24 Division III Pro Squads from USL League One, MLS NEXT Pro and NISA Remain Along With Eight Amateur Sides; Division II Pro Clubs from the USL Championship Await Teams That Advance to the Third Round (April 16-17)
The pairings and hosting scenarios for the Second Round of the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, have been determined by U.S. Soccer. Twenty-four Division III pro teams and eight Open Division amateur clubs comprise a Second Round that will feature 16 matches across the country from April 2-3.
Second Round Pairings – 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Home teams listed first; _visit usopencup.com_ for full schedule details including venues and times
Tuesday, April 2
Richmond Kickers (USL League One) vs. Maryland Bobcats FC (NISA)
Charlotte Independence (USL League One) vs. South Carolina United Heat (UPSL)
NYCFC II (MLS NEXT Pro) vs. New York Red Bulls II (MLS NEXT Pro)
Lubbock Matadors (USASA / NPSL) vs. FORO SC (UPSL)
MNUFC2 (MLS NEXT Pro) vs. Michigan Stars FC (NISA)
Wednesday, April 3
Miami United FC (USSSA-Soccer / USSL) vs. Club de Lyon FC (NISA)
South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL League One) vs. Savannah Clovers Football Club (NISA)
One Knoxville SC (USL League One) vs. Greenville Triumph SC (USL League One)
Vermont Green FC (USL League Two) vs. Carolina Core FC (MLS NEXT Pro)
Apotheos FC (USASA / NPSL) vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (USL League One)
Chicago Fire FC II (MLS NEXT Pro) vs. Forward Madison FC (USL League One)
Union Omaha (USL League One) vs. Des Moines Menace (USL League Two)
Colorado Rapids 2 (MLS NEXT Pro) vs. Northern Colorado Hailstorm
Date/Time/Venue TBD (updates to be made as available in the Schedule section of _usopencup.com_
Spokane Velocity FC (USL League One) vs. LA Force (NISA)
Central Valley Fuego FC (USL League One) vs. El Farolito (USASA / NPSL)
The 24 professional teams from Div. III that moved on from Round One include 11 from USL League One. Their lone intra-league Second Round affair – and one of the marquee games of the round – will see Tennesseans One Knoxville SC take on South Carolina’s Greenville Triumph SC. Closing out the professional representatives are seven clubs from MLS NEXT Pro (Div. III) and six from the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) (Div. III). The sole all-MLS NEXT Pro fixture in the Second Round will go down in Queens where NYCFC II will host NYRB II.
The 24 pro sides will be joined in the Second Round by eight amateur Open Division clubs, spread across the UPSL, USSSA Soccer-USSL, USL League Two and USASA-NPSL. The South Carolina United Heat, El Farolito and Vermont Green FC are among the biggest and bravest of those eight underdogs remaining in the competition. There will be one all-Open Division derby in the Second Round when the Lubbock Matadors of USL League Two hosts a second game in a row, this time against fellow Texans FORO SC of UPSL. Another fixture worth marking on the calendar will play out between USL League Two amateurs Des Moines Menace – captained in the First Round by former USMNT midfielder, Olympian and MLS All-Star Sacha Kljestan – and Union Omaha, the Div. III pros who caused a sensation by reaching the Quarterfinals of the 2022 Open Cup.
- 2024 Open Cup Format Finalized
- First Round recaps: Day One | Day Two | Day Three
Second Round Participants by League/Division
USL League One (Div. III) (11): Central Valley Fuego FC, Charlotte Independence, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Forward Madison FC, Greenville Triumph SC, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, One Knoxville SC, Richmond Kickers, South Georgia Tormenta FC, Spokane Velocity FC, Union Omaha
MLS NEXT Pro (Div. III) (7): Carolina Core FC, Chicago Fire FC II, Colorado Rapids 2, MNUFC2, New York Red Bulls II, NYCFC II, Ventura County FC
NISA (Div. III) (6): Club de Lyon FC, Irvine Zeta FC, LA Force, Maryland Bobcats FC, Michigan Stars FC, Savannah Clovers Football Club
Open Division (8): Apotheos FC (NPSL), Des Moines Menace (USL League Two), El Farolito (NPSL), FORO SC (UPSL), Lubbock Matadors (NPSL), Miami United FC (USSL), South Carolina United Heat (UPSL), Vermont Green FC (USL League Two)
Second Round pairings were made on a geographical basis. If three or more teams/pairings were from the same proximity, matchups for these teams were made by random selection. Instances where a logical geographic fit did not exist were resolved by random selection. Home teams for each round are determined by random selection among those who apply to host. Clubs whose venue meets minimum tournament standards are given priority. The winners of the Second Round will move on to the Third Round (April 16-17), where 16 Division II professional teams from the USL Championship – the bottom 14 from last year’s regular-season standings and newcomers North Carolina FC and Rhode Island FC – will enter the competition.
The remaining eight Div. II USL Championship sides (champions Phoenix Rising FC and the next seven best teams from the 2023 regular-season standings) enter in the Round of 32 (May 7-8) alongside the eight competing Div. I Major League Soccer clubs.
