With the shine of the FIFA World Cup receding in the rear-view mirror, soccer in the New York City metro area is returning to normal.
In the shadow of Major League Soccer resuming is the culmination of the summer amateur sprints. Multiple league competitions are nearing their ends, and plenty of teams in the metro are sill active.
The biggest thing? Some of these competitions will grant teams direct qualification to the 2027 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament. Meaning amateur teams with tiny budgets can sidestep the costly Open Cup qualifying rounds that take place later this year between September and November.
Let's take a look at the competitions with local teams still competing for both trophies and for USOC spots.
National Amateur Cup
Since 2018, the champion of the National Amateur Cup has received an automatic spot in the following year's Open Cup tournament. As a century-old tournament, the trophy is one of the highest honors an amateur team can win. It's also the top jewel of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), at least until next year, when US Soccer takes control of it.
The tournament sees the country broken up into four regions; the Northeast (Region I), the Midwest (Region II), the South (Region III), and the West (Region IV). Each region holds its own tournament to crown regional champions, who meet in a single location for a national semifinals and a final. The 2026 finals will be held at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee, WI, played this weekend between July 24 and July 25.
This year, Region I (Northeast) is represented by Lansdowne Yonkers FC of Yonkers, New York, who will be facing Tar Devils SC of North Carolina in the semifinals on Friday, July 24.
The group has impressed in the tournament so far, with three of their four wins being shutouts with three or more goals scored by them. Former League of Ireland player Danú Kinsella-Bishop has four goals, one in each of the team's games, and is tied for third-most in the competition.
Lansdowne had a decent season in the APSL Metropolitan Conference during the 2025-26 season, finishing second with a record of 17W-2D-3L, only two points behind first place. However, Yonkers ended up losing to their rivals from Queens, NY Pancyprian Freedoms, falling 2-1 in the conference semifinals.
Should they win on Friday, Lansdowne will face the winner of Chicago House AC and El Farolito SC for the national title. Lansdowne is seeking their fifth US Open Cup appearance and first since 2023. The team is also seeking a third National Amateur Cup title, following wins in 2017 and 2021.
Friday's national semifinals will be broadcast by the United States Adult Soccer Association on their YouTube page.
National Premier Soccer League
I'm counting this because New Haven, Connecticut, is on a Metro-North line so it can be counted as part of the New York metro area. Second-year side New Haven United FC may have already qualified for its first-ever US Open Cup tournament thanks to its performance in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) playoffs.
New Haven finished first in the North Atlantic Conference with six wins, two draws, and two losses. In the conference final, the team beat Long Island side ASC New York in penalty kicks, after a 2-2 match which saw a goal from former NYCFC II defender Jack Loura. In the National Quarterfinals (East Region Final), New Haven beat Pennsylvania powerhouse West Chester United SC, 4-2.
The NPSL awards one berth to its national champion, and was also given two tournament spots for it to award to teams. One will go to the national runner-up and the other will go to a national semifinalist. If New Haven beats Bristol Rhythm AFC on the road this Saturday, they'll claim an NPSL berth. If they lose, they have a weak points-per-game number and will probably be ranked fourth of the four teams, thus missing out on one of the league's automatic spots.
Saturday's game will be broadcast by Bristol Rhythm AFC on their YouTube page.
The League for Clubs
For the first time ever, the champion of The League for Clubs (TLfC) will also be automatically qualified for the next year's US Open Cup. Founded in 2024, TLfC was created from former dissatisfied members of the NPSL looking for more organized competition and has since grown into a national league with 37 teams.
The league is down to its national finals, with the four regional champions meeting this weekend, on July 24 for semifinals, before the two winners meet on Sunday, July 26 in the national final. The games will be held at Norma Knobel Hunt Stadium on the campus of the University of North Texas in Denton, TX.
All games will be free to watch on the league's YouTube channel.
The group of national finalists includes Metropolitan Oval Academy of Queens, New York.
The East Region champs are looking to repeat as national champions and will face Pensacola FC on Friday. Met Oval completed the regular season with 10 wins and two losses to finish second in the North Division of the Northeast Conference. After defeating Kingston Stockade FC, 2-0, on the road in the Division Championship match, Met Oval beat South Division champion Atlantic City FC, 5-1, in the Northeast Conference/East Region Final.
Should Met Oval win, they'll face the winner between Iron Rose FC and Oklahoma United FC on Sunday night for the league title. A win would give the team its second league title and a first-ever appearance in the USOC. However, their home field, the actual Metropolitan Oval, has hosted multiple US Open Cup finals over its long, storied history.
United Premier Soccer League
The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) will have two automatic qualifying slots for teams this year. For the third straight year, the Spring UPSL Season national champions automatically qualify, and for the first time, the national runner-up will also automatically qualify for the Open Cup.
The UPSL national playoffs are currently down to their national quarterfinals, also known as the regional finals. The champions of each region will play the national semifinals and final from August 7 to August 9 at at UCLA's Wallis Annenberg and Drake Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. The winning team will be crowned national champions, win $50,000, and earn one of two USOC spots.
This Sunday, July 26, will see the East Region Final take place at Kilbourne Run Sports Complex in Columbus, OH, between Detroit City FC II and NY Renegades FC of Hicksville, NY.
The Renegades finished the regular season undefeated in the American Conference North Division, before winning the divisional playoff final over Red Hook FC via penalty kicks. Two wins in the national bracket have led them here, three wins away from defending their Fall UPSL national championship that they won last February.
Midfielder Sebastián Ruiz Restrepo and forward Junior Rosero have combined for 27 goals to lead the team. Former USL League One and St. Francis Brooklyn defender, Leo Folla, and former Jamaican Premier League goalkeeper Eric Edwards lead a stout defense.
A win on Sunday would qualify the Renegades for the final four in California next month, where they would need two more wins to win the national title, but only one win to secure a USOC spot. The team is seeking a third straight US Open Cup appearance, having previously qualified via the local qualifying tournament, but losing both of its First Round matches in consecutive years to professional teams.
The game will (probably) be streamed by the UPSL on their YouTube page.
