Written by Zach Lowy
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Before St. Louis CITY kicks off their first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, let’s chat about the history of this competition. What is the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup?
The United States Soccer Federation changed the name of its oldest competition, the U.S. Open Cup, to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1999 after the Major League Soccer owner and American soccer pioneer. It is a knockout cup competition in American soccer that has crowned a champion annually from 1914 to 2019, being put on hiatus for two years due to the pandemic before coming back in 2022.
Returning for its 108th edition, the U.S. Open Cup is open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, making it the only high-profile competition in American team sports where amateur sides can face professionals in meaningful competition.
What’s St. Louis’ relationship with the U.S. Open Cup?
The connection between St. Louis and the U.S. Open Cup began more than a century ago and is bound by 10 championship titles. Ben Millers became the first St. Louis-based team to win the tournament in 1920 after defeating Fore River Rovers of Quincy, Massachusetts. The winning team, composed entirely of St. Louis-based players, also reached the U.S. Open Cup Final in 1926. Various St. Louis sides have gone on to win the cup since Ben Millers’ inaugural achievement including, St. Louis Scullins Steel (1922), St. Louis Stix, Baer & Fuller F.C. (1933, 1943), St. Louis Central Breweries (1935), St. Louis Simpkins-Ford (1948, 1950), St. Louis Kutis SC (1957, 1986), St. Louis Busch Seniors (1988). St. Louis returned to the U.S. Open Cup competition in 2015 thanks to United Soccer League’s Saint Louis FC, whose home turf was St. Louis Soccer Park.
In their inaugural season, STLFC reached the Fourth Round of the tournament after beating MLS side Minnesota United in front of its home crowd of 6,200. STLFC was given another shot in 2017 but fell short in the Fourth Round again, this time to MLS’s Chicago Fire. STLFC would get its revenge in 2019 with a 2-1 victory over the Windy City in the Fourth Round. After upsetting another MLS team (FC Cincinnati), STLFC advanced to the Quarterfinals. Though they didn’t make it onto the Semifinals, it was another chapter for St. Louis written in the U.S Open Cup history book.
What is the competition format for the 2023 U.S. Open Cup?
The competition works on a single-game, knock-out basis. This year’s competition will see 99 teams compete, including a modern-era record 71 professional sides. The First Round ran from March 21-23 and saw 28 Open Division clubs compete, featuring a wide range of sides such as NPSL side Appalachian FC and National Amateur Cup champions Bavarian United SC. The Second Round will feature the 14 winners from the prior round, as well as 22 Division III teams and 24 USLC teams, with the fixtures set to take place between April 4 and April 6. The Third Round will see the 30 winners from the prior round and 18 MLS teams, including St. Louis CITY (their reserve team competed in last year’s edition and reached the Third Round), with the fixtures taking place between April 25 and April 26. The 24 winners of the Third Round will then compete in the Round of 32 alongside eight seeded MLS clubs – the four CONCACAF Champions League participants (Austin FC, Los Angeles FC, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union), the next two best teams from the Western Conference (FC Dallas, LA Galaxy), and the next two best teams from the Eastern Conference (NYCFC, New York Red Bulls) between May 9 and 10. From there, the Round of 16 gets underway between May 23 and 24, the quarterfinals take place on June 6 and June 7, the semifinals on August 23, whilst the final will occur on September 27.
What will the 2022 U.S. Open Cup winner receive?
On top of the pride from being the top club in the U.S’ oldest competition, the winning team will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League, and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy, which is on display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up will earn $100,000, and the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.
