14 NPSL Teams to Participate in the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

January 31, 2019

7421

216

U.S. Soccer has finalized the format and schedule for the 106th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S.
Open Cup, U.S. Soccer’s National Championship. The 2019 tournament kicks off May 7-8 with19 First Round games and features a total of 84 teams from all levels, culminating in August
with America’s soccer champion lifting the Open Cup trophy after eight rounds of single-
elimination play. 14 NPSL teams will be participating in this historic tournament.

“The NPSL is proud to participate in such a historic tournament,” NPSL Managing Director
Cindy Spera commented. “It’s a great competition that engages all levels of American soccer,
bringing everyone together to enjoy the beautiful game. The anticipation leading up to the bid
awards and the team parings is an always an exciting time for our teams, fans, and supporters.
Additionally, the opportunity to participate in the Open Cup gives our players yet another
platform to showcase their talent and creates tremendous opportunity for all involved.”

A total of 32 Open Division squads, including the 14 NPSL teams, will enter First Round action
in early May. They will be joined by the six eligible members of the USL League One.

Twenty-five teams from the Division II USL Championship will take the field starting in the
Second Round on May 14-15.

The Third Round takes place on May 29, and its winners will be joined by the 21 U.S.-based
Division I Major League Soccer clubs in the Fourth Round on June 12.

The 2019 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2020
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 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.

NPSL teams that are competing in the U.S. Open Cup include AFC Ann Arbor (Mich.), Duluth
FC (Minn.), El Farolito (Calif.), Erie Commodores FC (Pa.), FC Baltimore (Md.), FC Motown
(N.J.), FCM Portland (Ore.), Laredo Heat SC (Texas), Little Rock Rangers (Ark.), Miami FC
(Fla.), Midland-Odessa Sockers FC (Texas), New York Cosmos B (N.Y.), Orange County FC
(Calif.), and Philadelphia Lone Star FC (Pa.).