OPENING ROUNDS OF 2023 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP TO STREAM
ON BLEACHER REPORT APP & B/R FOOTBALL YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Access to Select Early Round Games Will be Free to a Worldwide Audience on B/R Channels
CHICAGO (March 8, 2023) – Featured matches from the first three rounds of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will be streamed live for free to a worldwide audience on the Bleacher Report (B/R) app and B/R Football YouTube channel.
The coverage kicks off highlighting the nation’s top amateur teams that will face off for a chance to take on the professional clubs in the next round. Six first-round matches feature across three nights from March 21 to March 23.
“Cupset Season” begins two weeks later with the first inter-division matchups of the tournament. Amateur teams from the Open Division getting their first shot to knock out a professional team, and third division pros get a shot against second division foes. Eight Second Round games will be featured on B/R platforms between April 4 and April 6.
Major League Soccer teams enter the 2023 Open Cup in the Third Round with 18 clubs joining the party. The eight featured matches from the Third Round will be announced following the Third Round Draw on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
B/R is a leading sports media brand, reaching over 175 million young sports fans each month across world leading digital platforms. It is the no. 1 sports brand driving engagement and video views across social, the Bleacher Report app and website. Viewers worldwide can stream the games for free on the B/R app (Android and iOS) and will be able to utilize the platform’s functionality to comment on the greatest moments from the matches in real-time with other B/R app users. Bleacher Report will also cover and amplify all the action across the B/R Football social channels.
Coverage plans for the Round of 32 – when the eight seeded MLS teams enter – and subsequent rounds will be announced at a later date.
Featured First Round Games: LIVE on B/R (All times ET)
March 21 - 7:30 p.m.
West Chester United SC (USASA / USLP / Pa.)
vs. Ocean City Nor'easters (USL / USL2 / N.J.)
March 22 – 6 p.m.
El Farolito (USASA / NPSL / Calif.)
vs. International San Francisco (USASA / SFSFL / Calif.)
March 22 – 7 p.m.
Appalachian FC (USASA / NPSL / N.C.)
vs. NC Fusion U23 (USL / USL2 / N.C.)
March 22 – 8 p.m.
Chicago House A.C. (USASA / MWPL / Ill.)
vs. Bavarian United (USASA / WSL / Wisc.)
March 22 – 10 p.m.
Ventura County Fusion (USL / USL2 / Calif.)
vs. Capo FC (USASA / NISAN / Calif.)
March 23 – 7:30 p.m.
Hartford City FC (USASA / NPSL / Conn.)
vs. Lansdowne Yonkers FC (USASA / EPSL / N.Y.)
Featured Second Round Games: LIVE on B/R (All times ET)
April 4 - 7:30 p.m.
Detroit City FC (USLC)
vs. Gold Star Detroit (NISA)
April 4 – 10 p.m.
Oakland Roots (USLC)
vs. El Farolito (USASA / NPSL / Calif.) OR International San Francisco (USASA / SFSFL / Calif.)
April 5 – 7 p.m.
Louisville City FC (USLC)
vs. Lexington Sporting Club (USLL1)
April 5 – 8 p.m.
Des Moines Menace (USL / USL2 / Iowa) OR Beaman United FC (UPSL / UPSLP / Tenn.)
vs. Chattanooga FC (NISA)
April 5 – 9 p.m.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USLC)
vs. Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (USLL1)
April 5 – 10 p.m.
Orange County SC (USLC)
vs. Ventura County Fusion (USL / USL2 / Calif.) OR Capo FC (USASA / NISAN / Calif.)
April 5 – 10:30 p.m.
Phoenix Rising FC (USLC)
vs. Greenville Triumph SC (USLL1)
April 6 – 7 p.m.
Richmond Kickers (USLL1)
vs. Cleveland SC (USASA / NPSL / Ohio) OR Lionsbridge FC (USL / USL2 / Va.)
The First Round of the 2023 Open Cup consists of 14 games contested by 28 teams – all from the Open Division.
The 14 winners then move on to the Second Round where they’ll play the role of underdogs against professional opposition, with another 16 Second Round games between Division II (USL Championship) and Division III (MLS Next Pro, NISA and USL League One) pro clubs.
This jeopardy for the favorites and possibility for the underdogs is the essence of the Open Cup, which saw the Sacramento Republic, a second-tier USL Championship team, beat three first division (MLS) clubs to reach the 2022 Open Cup Final against eventual winners Orlando City.
READ: Get to Know Your Domestic Cup
With similarities to England’s FA Cup, and many of the world’s other domestic cup competitions, the U.S. Open Cup is the only tournament in American team sports where amateurs and pros – and all levels in between – square off in meaningful competition.
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 Club 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.
About Bleacher Report
Bleacher Report is a leading sports media brand reaching more than 175 million hyper-connected young sports fans each month through distribution of premium content. It is the #1 sports brand driving engagement and video views across all social platforms and the Bleacher Report app, while fueling offline engagement through unparalleled experiences that blend sports with culture. Bleacher Report has a portfolio of brands that includes House of Highlights, B/R Football, B/R Kicks, B/R Gridiron, B/R Walk-Off, B/R Open Ice and B/R Betting, delivering customized content that caters to the unique passions of its fans across its owned and operated channels and world-leading social platforms. Bleacher Report is a division of Turner Sports, which provides it access to premium live content from the NBA, Major League Baseball, NHL and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. Find Bleacher Report on the industry-leading Bleacher Report app, www.bleacherreport.com and on Instagram @BleacherReport.
