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The first round of the 2026 US Open Cup took place this past week, with matches being played across the country Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. As a quick reminder, the US Open Cup is an annual soccer tournament featuring teams from the amateur level all the way up to MLS. Round 1 features the Open Division (amateur) teams, as well as lower division teams that have qualified through regional tournaments or league performance last season.
64 teams qualified for Round 1 and were drawn into 32 matches, only 30 of which were played last week. Amateur side FC America CFL Spurs of the United Premier Soccer League advanced to the second round due to their opponent, South Georgia Tormenta FC, folding just weeks before their season was due to kick off. An all-Pittsburgh match between USL League Two Steel City FC and last year’s USL Championship winners, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, was postponed to March 25 due to severe weather.
On Tuesday, the home teams and favorites dominated, with only one lower division side pulling off the Cupset: Vermont Green took home a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Portland Hearts of Pine, a team that won over many committee members during their Cup run last year. Also, it was about 21 degrees there and the stadium was PACKED. The only away team to win was Loudon United FC, who knocked off amateur hosts West Chester United SC 2-1.
Insane scenes for Vermont Green at 21 degrees out!
Elsewhere, chalk dominated day 1 of competition:
Richmond Kickers (USL-1) 2-0 Northern Virginia FC (USL-2)
Rhode Island FC (USL-C) 4-0 CD Faialense (amateur, Massachusetts)
Detroit City FC (USL-C) 5-1 Michigan Rangers (NPSL)
Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL-C) 3-0 Azteca FC (amateur, Colorado)
Phoenix Rising FC (USL-C) 4-0 San Ramon (NPSL)
Finally, Indy Eleven (USL-C) 3-0 Des Moines Menace (USL-2) - The Menace are a team known for making deep cup runs, but not this year as the favorites scored in the 31st minute and then added two more in the 60th and 75th to end any hope of another Cinderella run. This was an insane setting for the game too. It was awesome and indoors. This was a moment before Indy scored after the Goalie came out too far and missed the ball. You can see him in pink on the ground.
record scratch you may wonder how I got into this position.
Wednesday’s action opened with amateur side Kalonji Pro-Profile of the UPSL giving MLS NextPro Chattanooga FC all they could handle, scoring first before the favorites bracketed halftime with a pair of goals to take home the win 2-1. Our first Cupset of the day came as Asheville City SC of USL-2 took down USL-1 squad Greenville Triumph 3-1 in Asheville, scoring two goals late to break what had been a 1-1 deadlock for most of the game. Including one where an attacker was down injured but got up to steal the ball for the 3rd goal in the Call an Ambulance but not for me goal. Charleston Battery (USL-C) needed a late goal to beat amateur side Florida Badgers FC (UPSL) and advance to the second round for the fourth straight year. This was the Battery’s 39th Cup win, tying them for second-most in the modern era of the Cup.
Valley 559 FC (UPSL) took down USL-1 team AV ALTA FC 1-0 in an all-California match. We also saw an explosion of goals as Union Omaha (USL-1) hammered amateur squad BOHFS St. Louis 8-0, FC Tulsa (USL-C) took down USL-2 Little Rock Rangers 4-2, and USL-C San Antonio FC hung six on the scoreless amateurs ASC New Stars. New Mexico United won a tense 3-2 victory over Cruizers FC of NPSL, Spokane Velocity FC (USL-1) held off Ventura County Fusion (USL-2), and Orange County SC (USL-C) blanked UPSL Laguna United FC 3-0.
However, the day’s highest drama was reserved for the best amateur team from last year’s Cup, the Burrito Boys of El Farolito against the team that ended that run, USL Championship side Sacramento Republic FC. The game went to extra time in a 0-0 deadlock before the favorites were finally able to break through in the 94th minute. A red card for El Farolito just before the break in extra time all but ended any hope of a comeback, and a second goal in stoppage time sealed the win for Sacramento Republic. Trash talk from the victors turned into a benches-clearing brawl and a flurry of red cards that will keep key Republic players out of their second round match and raise questions about El Farolito’s place in next year’s Cup. Video of the El Farolito’s entrance into the stands.
Remaining Wednesday results:
Louisville City FC (USL-C) 2-0 Southern Indiana FC (UPSL)
FC Naples (USL-1) 3-0 Red Force FC (amateur, Florida)
FC Motown STA (USL-2) 0-2 Hartford Athletic (USL-C)
SC Vistula Garfield (amateur, New Jersey) 1-3 One Knoxville SC (USL-1)
Thursday saw the most Cupsets of the first round, as UPSL’s Virgina Dream FC and Tennessee Tempo FC took down Carolina Core FC (MLS NextPro) and Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (USL-1) respectively, and USL-2 Flint City Bucks shocked USL-1’s Forward Madison FC, 2-0.
Elsewhere on Thursday:
Charlotte Independence (USL-1) 4-1 Ristozi FC (NPSL)
Lexington FC (USL-C) 9-0 Flower City Union (NPSL)
Westchester SC (USL-1) 2-0 NY Renegades (UPSL)
Laredo Heat SC (USL-2) 0-2 El Paso Locomotive FC (USL-C)
The Lamar Hunt Trophy
After Round 1, seven amateur teams remain in the tournament: UPSL sides FC America CFL Spurs, Valley 559 FC, and Flint City Bucks, and USL-2 teams Vermont Green, Asheville City FC, Tennessee Tempo FC, and Virginia Dream FC. Steel City FC will have a chance to join them in their rescheduled match this Wednesday.
Round 2 will take place March 31 and April 1, and will narrow these 32 remaining teams down to 16 before the upper division teams begin to enter the bracket in Round 3.
Full Round 2 Draw (amateur teams in italics):
March 31
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC/Steel City FC vs. Virginia Dream FC 7 p.m. ET
Asheville City SC vs. One Knoxville SC 7 p.m. ET
FC Naples vs. FC America CFL Spurs 7 p.m. ET
Indy Eleven vs. Union Omaha 7 p.m. ET
Charlotte Independence vs. Charleston Battery 7:30 p.m. ET
Valley 559 FC vs. Sacramento Republic FC 10 p.m. ET
April 1
Chattanooga FC vs. Tennessee Tempo FC 6 p.m. ET
Richmond Kickers vs. Loudoun United FC 6:30 p.m. ET
Rhode Island FC vs. Hartford Athletic 7 p.m. ET
Vermont Green FC vs. Westchester SC 7 p.m. ET
Lexington SC vs. Louisville City FC 7 p.m. ET
Flint City Bucks vs. Detroit City FC 7:30 p.m. ET
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Spokane Velocity FC 8 p.m. ET
San Antonio FC vs. FC Tulsa 8:30 p.m. ET
New Mexico United vs. El Paso Locomotive FC 9:30 p.m. ET
Orange County SC vs. Phoenix Rising FC 10 p.m. ET
Stay tuned for more Cup-Dates throughout the U.S. Open Cup!!!
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