2nd Round of Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Set

SECOND ROUND PAIRINGS AND HOST SCENARIOS SET
FOR 2023 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP

Professional Clubs from USL Championship, MLS NEXT Pro, NISA and USL League One
to Make Tournament Debut on April 4-6 Following First Round from March 21-23

CHICAGO (Feb. 16, 2023) – U.S. Soccer has announced the pairings and hosting scenarios for the Second Round of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s National Championship. Twenty-four Division II and 22 Division III pro teams will see their first tournament action, joining 14 First Round winners in a Second Round that will feature 30 matches across the country.

The 46 professional teams include 24 from the USL Championship (Division II), including debutants Loudoun United FC and last year’s Open Cup runners-up Sacramento Republic FC. There’s one representative from MLS NEXT Pro (Division III), nine from the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) (Division III) and 12 from USL League One (Division III).

They’ll be joined in the Second Round by the 14 Open Division winners from the First Round, set for March 21-23. Match dates and times for the Second round will be announced at a later date.

Competition rules for the Second Round require First Round winners to be paired against either a Division II or Division III club. Additionally, the tournament has a universal provision to preclude teams from the same qualifying pool playing their first Open Cup game from facing each other. Each pro division is considered a unique qualifying pool regardless of the number of leagues in the division.

Pairings were made on a geographical basis within the parameters listed above. If three or more teams/pairings were from the same proximity, matchups for these teams were made by random selection. Instances where a logical geographic fit did not exist were resolved by random selection.

Home teams for each round are determined by random selection among those who apply to host. Clubs whose venue meets minimum tournament standards are given priority.

2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Second Round Pairings

Division II vs. Division III (16 games)

Division II vs. Open Division First Round Winners (8 games)

Division III vs. Open Division First Round Winners (6 games)

• Tournament Format Rundown
• Get to Know Your Open Cup

Eighteen lower-seeded U.S.-based Division I Major League Soccer clubs will enter in the Third Round, which will be played April 25-26, while the remaining eight MLS sides will take the field in their first Open Cup action in the Round of 32 on May 9-10.

About the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

Now in its 108th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer's National Championship – has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

The 2023 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. 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.

Orlando City SC are defending Open Cup champions, having earned the club's first tournament title thanks to a 3-0 victory against second-division (USL Championship) side Sacramento Republic FC on September 7, 2022 in a Final played before a capacity crowd at Orlando’s Exploria Stadium.