PAIRINGS AND HOSTS ANNOUNCED FOR START OF 2017 U.S. OPEN CUP
NPSL Teams Begin First Round Play May 9-10
U.S. Soccer today announced the pairings and host scenarios for the start of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The First Round, which will commence with one game on May 9 followed by 27 matches on May 10, marks the opening stage of the tournament for 18 National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) sides.
“The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup remains one of the strongest opportunities for NPSL teams to measure themselves against other competition and the progress that the NPSL continues to enjoy,” NPSL Chairman Joe Barone commented. “We are honored to have eighteen automatic qualification spots for NPSL teams in this historic competition.”
This year’s winning team will receive $250,000, a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions’ League and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports. The runner-up will earn $60,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $15,000 cash prize.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Club Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 103 consecutive years dating from 1914. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
2017 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SCHEDULE
First Round
| Date | Game | Time | Venue |
| May 10 | Fredericksburg FC (NPSL) vs. Christos FC (Md.) | 5 p.m. ET | Univ. of Mary Washington Battleground Stadium; Fredericksburg, Va. |
| May 10 | Atlanta Silverbacks (NPSL) vs. SC United Bantams (PDL) | 5 p.m. ET | Atlanta Silverbacks Park; Atlanta, Ga. |
| May 10 | Western Mass Pioneers (PDL) vs. Boston City FC (NPSL) | 7 p.m. ET | Lusitano Stadium; Ludlow, Mass. |
| May 10 | New Jersey Copa FC (NPSL) vs. FC Motown (N.J.) | 7 p.m. ET | Saint John Vianney High School; Holmdel, N.J. |
| May 10 | Charlotte Eagles (PDL) vs. Chattanooga FC (NPSL) | 7 p.m. ET | Charlotte Christian School; Charlotte, N.C. |
| May 10 | Carolina Dynamo (PDL) vs. Legacy 76 (NPSL) | 7 p.m. ET | Macpherson Stadium; Greensboro, N.C. |
| May 10 | Miami United FC (NPSL) vs. Boca Raton Football Club (Fla.) | 7 p.m. ET | Ted Hendricks Stadium; Hialeah, Fla. |
| May 10 | Jacksonville Armada U-23 (NPSL) vs. The Villages SC (PDL) | 7 p.m. ET | Patton Park; Jacksonville, Fla. |
| May 10 | Reading United AC (PDL) vs. Clarkstown SC Eagles (NPSL) | 7:30 p.m. ET | Exeter Township Senior High School; Reading, Pa. |
| May 10 | Michigan Bucks (PDL) vs. AFC Ann Arbor (NPSL) | 7:30 p.m. ET | Ultimate Soccer Arenas; Pontiac, Mich. |
| May 10 | Chicago FC United (PDL) vs. Grand Rapids FC (NPSL) | 7 p.m. CT | Martin Stadium (Northwestern Univ.); Evanston, Ill. |
| May 10 | Dutch Lions FC (NPSL) vs. NTX Rayados (Texas) | 7 p.m. CT | Dutch Lions FC Soccer Facility; Conroe, Texas |
| May 10 | FC Wichita (NPSL) vs. Azteca FC (Colo.) | 7 p.m. CT | Stryker Soccer Compex; Wichita, Kan. |
| May 10 | Des Moines Menace (PDL) vs. AFC Cleveland (NPSL) | 7:30 p.m. CT | Valley Stadium; West Des Moines, Iowa |
| May 10 | Tulsa Athletic (NPSL) vs. Oklahoma City Energy U23 (PDL) | 7:30 p.m. CT | Hurricane Soccer & Track Stadium; Tulsa, Okla. |
| May 10 | Sonoma County Sol (NPSL) vs. Anahuac FC (Nev.) | 7 p.m. PT | Casa Grande High School; Petaluma, Calif. |
| May 10 | Albion SC Pros (NPSL) vs. Chula Vista FC (Calif.) | 7 p.m. PT | Mission Bay High School; San Diego, Calif. |
| May 10 | OSA FC (NPSL) vs. Sounders FC U-23 (PDL) | 7:30 p.m. PT | Seattle High School Memorial Stadium; Seattle, Wash. |
NPSL Teams that Qualified for the 2017 Open Cup (18):
Qualified via 2016 NPSL playoffs: AFC Cleveland* (Ohio), Albion SC Pros (Calif.), Chattanooga FC* (Tenn.), Clarkstown SC Eagles* (N.Y.), Grand Rapids FC (Mich.), Miami United FC (Fla.), New Jersey Copa FC (N.J.), Sonoma County Sol (Calif.)
At-Large Berths: AFC Ann Arbor (Mich.), Atlanta Silverbacks*, Boston City FC (Mass.), Dutch Lions FC (Texas), FC Wichita* (Kan.), Fredericksburg FC* (Va.), Jacksonville Armada U-23 (Fla.), Legacy 76 (Va.), OSA FC (Wash.) Tulsa Athletic (Okla).
The NPSL opted to use 2016 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2017 Open Cup.
* Denotes teams that participated in 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
