The San Jose Earthquakes will be competing in the 104th annual Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this summer. As the longest running soccer competition in America, the U.S. Open Cup allows professionals, semi-pros and amateurs alike the opportunity to compete for glory.
Open Division teams play one another for the right to qualify for the tournament. Premier Development League (PDL) squads and National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) clubs then enter in the First Round, with North American Soccer League (NASL) and United Soccer League (USL) teams entering in the Second. The 26 teams that advance from the Second Round will then play a slate of games to trim the field in half.
All Major League Soccer teams enter the tournament in the Fourth Round – some scheduled to play other MLS teams, while others play squads from lower levels of American soccer.
The Quakes now know their first (Fourth Round) opponent – well, sort of… San Jose will host, thanks to a coin flip on Thursday, the winner of the San Francisco Deltas (NASL) and Phoenix Rising FC (USL). The match between the two teams is scheduled for Wednesday, May 31 (6:30 p.m.) at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex.
The Earthquakes first match is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 at 7:15 p.m., with both matchups presenting plenty of intrigue. The Open Cup has also generally been an opportunity for MLS teams to play young up-and-coming players, so past first round picks Jackson Yueill and Andrew Tarbell, and New Zealand National Team fullback Kip Colvey, among others, could play a role in the tournament.
Ticketing information will be announced shortly.
