2023 U.S. OPEN CUP ROUND OF 32 KICKS OFF TUESDAY WITH ONLY MLS AND USL CHAMPIONSHIP CLUBS REMAINING
All 16 Games Available to WATCH LIVE; Eight Games on Bleacher Report App and B/R Football YouTube, Four Matches on CBS Sports Golazo Network and Four Contests to Stream on U.S. Soccer YouTube; The Round of 16 Draw Will be Broadcast on Thursday, May 11 at 2 p.m. ET on the B/R Platforms
CHICAGO (May 8, 2023) – All the action of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 will be available for fans nationwide to watch live on the evenings of May 9 and 10. Starting at 7 p.m. ET both nights, eight of the round’s 16 games will be available to watch on the Bleacher Report App and B/R Football’s YouTube Channel. CBS Sports Golazo Network will air four games – two each night beginning at 7 p.m. ET – while the remaining four matches will stream live on U.S. Soccer YouTube.
Round of 32 action features 24 Major League Soccer (MLS) teams and eight more clubs from the second-division USL Championship. There are six games between teams from MLS and USLC (and thus six opportunities for Cupsets).
Twelve of the 16 games will be hosted by Major League Soccer teams. The three second division hosts of inter-division games are Monterey Bay F.C., Sacramento Republic FC and Loudoun United, while Charleston Battery, New Mexico United and Pittsburgh Riverhounds head out on the road to take on MLS hosts. Birmingham Legion FC hosts Memphis 901 in the round’s only all-USL Championship contest.
B/R match coverage begins Tuesday with Division I Inter Miami CF (MLS) hosting USL Championship underdogs Charleston Battery (Div. II). Coverage continues with two all-MLS clashes. First, two sporting cities that have long been at odds add an auspicious Open Cup edition when tournament debutants St. Louis CITY SC journey upriver to tackle four-time Open Cup champions Chicago Fire at 8 p.m. ET in Bridgeview, Ill. Half an hour later, Minnesota United FC kicks off against three-time Finalists Philadelphia Union before the Wonder Wall in St. Paul. Tuesday’s B/R night cap at 10:30 ET will see 2022 runners-up and USL Championship underdogs Sacramento Republic FC welcome the Colorado Rapids (MLS) to California’s Capital.
On Wednesday, B/R coverage kicks off with Loudoun United (USLC) looking for a home cupset of the Columbus Crew (MLS). Nashville SC (MLS) and FC Dallas (MLS) then square off in the Music City at 8:30 p.m. ET, while Austin FC (MLS) looks to avoid falling to a USL Championship club at the first time of asking for the second year in a row when New Mexico United come calling (9 p.m. ET). Finally, Portland Timbers (MLS) and Real Salt Lake (MLS) renew hostilities at Providence Park in downtown Portland (10:30 p.m. ET).
Open Cup coverage on CBS Sports Golazo Network will center on four matches – two each night – and include in-depth analysis of the competition across its live studio programming, including MORNING FOOTY and BOX 2 BOX, as well as additional editorial coverage on CBSSports.com. Fans can watch all the Open Cup coverage on CBS Sports Golazo Network, which is available to stream free on connected TV and mobile devices through the CBS Sports App and Pluto TV, and on CBSSports.com, as well as on Paramount+.
CBS Sports Golazo Network’s match coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday when defending 2022 Open Cup champions Orlando City SC (MLS) travel to Matthews, N.C. to take on Charlotte FC (MLS) at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex, and concludes with a 10:30 p.m. ET kick off between underdogs Monterey Bay F.C. (USLC) and reigning MLS champions LAFC at cozy Cardenale Stadium in Seaside, CA.
Wednesday will see CBS Sports Golazo Network begin its coverage with FC Cincinnati (MLS) hosting New York City FC (MLS) at 7 p.m. ET and culminate when LA Galaxy (MLS) seek to get on track against four-time Open Cup champs Seattle Sounders (MLS).
U.S. Soccer’s YouTube Channel will stream two games each night. Tuesday’s matches will see New York Red Bulls (MLS) and D.C. United (MLS) add another Open Cup edition to their rivalry at MSU Soccer Park, while early MLS Supporters Shield contenders New England Revolution will aim to avoid falling prey to the underdog Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USLC). Birmingham Legion and Memphis 901 FC will meet on Wednesday in the round’s lone all USL Championship match-up, as will 2018 champs Houston Dynamo (MLS) and four-time Open Cup kings Sporting Kansas City (MLS).
The Official Draw for the Round of 16 will be conducted on Thursday, May 11 at 2 p.m. ET and broadcast live on the Bleacher Report App and B/R Football’s YouTube Channel. The Draw will decide the Round of 16 and potential Quarterfinal fixtures.
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.
usopencup.com is the official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Fans can also follow the competition on Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.
