The 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 106th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing competition in the United States, and was contested by 84 teams from leagues in the U.S. system.[1]
States without a team in the Open Cup: Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
The First round of the Open Cup took place on May 7 and 8. There were 19 games between eight local qualifiers, 14 NPSL, 10 USL League Two, and 6 USL League One teams. The teams were paired geographically. The pairings were announced on April 10.[2]
Note: Kickoff time and venue changed from 7:00pm at Cooley Law School Stadium due to inclement field conditions.
Second round
The Second round was played on May 14 and 15. 22 games were played between the 19 Round 1 winners and 25 USL Championship teams. Each Round 1 pairing was matched to a Championship team, and the six remaining Championship teams were paired against each other. Pairings were made geographically, and announced on April 17.[3]
The Third round was played on May 28 and 29. 11 games were played between the winners of Round 2. Pairings were made geographically, and announced on May 14.[4]
Stadium: Cashman Field Attendance: 2,378 Referee: Samantha Martinez
Fourth round
The Fourth round took place on June 11 and 12. The Fourth Round consisted of 16 games between the 11 third round winners and the 21 American MLS teams. The teams were divided into eight regional groups of four, with either one or two third round teams. Pairings were drawn from the eight groups and announced on May 30.[5]
Note: Match played behind closed doors. Venue was moved due to unplayable field conditions at MUSC Health Stadium on June 11 in Charleston.[7]
Round of 16
The Round of 16 took place June 18, 19, and 20. The Round of 16 draw took place on June 13. The Fourth Round winners were divided geographically into four groups and pairings were determined within those groups. A fixed bracket for the rest of the tournament was established.[8]
On April 5, 2019, U.S. Soccer announced a 4-year deal with ESPN to broadcast the Open Cup. The entire tournament, from first round to final, will be carried exclusively on the ESPN+ streaming service; in previous years, ESPN networks had only broadcast marquee matches such as the final.[9]
