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All 14 League One clubs set to enter 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in First Round

By USLLeagueOne.com Staff, 02/05/25, 2:30PM EST

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Largest field of League One clubs set to participate, all will face amateur opposition to open tournament

CHICAGO – U.S. Soccer today announced the 32-game First Round schedule for the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer's annual club championship. The First Round will take place between March 18 and 20 and be made up exclusively of professional vs. amateur contests; all 14 USL League One clubs will enter in the First Round.

The amateur teams in the 2025 First Round will consist of the 14 survivors from last fall's Open Cup Qualifying Rounds, the 2024 USASA National Amateur Champion NY Pancyprian Freedoms, the UPSL Spring Champion Soda City FC of South Carolina, seven teams from the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and nine more from USL League Two. Their opponents from the professional ranks will be eight clubs from the Division II USL Championship, 14 from the Division III USL League One and 10 from MLS NEXT Pro.

This is the second year in a row that sees the Open Cup First Round comprised exclusively of pro vs. amateur matchups – thus creating massive potential for dramatic outcomes and underdog storylines. The 2024 Open Cup First Round produced no fewer than seven upsets, setting the table for more drama this year.

Of the 64 teams taking part in the First Round, 26 are making their debut in the U.S. Open Cup. The Amateur/Open Division will provide 15 new faces.

For the 2025 First Round, teams were paired on a geographic basis with the restriction that each professional team was matched with a team from the Open Division. Hosts were determined by random selection when each team applied to host with a venue that met the competition standard. Random selection was also used in cases where there was no logical geographic fit or there were more than two teams from the same proximity.

The winners of the First Round will play each other in a Second Round consisting of 16 games. The 16 Second Round winners will then be matched up against the 16 highest-ranked professional teams from the USL Championship in the Third Round. USL Championship Teams were seeded by conference, with the top eight clubs in each conference entering in the Third Round. Third Round-winners will square off against the teams of Major League Soccer (MLS). There will be 16 MLS teams competing in the 2025 Open Cup – up from eight in 2024 – and they will all enter the competition in the Round of 32.

2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule

Tuesday, March 18

  • Sarasota Paradise (USL League Two) vs. FC Naples
    • 7 p.m. ET
    • Premier Sports Campus; Lakewood Ranch, Fla. 
  • New Jersey Alliance FC (UPSL/N.J.) vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
    • 7 p.m. ET
  • FC Motown (NPSL) vs. Westchester SC
    • 7:30 p.m. ET
    • MSU Soccer Park at Pittser Field; Montclair, N.J.
  • Asheville City SC (USL League Two) vs. Greenville Triumph SC
    • 7:30 p.m. ET
    • Greenwood Field; Asheville, N.C.
  • Texoma FC vs. FORO SC (UPSL/Texas)
    • 8 p.m. ET
    • Bearcat Stadium; Sherman, Texas
  • AV ALTA FC vs. Ventura County Fusion (USL League Two)
    • 10:30 p.m. ET
    • Lancaster Municipal Stadium; Lancaster, Calif.

Wednesday, March 19

  • Appalachian FC (NPSL) vs. One Knoxville SC
    • 7 p.m. ET
    • Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex; Boone, N.C.
  • Richmond Kickers vs. Virginia Dream (USASA/VSSL/Va.)
    • 7 p.m. ET
    • City Stadium; Richmond, Va. 
  • Ballard FC (USL League Two) vs. Spokane Velocity FC
    • 10:30 p.m. ET
    • Interbay Stadium; Seattle, Wash.

Thursday, March 20

  • Portland Hearts of Pine vs. CD Faialense (USASA/BSSL/Mass.)
    • 6:30 p.m. ET
    • Franklin Athletic Complex; Lewiston, Maine 
  • Long Island Rough Riders (USL League Two) vs. Charlotte Independence
    • 7 p.m. ET
    • Mitchel Athletic Complex; Uniondale, N.Y.
  • Forward Madison FC vs. Duluth FC (NPSL)
    • 7 p.m. ET
    • Breese Stevens Field: Madison, Wis.
  • South Georgia Tormenta FC vs. Harbor City FC (UPSL/Fla.)
    • 7:30 p.m. ET
    • Tormenta Stadium; Statesboro, Ga. 
  • Flatirons FC (USL League Two) vs. Union Omaha
    • 9 p.m. ET
    • Stermole Soccer Stadium; Golden, Colo.

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