Reading United, Philadelphia Lone Star in 2019 U.S. Open Cup field

Reading United is back for an 11th consecutive season and Philadelphia Lone Star have been confirmed as one of the qualifiers from the National Premier Soccer League for the 106th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

A third local team — West Chester United — narrowly missed out on qualifying through the NPSL and fell short of qualifying with a loss in the final of the National Amateur Cup, but has one more shot in local qualifying to make it back to the tournament proper. They’ll travel to Somerville, Massachusetts to take on Safira FC on April 6 in a rematch of last summer’s National Amateur Cup regional final.

The first round opens on May 7 & 8 with 32 teams from USL League Two (formerly Premier Development League), NPSL, local qualifying and USL League One, the newly formed professional league.

The second round kicks off a week later on May 14 & 15 and brings in the USL Championship sides not affiliated with an MLS squad like Bethlehem Steel FC. Penn FC is taking a hiatus from the league and is planning a return in League Two next year.

The third round is scheduled for May 29, followed by the Philadelphia Union and 20 other MLS squads entering the fray in the fourth round on June 12.

Participating Teams

Professional Division Teams Eligible to Participate (52 total):

Division I – Major League Soccer (21 teams, entering in the Fourth Round): Atlanta United FC, Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, FC Cincinnati, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo (defending Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champions), Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, Minnesota United FC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City

Division II – USL Championship (25 teams, entering in the Second Round): Austin Bold FC, Birmingham Legion FC, Charleston Battery, Charlotte Independence, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, Fresno FC, Hartford Athletic, Indy Eleven, Las Vegas Lights FC, Louisville City FC, Memphis 901 FC, Nashville SC, New Mexico United, North Carolina FC, OKC Energy FC, Orange County SC, Phoenix Rising FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, Reno 1868 FC, Sacramento Republic FC, Saint Louis FC, San Antonio FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Tulsa Roughnecks FC

Division III – USL League One (6 teams, entering in the First Round): Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Forward Madison FC, Greenville Triumph SC, Lansing Ignite FC, Richmond Kickers, South Georgia Tormenta FC

Open Division Teams in Tournament Proper (32 total, all entering in the First Round)

Local Qualifiers (winners of seven Fourth Qualifying Round games)

National Premier Soccer League (14 teams, listed alphabetically): AFC Ann Arbor (Mich.)*, Duluth FC* (Minn.), El Farolito (Calif.), Erie Commodores FC (Pa.)*, FC Baltimore (Md.), FC Motown (N.J.)*, FCM Portland (Ore.), Laredo Heat SC (Texas), Little Rock Rangers (Ark.), Miami FC (Fla.)*~, Midland-Odessa Sockers FC (Texas)*, New York Cosmos B (N.Y.)*, Orange County FC (Calif.)*, Philadelphia Lone Star FC^ (Pa.). The NPSL is a nationwide league affiliated with the U.S. Adult Soccer Association and opted to use 2018 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2019 Open Cup.

USL League Two (10 teams, listed alphabetically): Black Rock FC (Conn.), Brazos Valley Cavalry FC (Texas), Dayton Dutch Lions (Ohio), Des Moines Menace (Iowa), FC Golden State Force (Calif.)*, Lakeland Tropics (Fla.)*, New York Red Bulls U23*, Reading United AC (Pa.)*, South Georgia Tormenta FC 2*!, The Villages SC (Fla.)*. USL League Two (formerly called the Premier Development League) is a nationwide league affiliated with U.S. Soccer and opted to use 2018 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2019 Open Cup.

* Participated in 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
~ Known in 2018 as Miami FC 2
^ Known in 2018 as Junior Lone Star FC
! Known in 2018 as South Georgia Tormenta FC