The 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup’s penultimate Third Qualifying Round took place this weekend, with 64 amateur teams whittled down to a lean 32 and setting the field for an all-or-nothing Fourth and Final Round on November 22-23. The 32 Third Round games, which took place across the country, included no-contest blowouts, tense local thrillers and everything in between.
The first game of the packed weekend saw an improvised Ballard FC squad, complete with a handful of former MLS players including Kelyn Rowe and Lamar Neagle, make easy meat of fellow Seattle locals Sharktopus FC. Neagle, 38, who lifted a pair of U.S. Open Cups in 2011 and 2014 with the Seattle Sounders, scored and assisted twice in the 5-1 win for the 2023 USL League Two Champions, who are looking to reach the Tournament Proper for the third time in a row.
An impressive 14 Third Round contests were won by the visiting team. Among those road-winners were Croatia Cleveland, who prospered in a thrilling battle for Northeast Ohio bragging rights, eventually shading the result against hosts Akron FC via a penalty shootout (3-3 aet) with a dramatic game-winning save from goalkeeper Marijo Musa. Other road winners on Saturday’s 13-game, Day One schedule were CD Faialense of Cambridge, Massachusetts, who are taking aim at a place in the Tournament Proper for the second consecutive year, Laguna United of Laguna Niguel, California, Orlando’s City Soccer FC and the 2021 NPSL-champion Denton Diablos.
Day Two’s 19-game slate saw nine winners come from the listed away teams, including NJ’s SC Vistula Garfield, who matched their best-ever finish in 2022 by reaching the Final Qualifying Round once again, and UPSL powers Southern Indiana FC, who reached last year’s Tournament Proper and whose 7-1 win over Tennessee United SC put them in rare air as one of only three teams to score seven goals in the Third Qualifying Round. The other two were Next Level Soccer of Arizona, who beat Las Cruces-based UDA Soccer 7-0, and Florida’s FC America CFL Spur (who beat Emerald FC by the same score).
Other high-scoring performances included Virginia Dream – who reached the 2025 Tournament Proper at the first time of asking – beating Guerrilla FC 6-1. ASC New Stars (TX), MSI Pro (MD), NY Renegades FC (NY), Valley 559 FC (CA) and Badgers FC (FL) all scored five goals in their winning days out.
The New York Metro area’s Zum Scheider and high-flying NY Renegades continued on with impressive results respectively over Met Oval Academy and Lansdowne Yonkers. Elsewhere, in the Windy City, Qualifying Round favorites Chicago House AC routed fellow city side Edgewater Castle 3-0.
Pennsylvania’s historic Vereinigung Erzgebirge went down fighting against Oaklyn United FC, who looked sharp in their 3-1 win, while fellow Keystone Staters Steel City FC of Pittsburgh took a step closer to reaching a second-ever Tournament Proper with a slim 1-0 win over Capital City Islanders.
Among the six sides who reached the Final Round from the Sunshine State of Florida, Miami United FC were the least surprising inclusion (they’ve reached the last four Tournaments Proper via these Qualifying Round). Out in California, San Diego Internacional, San Francisco’s historic Olympic Club and San Ramon FC pulled off strong results to become two of the Golden State’s five representatives in the Final Round.
The Schedule for the Fourth and Final Qualifying Round of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will be revealed on usopencup.com later this week.
Third Qualifying Round RESULTS | 2026
Nov. 1, 2025
Ballard FC 5-1 Sharktopus FC
Akron City FC 3 (4) - 3 (5) Croatia Cleveland (PKs)
Brockton FC United 0-1 CD Faialense (aet)
MSI Pro 5-0 Christos FC
Irvine FC 0-4 Laguna United FC
Harbor City FC 3-2 Bold City SC (aet)
Briar United FC 1(5) - 1(4) Grove United
Dallas Atletico 1-2 Denton Diablos
NY Renegades FC 5-3 Lansdowne Yonkers FC (aet)
Palm Beach Flames SC 3-4 City Soccer FC (aet)
Valley 559 FC 5-2 FC Folsom
Next Level Soccer 7-0 UDA Soccer
San Diego Internacional 2-1 City SC San Diego
Nov. 2, 2025
Harpos FC 0-1 Azteca FC
Steel City FC 1-0 Capital City Islanders
The Olympic Club 4-1 Ariana FC
Potros FC 2-1 Atletico Buford FC
Oaklyn United FC 3-1 Vereinigung Erzgebirge Majors
Chicago House AC 3-0 Edgewater Castle FC
Bulldogs SC 0-1 SC Vistula Garfield
Badgers FC 5 - 0 O'Shea's FC
Zum Schneider FC 4-1 Metropolitan Oval Academy
Emerald FC Orlando 0-7 FC America CFL Spurs
Tennessee United Soccer Club 1-7 Southern Indiana FC
Miami Soccer Academy 1-2 Red Force
Miami United FC (4) 1- 1 (3) Florida Futbol Club (PKs)
Virginia Dream FC 6-1 Guerrilla FC
Atletico Boston 2 (4) - 2(5) FC Lonestar Gpse
International San Francisco 0-4 San Ramon FC
210 FC 0-5 ASC New Stars
Omaha Street FC 2-4 BOHFS St. Louis
Mint Hill FC 0-4 Kalonji Pro-Profile
Angelo Maduro is a senior reporter at large for usopencup.com
