The tournament is named in honor of U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame inductee Lamar Hunt, who was a long-time owner, investor and supporter of the game on American soil. The last team to hoist the cup was Atlanta United in 2019, when they beat fellow MLS side Minnesota United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 

Since the launch of top-flight Major League Soccer in 1996, the Open Cup has been won by an MLS side in every year but one. The second-tier Rochester Rhinos shocked MLS’s Colorado Rapids in the 1999 final for the lone lower-division final upset during the last 26 years.

In the U.S. Open Cup, each match is a single-elimination knockout match. If there’s a draw after 90 minutes of regulation, the match will head to extra time, followed by a penalty-kick shootout, if necessary.

The complete schedule, every score and all the highlights for each round follows below. Every match beginning in the 2nd Round is available to stream on ESPN+ in the USA.

1st Round: March 22-23 (Draw: Feb. 2) 2nd Round: April 5-7 (Draw: Feb. 11) 3rd Round: April 19-21 (Draw: April 8) Round of 32: May 10-11 (Draw: April 22) Round of 16: May 24-25 (Draw: May 12) Quarterfinals: June 21-29 (Draw: May 12) Semifinals: July 27 (Host draw: June 23) Open Cup Final: Sept. 6, 7, 13 or 14 (Host draw: June 23)

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Open Cup Finals (Wed, September 7)

The finals are set, as Orlando City SC will look to earn its first trophy as an MLS club, matched up against USL Championship club Sacramento Republic.

It’s the first time a lower-league club has reached the final of the U.S. domestic cup competition since 2008 when D.C. United claimed the Cup with a 2-1 victory over Charleston Battery.

Orlando City will host the match at its home ground Exploria Stadium, as per the semifinal draw which determined the hosts for the final two rounds.

Open Cup Semifinals (Wed, July 27)

A draw held on June 23 determined the hosts for the semifinals on July 27. We also know which team will host a potential final:

There are three MLS teams and one USL Championship side (Sacramento Republic) in the semis. Sporting Kansas City and Sacramento Republic will face off in one semifinal, while the NY Red Bulls meet Orlando City SC in the other.

Sporting Kansas City have won the competition four times in club history (2004, 2012, 2015, 2017) and are looking to tie an all-time tournament record with a fifth title. The other teams remaining in the competition have never claimed the trophy, though the NY Red Bulls advanced to two finals, losing both (2003 vs. Chicago Fire, 2017 vs. Sporting KC).

Open Cup Quarterfinals (June 21-29)

The quarterfinal pairings were determined as part of the previous Round of 16 draw held on Thursday, May 12. The four single-elimination matches were played between Tuesday-Wednesday, June 21-29 (host team listed first).

Of the eight teams in the final eight, one was from the second-tier USL Championship (Sacramento Republic), and one hailed from third-tier USL League One (Union Omaha). The remaining six were MLS clubs.

Open Cup Round of 16 (May 25)

The Round of 16 draw took place on Thursday, May 12. Similar to the previous round, teams were grouped geographically into groups of four. A random draw paired up the teams from each geographical grouping. These were the regional groups:

Northeast: Charlotte FC, New England, NYCFC, NY Red Bulls Southeast: Inter Miami, Louisville City, Nashville SC, Orlando City Central: Houston, Minnesota United, Sporting KC, Union Omaha West: LA Galaxy, LAFC, Sacramento Republic, SJ Earthquakes

The Round of 16 results follow below with all eight single elimination matches played on May 25. Of the 16 teams, 13 hailed from MLS, two from the second-tier USL Championship (noted with a “CH”) and one from third-tier USL League One (“USL1” below). Two of the three lower division teams survived.

Open Cup Round of 32 (May 10-11)

In the Round of 32, the 24 winners from the 3rd Round of the competition joined the final eight MLS teams that had not yet entered the competition.

The draw took place on April 21 with matchups selected from four geographical groups of eight teams. There were three matchups between lower-league opponents, while eight games featured two MLS teams facing off.

A total of 21 MLS teams were still alive in the Round of 32, with the likes of the Chicago Fire, Austin FC, Columbus Crew, and Real Salt Lake all dumped out via upsets in the previous round (3rd Round).

21: Major League Soccer (MLS) 5: USL Championship (CH) 4: USL League One (USL1) 1: National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) 1: MLS Next Pro (NEXT)

Open Cup 3rd Round (April 19-20)

In the 3rd Round, 17 of the U.S.-based MLS teams entered the competition to join the 31 qualifiers from the 2nd Round (the other eight MLS teams join in the Round of 32 based on performance in the 2021 season).

The 48 teams were placed in pots based on geography to minimize travel and expenses with the draw held on Friday, April 8 and streamed on U.S. Soccer’s YouTube channel.

MLS teams could not be drawn against each other. Also, teams with shared ownership or using the same technical resources could not be drawn together.

17: Major League Soccer (MLS) 15: USL Championship (CH) 8: USL League One (USL1) 4: National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) 2: MLS Next Pro (NEXT) 1: National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) 1: USL League Two (USL2)

(Note: Home teams listed first)

Open Cup 2nd Round (April 5-7)

The 32 winners from the 1st Round were joined by 30 new entrants and they were paired up via a draw held on Feb. 11. Here was the breakdown of the participating teams in this round by league, followed by the matchups: 

23: USL Championship (CH) 11: USL League One (USL1) 10: National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) 6: National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) 5: USL League Two (USL2) 3: United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) 2: MLS Next Pro (NEXT) 2: Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL)

(Note: Home teams listed first)

Open Cup 1st Round (March 22-April 1)

In the 1st Round, all matchups were set up geographically rather than via random draw to ensure travel distances and costs are manageable. Here’s the breakdown of teams in this round by league:

11: USL League Two (USL2) 10: National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) 8: United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) 2: Eastern Premier Soccer League (EPSL) 1: Central Florida Soccer League (CFSL)

(Note: Home teams listed first)

How to Watch 2022 U.S. Open Cup

Date: March 22 through September 14, 2022 Streaming: ESPN+ (all rounds), U. S. Soccer YouTube (first round)

The 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup can be seen on ESPN+ in the USA throughout the entirety of the competition.

The only matches that will not be broadcast on ESPN+ are select first-round matches that instead can be found on U.S. Soccer’s YouTube channel. All other matches from the second round to the final will be broadcast on ESPN+.

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Open Cup teams

In the 2022 edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, participating teams hail from 11 different leagues and tiers across American soccer: