va.) vs. Steel Pulse FC (Md.) – 7:45 p.m. ET – VA Revolution Sportsplex; Leesburg, Va.

Lansdowne Yonkers FC (N.Y.) vs. Manhattan Kickers FC (N.Y.) – 8 p.m. ET – Tibbetts Brooke Park; Yonkers, N.Y.


Sunday, Sept. 18

Ruggles Pro FC (Mass.) vs. Boston Street FC (Mass.) – 1 p.m. ET – Fore Kicks II; Marlborough, Mass.
Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pa.) vs. Philadelphia Lone Star FC (Pa.) – 2 p.m. ET – Vereinigung Erzgebirge Clubhouse; Warminster, Pa.

Oyster Bay United FC (N.Y.) vs. New Jersey Alliance FC (N.J.) – 2:30 p.m. ET – Darcy Field; Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Lancaster City FC (Pa.) vs. Lancaster Elite (Pa.) – 3 p.m. ET – Lancaster Catholic High School Stadium; Lancaster, Pa.

Team Tevez (D.C.) vs. DCFC (D.C.) – 4 p.m. ET – Fields at RFK; Washington, D.C.

Clearwater Chargers SC (Fla.) vs. Florida Premier FC (Fla.) – 5 p.m. ET – Glenn Oaks Park; Clearwater, Fla.

Miami United FC (Fla.) vs. Florida Brothers (Fla.) – 7 p.m. ET – Ted Hendricks Stadium (Milander Park); Hialeah, Fla.

Real Central NJ Soccer (N.J.) vs. Jackson Lions FC (N.J.) – 7 p.m. ET – MCCC Soccer Stadium; West Windsor, N.J.

Scots-American Athletic Club (N.J.) vs. Queensboro FC II (N.Y.) – 7:30 p.m. ET – Kearny High School Stadium; Kearny, N.J.

Miami Soccer Academy (Fla.) vs. O’Shea’s FC (Fla.) – 8 p.m. ET – Monsignor Edward Pace High School; Miami Gardens, Fla.  
New York Greek American SC (N.Y.) vs. Newtown Pride FC (Conn.) – 8 p.m. ET – Hofstra University Soccer Stadium; Hempstead, N.Y.

International Soccer Association (Fla.) vs. West Palm Beach Academy CF (Fla.) – 9 p.m. ET – Broward College-South Campus; Pembroke Pines, Fla.


Byes: 
1927 SC (Ind.), Beaman United FC (Tenn.), Bowling Green FC (Ky.), Brockton FC United (Mass.), Chicago House AC (Ill.), Christos FC (Md.), FC Birmingham (Ala.), Gainesville City FC (Fla.), Hurricane FC (Fla.), IASC Boom (N.Y.), Kalonji Pro-Profile (Ga.), Metro Louisville FC (Ky.), Mint Hill FC (N.C.), Naples City FC (Fla.), Naples United FC (Fla.), Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.), Sahara Gunners FC (N.Y.), Santa Cruz FC (Mass.), South Carolina United Heat (S.C.), TCSA (Ga.), Tobacco Road FC (N.C.), Unations FC (Mass.), Valhalla FC (Ohio)


WEST

Saturday, Sept. 17

Houston FC (Texas) vs. Galveston Pelicans FC (Texas) – 1 p.m. CT – San Jacito College South; Houston, Texas

FC Fort Worth (Texas) vs. D’Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Texas) – 6 p.m. CT – Southwest High School; Fort Worth, Texas

LA Monsters FC (Calif.) vs. Irvine FC (Calif.) – 4 p.m. PT – Wilmington Athletic Complex; Wilmington, Calif.

Rebels Soccer Club (Calif.) vs. Escondido FC (Calif.) – 6 p.m. PT – Mount Miguel High School; Spring Valley, Calif.

FC Denver (Colo.) vs. Harpos FC (Colo.) – 8 p.m. MT – Northfield High School; Denver, Colo.

FC Arizona (Ariz.) vs. Valley FC Raiders (Ariz.) – 7 p.m. MST – Bell Bank Park; Mesa, Ariz.

Laguna United FC (Calif.) vs. Olympiacos CA (Calif.) – 7 p.m. PT – La Paz Sports Park; Laguna Niguel, Calif.

UC Davis Club Soccer (Calif.) vs. Davis Legacy SC (Calif.) – 8:15 p.m. PT – Dairy Outdoor Recreation Complex (UC Davis); Davis, Calif.


Sunday, Sept. 18

Athletic Club of Sloan’s Lake (Colo.) vs. Peak Eleven Football Club (Colo.) – 2 p.m. MT – Wheat Ridge High School; Wheat Ridge, Colo.

Colorado Rovers (Colo.) vs. Azteca FC (Colo.) – 4 p.m. MT – Victoria Sports Park; Golden, Colo.

Inter San Francisco (Calif.) vs. Marin County Union SC (Calif.) – 4:30 p.m. PT – Beach Chalet Soccer Field; San Francisco, Calif.

Outbreak FC (Calif.) vs. A.S. Los Angeles (Calif.) – 5 p.m. PT – Orange County Great Park; Irvine, Calif.

OC Kings FC (Calif.) vs. Capo FC (Calif.) – 7 p.m. PT – Lake Forest Sports Park; Lake Forest, Calif.

Trojans FC (Calif.) vs. Orange County FC (Calif.) – 8 p.m. PT – Duarte High School; Duarte, Calif.  
 
Byes: Alamo City Soccer Club (Texas), BattleBorn FC (Nev.), Bellevue Athletic FC (Wash.), Boulder United FC (Colo.), Coronado Athletic Club (Ariz.), D10 Lions FC (Texas), Desert FC (Calif.), Elk Grove Blues (Calif.), Legend Football Gold (Wash.), Modesto City Football Club (Calif.), Olympians FC (Ariz.), Real San Jose (Calif.), Temecula FC (Calif.), UDA Soccer (N.M.)

 

Second Qualifying Round: Oct. 15-16

Third Qualifying Round: Nov. 19-20

Fourth Qualifying Round: Dec. 17-18

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.