Matchday Two of the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup sees 80 amateur teams in action across the country with their sights set on taking another step toward next year’s Tournament Proper. Action kicks off on Saturday, October 26 with 20 games, followed on Sunday, October 27 with 20 more.
Twenty-six of Matchday Two’s 40 games will be Second Round contests, with the winners moving on to the penultimate (Semifinal) stage of these Qualifying Rounds. The other 14 games are Third Rounders, with the winners of those moving through to their Final (Fourth) Qualifying Stage.
Third Round Combatants on the Brink of the Brink
Among the marquee matchups of the Third Round games is West Chester United SC vs the Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals. It’s a clash of one of the top modern-day amateur sides, in Blaise Santengelo’s West Chester, who knocked out league mates United German Hungarians 6-0 in the previous Qualifying Round, and the Ukrainians – offspring of the dominant team of the same name who won four U.S. Open Cup titles in the 1960s.
The four remaining Third Rounders on Saturday will offer up no shortage of drama.
Georgia’s Dalton United host Mint Hill FC of Charlotte, N.C. – who pulled off an upset of South Carolina United Heat in the First Qualifying Round. Lancaster, PA-based Alloy Soccer Club travel to New Jersey Alliance – as do Arlington, VA’s Aegean Hawks who have an away date with MSI Pro, winners over Patuxent FA 1-0in the previous Qualifying Round. The last of Saturday’s Third Rounders pits Vereinigung Erzgebirge, led by former USL Championship star Antoine Hoppenot, on the road against Kensington SC in Philadelphia with a place in an all-or-nothing game in November on the line.
Sunday’s nine Third Qualifying Round games are headlined by a pair of Colorado derbies. First up, Azteca FC – with 37-year-old former Mexico and U.S. International Edgar Castillo in the squad – host Colorado Rovers in Golden while old familiar rivals Harpos FC and FC Denver meet in Aurora.
Other Sunday Third Rounders of note feature Cambridge-based CD Faialense, now dominating the Bay State Soccer League (BSSL) Division One, against Project Football in the Halloween wonderland of Salem, Massachusetts. “We want to be that amateur team that breaks through,” said CDF player-coach Paul Correia. “We’ve got a great blend of young players and experienced guys who’ve been around.”
NYC’s Zum Schneider FC 03 host Lansdowne Yonkers FC, the two-time National Amateur Champions and Open Cup regulars, while Long Islanders Leros SC take on NY Renegades FC in Islip.Elsewhere, Bowling Green FC will host Southern Indiana FC in a rare Open Cup contest in the state of Kentucky.
Second Rounders Look to Stay Steady
There are a number of notable participants in the weekend’s 26 Second Round games – the winners of which will need two more victories in order to reach the 2025 Tournament Proper.
Tulsa Athletic – who earned a bye through Qualifying Matchday One – host FC Bartlesville Buffaloes at their Hicks Park on Saturday. It’s the very same venue where the Oklahomans famously beat crosstown Division II pros FC Tulsa in the 2023 Open Cup. That win saw them move on to play MLS’ four-time Open Cup-Champion Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park.
