Philadelphia Lone Star F.C. will battle Reading United A.C. in the first round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as announced by the U.S. Soccer Federation this afternoon.
The Stars will take on United at the Alvernia University Stadium in Reading, PA on Wednesday, May 8th at 7:00pm. Philadelphia Lone Star FC will be making its second appearance in three years while Reading United will be returning for their 13th Open Cup appearance.
The First Round will commence May 7-8 and consist of six Division III (USL League One) pro clubs and 32 Open Division teams (USL League Two, National Premier Soccer League [NPSL], local qualifiers) in head-to-head, single-elimination competition. Two of the 19 matches are between teams from the same qualifying pool under a First Round provision that allows avoidance of extensive travel at this stage of the tournament.
The Second Round follows on May 14-15 and introduces 25 Division II (USL Championship) professional sides. Division I Major League Soccer teams enter in the Fourth Round on June 12.
Home teams for each round are determined by a random selection process among those clubs that have applied to host and whose venues meet the minimum tournament requirements.
Every game of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, including those in the First and Second Rounds, will be available for fans to watch on ESPN+.
This year’s winning team will receive $300,000, a berth in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.
The Houston Dynamo is the defending U.S. Open Cup champion, having earned the club’s first tournament title with a 3-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 26, 2018 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 105 consecutive years dating from 1914. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
2019 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SCHEDULE
First Round – May 7 & 8
Northeast Region
| Date | Game (home team listed first) | Time | Venue |
| May 7 | FC Baltimore (NPSL) vs. West Chester Predators (Pa.) | 7 p.m. ET | Homewood Field (Johns Hopkins Univ.); Baltimore, Md. |
| May 7 | Richmond Kickers (USLL1) vs. Virginia United (Va.) | 7 p.m. ET | City Stadium; Richmond, Va. |
| May 7 | New York Cosmos B (NPSL) vs. Black Rock FC (USLL2) | 7:30 p.m. ET | Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium (Columbia Univ.); New York, N.Y. |
| May 7 | New York Red Bulls U23 (USLL2) vs. FC Motown (NPSL) | 7:30 p.m. ET | New York Red Bulls Training Facility; East Hanover, N.J. |
| May 8 | Erie Commodores FC (NPSL) vs. Dayton Dutch Lions (USLL2) | 7 p.m. ET | McConnell Family Stadium (Gannon University); Erie, Pa. |
| May 8 | Lansing Ignite FC (USLL1) vs. AFC Ann Arbor (NPSL) | 7 p.m. ET | Cooley Law School Stadium; Lansing, Mich. |
| May 8 | Reading United AC (USLL2) vs. Philadelphia Lone Star FC (NPSL) | 7 p.m. ET | Alvernia University Stadium; Reading, Pa. |