The 2027 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Qualifying Tournament rolls on this coming weekend.
In total, there will be 63 qualifying matches across the country played between Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, with amateur teams from the Open Division trying to inch another step closer to a spot in next year's Open Cup tournament field.
Locally, there will be nine matches featuring amateur sides from New York or New Jersey, with three taking place in the five boroughs. We know the 112th edition of America's national soccer championship will include one or two amateur teams from the Tri-State area, and now the second of four planned qualifying rounds will whittle the local field of amateurs down once more.
Good timing, too, as an international break is (mostly) stopping play in Major League Soccer, so these local games can get more of the spotlight. If you want to learn more about each team, we have a brief write-up on every local amateur side in our article from the last round of qualifying.
Michael Battista
Old names, new faces
US Open Cup Second Qualifying Round Matches
(Home team listed first)
League Abbreviation Guide (Click to view list)
- APSL - American Premier Soccer League
- CSL - Cosmopolitan Soccer League
- NPSL - National Premier Soccer League
- TLfC - The League For Clubs
- UPSL - United Premier Soccer League
Saturday, October 3
- New Jersey Alliance FC (UPSL) vs. Ironbound SCP (UPSL)
6:30 p.m. ET, Athenia Steel Park in Clifton, NJ
Match Broadcast - Bulldogs SC (UPSL) vs. Jersey Shore Boca (APSL)
7 p.m. ET, Geick Park in Old Bridge, NJ
Match Broadcast - WC Predators (APSL) vs. Oaklyn United FC (APSL)
7 p.m. ET, Scott Auto Field in West Chester, PA - Osner's FC (UPSL) vs. NY Renegades FC (UPSL)
8 p.m. ET, Floyd Bennett Sports Complex in Brooklyn, NY
Match Broadcast - Lansdowne Yonkers FC (APSL) vs. Red Hook Football Club (UPSL)
8:30 p.m. ET, Tibbetts Park in Yonkers, NY
Sunday, October 4
- New Amsterdam FC (CSL) vs. New York Greek American SC (APSL)
1 p.m. ET, Randall's Island Park in New York, NY
Match Broadcast - Real Central NJ Soccer (APSL) vs. FC Monmouth (TLfC)
7 p.m. ET, Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ
Match Broadcast - SC Vistula Garfield (APSL) vs. FC Motown (NPSL)
7 p.m. ET, Garfield High School in Garfield, NJ - NY Pancyprian Freedoms (APSL) vs. NY Dash FC (UPSL)
7 p.m. ET, Belson Stadium, St. John's University in Queens, NY
Match Broadcast
A few matches stand out right off the bat. Two former Open Cup champions from Astoria, Queens, New York Greek Americans and NY Pancyprian Freedoms, will be in action against smaller sides.
Both teams have been home to former professional players, young up-and-coming talent, and the occasional player in-between stops. They are always worth a watch. The Greeks have the game I'll be keeping the closest eye on as they face New Amsterdam FC, the controversial former professional side now competing in the historic Cosmopolitan Soccer League as amateurs.
Multiple teams here have been to Open Cup tournaments in recent years, including NJ Alliance, Vistula Garfield, and NY Renegades. All of which have had strong performances against professional teams in the tournament but are looking for a first-ever win against one.
Newer faces include Red Hook FC and NY Dash, both from the UPSL with recent success in their league, and growing presences on the local amateur circuit. Red Hook in particular finished second in its conference, one of its best-ever finishes, but fell in the playoff conference final to fellow Open Cup combatant NY Renegades.
The vibe at Red Hook FC matches. Photos courtesy of Red Hook FC
Results from the First Qualifying Round
Earlier in September, the Open Cup qualifying tournament got underway with a First Round that featured three local matches. The winners of those advanced, and here's how they got there.
TheCup.us Staff
Lansdowne Yonkers beat New York Athletic Club, 1-0, off a free kick goal from former Irish professional Seamás Keogh. That sent the Bhoys into the next round past their APSL rivals as they continue to hunt for a fifth US Open Cup appearance. Lansdowne missed out on qualifying for the tournament earlier this year when they lost to San Francisco super-side El Farolito SC in the National Amateur Cup Final.
In New Jersey, four unanswered goals in the second half propelled SC Vistula Garfield past Five Rivers SC, 4-1, an outburst that included a go-ahead bicycle kick goal from Gabriel Costa off a corner kick. The Polish side is one step closer to returning to the US Open Cup after a solid performance earlier this year in a Round One defeat to One Knoxville of USL League One.
Credit: Five River SC
Finally, Osner's FC beat rivals American Soccer Club NY, 3-2, in a back-and-forth Brooklyn battle. Former NYCFC academy midfielder Joel Favard scored a late game winner in a match that ended with both teams getting physical. According to a match report sent out by ASC New York, "a melee late in the match resulted in the final minutes (being) abandoned."
"We should have had a free kick and (the referee) ended the game," said American Soccer Club NY Head Coach John Fitzgerald. "I’m sure he ended the game out of safety and I really think that’s because (the match) wasn’t called as tight as it should have been."
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Pathways to the 2027 tournament
As mentioned previously, it seems as though one or two Tri-State locals will qualify for next year's tournament. That honestly comes down to team numbers.
Only counting the teams in New York state, outside of FCY New York in Buffalo (who are playing Pittsburgh side Steel City FC this round), there are eight teams left. Each of them can play one-another until one is left standing over the next three rounds.
- Second Qualifying Round: 8 -> 4
- Third Qualifying Round: 4 -> 2
- Fourth Qualifying Round: 2 -> 1
New match-ups will be drawn after each round, but historically it seems as though it'll be a New York City mini-qualifying tournament from here.
Across the Hudson River, New Jersey is a bit more tricky. There are nine Garden State teams in the competition. Eight of the teams are facing one another in the second round, while Oaklyn United (Camden, NJ) is playing Pennsylvania side WC Predators.
If the Predators win that match, it'll mean the last two rounds will have four Eastern PA teams and four NJ teams to face off against one another, meaning each will get an amateur team in the USOC.
If Oaklyn wins, I don't know what happens. You'll have an odd number of NJ teams, so either Oaklyn or someone else will get drawn to play another Eastern PA side in the Third Qualifying Round.
Regardless, it looks as though New York and New Jersey will each get at least one amateur team each in next year's US Open Cup.
