FRISCO, Texas — The U.S. Soccer Federation announced the format and teams to compete in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which includes only eight of 26 possible MLS first teams.
The MLS clubs that will compete with their senior club rosters are: Atlanta United FC, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo FC (the defending U.S. Open Cup Champion), LAFC, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC and Sporting Kansas City.
The U.S. Open Cup first crowned a winner in 1914, making it one of the oldest soccer competitions in the U.S. The tournament is competed annually among both professional and amateur teams, creating possible "David vs. Goliath-esque" upsets. A change to the tournament's format marks the first time since 2008 that all 32 first-round matchups will pit amateur against professional teams. There will be more first-round matchups than ever before between amateur and professional teams in the tournament’s 109-year history, doubling the previous amount, U.S. Soccer officials said.
While long-time soccer fans in the U.S. have held the tournament in high regard, the tournament, which was named after an MLS founding father Lamar Hunt, had struggled in recent years to attract investment and a broader audience, most notably after MLS announced in September it had requested for MLS Next Pro teams to compete in place of their respective first teams. The U.S. Soccer Federation denied that MLS request five days later.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber had previously called the tournament "a very poor reflection on what it is that we're trying to do with soccer at the highest level" and voiced dissatisfaction with the crowded schedule of the MLS first teams in an interview with ESPN, but most of that was in the league's own doing with the commencement of Leagues Cup, a tournament held in conjunction with Mexico's Liga MX, which started in 2019.
FC Dallas owner Dan Hunt, son of Lamar, said in a statement he's proud to have his club participate in the tournament.
“Obviously, FC Dallas is excited and honored to compete in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a competition that honors my father’s legacy and contributions to our sport,” Dan Hunt said. “This is more than a tournament; it's a testament to the rich history of soccer in the United States.”
Ninety-six teams will play a total of 95 games from March to September. Here is a look at the new format and clubs involved:
Teams competing in 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Division I - 8 teams - Major League Soccer
(All 8 teams enter in the Round of 32)
- Atlanta United FC
- FC Dallas
- Houston Dynamo FC (Defending U.S. Open Cup Champion)
- Los Angeles FC
- Real Salt Lake
- San Jose Earthquakes
- Seattle Sounders FC
- Sporting Kansas City
Division II - 24 teams - USL Championship
(16 teams enter in the Third Round and 8 teams in the Round of 32)
- Birmingham Legion FC
- Charleston Battery*
- Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC*
- Detroit City FC
- El Paso Locomotive
- FC Tulsa
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy Eleven
- Las Vegas Lights FC
- Loudoun United FC
- Louisville City FC
- Memphis 901 FC
- Miami FC
- Monterey Bay FC
- New Mexico United
- North Carolina FC
- Oakland Roots SC
- Orange County Soccer Club*
- Phoenix Rising FC*
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC*
- Rhode Island FC
- Sacramento Republic FC*
- San Antonio FC*
- Tampa Bay Rowdies*
* USL Championship league champion (Phoenix Rising FC) and next seven best teams from 2023 standings enter Round of 32
Division III - 32 teams - USL League One, NISA, MLS Next Pro
(All teams entering in the First Round)
USL League One
12 teams
(Teams entering in the First Round)
- Central Valley Fuego FC
- Charlotte Independence
- Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
- Forward Madison FC
- Greenville Triumph SC
- One Knoxville SC
- Lexington SC
- Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC
- Richmond Kickers
- South Georgia Tormenta FC
- Spokane Velocity FC
- Union Omaha
MLS Next Pro
11 teams
(Entering in the First Round)
- Austin FC II
- Carolina Core FC
- Chattanooga FC
- Chicago Fire II
- Colorado Rapids 2
- Crown Legacy FC
- Minnesota United FC2
- LA Galaxy II
- New York City FC II
- New York Red Bulls II
- Portland Timbers 2
NISA (National Independent Soccer Association)
9 teams
(Teams entering in the First Round)
- Arizona Monsoon FC
- Capo FC
- Club de Lyon FC
- Georgia Lions FC
- Irvine Zeta FC
- Los Angeles Force
- Maryland Bobcats FC
- Michigan Stars FC
- Savannah Clovers FC
Open Division Teams
Division IV/Open - 32 teams - (Teams entering in the First Round)
- SC MesoAmerica (California / USASA / USASA National Amateur Cup Winner)
- AS Frenzi (Florida / UPSL Spring Champion)
Open Division Local Qualifiers
11 teams – winners from the Four Rounds of Local Qualifying / Fall 2023
- Azteca FC (Colorado, Colorado Premier League / USSSA-Soccer)
- Chicago House AC (Illinois / Midwest Premier League / USASA)
- Christos FC (Maryland / Maryland Super Soccer League/ USASA)
- FC America CFL Spurs (Florida / United States Soccer League / USSSA-Soccer)
- FORO SC (Texas / UPSL)
- SCU Heat (South Carolina / UPSL)
- Brockton FC United (Massachusetts / UPSL)
- Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pennsylvania / United Soccer League of Penn. / USASA)
- Miami United FC (Florida / United States Soccer League / USSSA-Soccer)
- FC Folsom (California / UPSL)
- Irvine Zeta FC II (California / UPSL)
National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) - 8 teams – based on 2023 league competition
- Tulsa Athletic (Oklahoma)
- Apotheos FC (Georgia)
- West Chester United SC (Pennsylvania)
- El Farolito (California)
- Steel City FC (Pennsylvania)
- FC Motown (New Jersey)
- Lubbock Matadors SC (Texas)
- Duluth FC (Minnesota)
USL League Two - 11 teams – based on 2023 league competition
- Ballard FC (Washington)
- Chicago City SC (Illinois)
- Asheville City SC (North Carolina)
- Brave SC (Formerly The Villages SC, Florida)
- Redlands FC (California)
- South Carolina United Bantams (South Carolina)
- Des Moines Menace (Iowa)
- Western Mass Pioneers (Massachusetts)
- Vermont Green FC (Vermont)
- Hudson Valley Hammers (New York)
2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup schedule
- First Round: Tuesday, March 19 - Thursday, March 21
- Second Round: Tuesday, April 2 - Wednesday, April 3
- Third Round: Tuesday, April 16 - Wednesday, April 17
- Round of 32: Tuesday, May 7 - Wednesday, May 8
- Round of 16: Tuesday, May 21 - Wednesday, May 22
- Quarterfinal: Tuesday, July 9 - Wednesday, July 10
- Semifinal: Tuesday, Aug. 27 - Wednesday, Aug. 28
- Final: Wednesday, Sept. 25
Since the start of MLS in 1996, the only team not from the first tier to win the competition was the 1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos of the USL’s second-tier A-League, which beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0 in the final.
The 2024 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2025 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 permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco.
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. Houston Dynamo are the defending Open Cup champions, beating Inter Miami CF, 2-1, at Fort Lauderdale’s DRV PNK Stadium.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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