THIRTY-TWO OPEN DIVISION TEAMS LEARN FIRST ROUND OPPONENT FOR 2022 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP
Local Qualifiers, NPSL and USL League Two Sides Enter First Round Play March 22-23
CHICAGO (Feb. 2, 2022) – U.S. Soccer has determined the pairings for the First Round of the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with 32 Open Division teams facing off March 22-23 to kick off the 107th edition of U.S. Soccer's National Championship.
The 32 Open Division teams include 11 local qualifiers, 10 National Premier Soccer League clubs, 10 USL League Two sides and the U.S. Adult Soccer Association’s 2021 National Amateur Cup champion. The teams, which constitute the best amateur sides from across the country, will each battle another Open Division club during one of the opening two days of the single-elimination tournament. As part of a First Round provision that allows avoidance of extensive travel at this stage of the competition, four of the 16 matches are between teams from the same qualifying pool.
The 16 First Round winners will earn the opportunity to face professional clubs in the Second Round, which is scheduled for April 5-7. Twenty-three USL Championship (Division II), 11 USL League One (Division III), two MLS NEXT Pro (Division III) and 10 National Independent Soccer Association (Division III) professional teams await the First Round winners in the only major American team sports competition in which amateurs can earn the chance at meaningful games against professional clubs and players.
The Second Round pairings and possible pairings will be announced the week of February 7.
Seventeen lower-seeded U.S.-based Division I Major League Soccer clubs will enter in the Third Round, which will be played April 19-21, while the remaining eight MLS sides will take the field for their first Open Cup action in the Round of 32, which takes place May 10-11.
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.
ESPN+ will be the home for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2022, with the broadcast schedule to be announced.
2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Competition Schedule
First Round
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Game (home team listed first)
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FC Motown (NPSL) vs. West Chester United SC (USLL2)
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MSU Soccer Park; Montclair, N.J.
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Hartford City FC (NPSL) vs. Oyster Bay United FC (N.Y.)
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Dillon Stadium; Hartford, Conn.
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South Carolina United FC (USLL2) vs. NC Fusion U23 (USLL2)
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SEFL Soccer Complex; Columbia, S.C.
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The Villages SC (USLL2) vs. Orlando FC Wolves (Fla.)
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The Villages SC Complex; Summerfield, Fla.
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Denton Diablos FC (NPSL) vs. D'Feeters Kicks Soccer Club (Texas)
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UNT Soccer and Track & Field Stadium; Denton, Texas
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Southern States SC Stars (NPSL) vs. Georgia Revolution FC (NPSL)
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The Oakes; Hattiesburg, Miss.
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San Fernando Valley FC (Calif.) vs. Escondido FC (Calif.)
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Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex; Encino, Calif.
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Lynchburg FC (Va.) vs. Nova FC (Va.)
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Lynchburg City Stadium; Lynchburg, Va.
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Ocean City Nor'easters (USLL2) vs. Lansdowne Yonkers FC (N.Y.)
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Carey Stadium; Ocean City, N.J.
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Cleveland SC (NPSL) vs. Chicago FC United (USLL2)
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George Finnie Stadium; Berea, Ohio
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Miami United FC (NPSL) vs. City Soccer FC (Fla.)
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Ted Hendricks Stadium; Hialeah, Fla.
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Western Mass Pioneers (USLL2) vs. Brockton FC United (Mass.)
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Lusitano Stadium; Ludlow, Mass.
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Des Moines Menace (USLL2) vs. Minneapolis City SC (NPSL)
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Valley Stadium; West Des Moines, Iowa
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Tulsa Athletic (NPSL) vs. Azteca FC (Colo.)
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Case Soccer Complex (ORU); Tulsa, Okla.
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Portland Timbers U23 (USLL2) vs. Contra Costa FC (Calif.)
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John Chambers Field; Salem, Ore.
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Las Vegas Legends FC (NPSL) vs. Park City Red Wolves SC (USLL2)
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Peter Johanan Soccer Field (UNLV); Las Vegas, N.V.
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April 5-7 Second Round (Division II and III teams enter)
April 8 Third Round Draw
April 19-21 Third Round (17 lower-seeded Division I teams enter)
April 22 Round of 32 Draw
May 10-11 Round of 32 (Eight higher-seeded Division I teams enter)
May 12 Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw
May 24-25 Round of 16
June 21-22 Quarterfinals
July 26-27 Semifinals
Sept. 6, 7, 13 or 14 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final
About the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
In its 107th 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 2022 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2023 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.
Atlanta United FC is the defending Open Cup champion, having earned the club's first tournament title thanks to a 2-1 victory against Minnesota United FC on Aug. 27, 2019, in front of an Open Cup Final record 35,709 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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