New York City FC II to face Hartford Athletic in US Open Cup Third Round

The draw for the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup has matched New York City FC II up against Hartford Athletic of the USL Championship.

The match will be held in Hartford, Connecticut at Trinity Health Stadium, at 7 pm on the night of Wednesday, April 17.

This will be arguably the biggest game in NYCFC II's short history. Established in 2022, the II team plays in MLS NEXT Pro, which is considered the third tier of the US Soccer pyramid. Hartford Athletic are in American soccer's second tier, as a member of the USL Championship.

Hartford Athletic enters the US Open Cup in this Third Round. (The eight MLS teams participating in this year's tournament will enter during the next round.)

As of today, Hartford Athletic sits in fourth in the USL Championship's Eastern Conference, with 6 points through three games, after 2 wins and three goals scored in 2024.

The Baby Blues of NYCFC II are fresh off a rain-soaked Hudson River Derby Jr. triumph over New York Red Bulls II, wich saw JJ Jimenez play hat-trick hero. Five members of the New York City First Team saw playing time in front of an announced crowd of 719 — including NYCFC CEO and president Brad Sims, head coach Nick Cushing, and other front office brass in attendance.

The Baby Blues are one of only three MLS NEXT Pro teams to advance to the Third Round of the Open Cup and face USL Championship tests. Chicago Fire II will host Indy Eleven, while Carolina Core FC plays regional rivals North Carolina FC.

How did NYCFC II end up facing this particular Eastern Conference USL Championship side?

The folks over at TheCup.us helpfully put together this thread breaking down all the details of the Third Round draw, which, for New York City purposes can be boiled down to: All teams who advanced from the Second Round had to face a USL Championship club in the Third Round, and the draw grouped teams together in fours and sixes, based on geography.