After three days of action, and with one rescheduled match still to play tonight, the First Round of the 2025 US Open Cup didn't disappoint. Penalty kick shootouts, returning retired Major League Soccer veterans, and first-ever games for new teams all entertained fans.
31 teams won and advanced to the Open Cup's Second Round, including a few sides from the greater New York area.
Today, US Soccer announced the Second Round pairings - including the two featuring local teams. These games and all of the Secound Round take place across the country between April 1-2, 2025, just under two weeks from now.
For New York area teams, the match-ups, with the home team listed first:
- Wednesday, April 2 - Westchester SC (USL1) vs. New York Pancyprian-Freedoms (APSL) - 7 pm, The Stadium at Memorial Field, Mt. Vernon, NY
- Wednesday, April 2 - Portland Hearts of Pine (USL1) vs. Hartford Athletic (USLC) - 6:30 pm, Franklin Athletic Complex, Lewiston, ME
These games and all of the Second Round will be broadcast, for free, on the US Soccer YouTube account.
Westchester SC is coming off winning its USOC debut over FC Motown on Tuesday night. USL journeyman Juan Carlos Obregón scored a late penalty kick to advance the USL League One expansion side, 1-0. They will now host their first-ever US Open Cup game.
They’ll face the only New York City metro area amateur side to survive the First Round. The New York Pancyprian Freedoms knocked off MLS Next Pro side FC Cincinnati 2 in a thrilling penalty kick shootout. A scoreless 120 minutes in Northern Kentucky forced things to PKs, where FCC2 failed on their last two kicks to give the Freedoms the 5:4 win.
It’s the team’s first Open Cup win since 2016. The Astoria, Queens side previously won the USOC on three occasions in 1980, 1982, and 1983.
Farther afield from the NYC core, Hartford Athletic will travel deeper into New England for the Second Round as they take on Portland Hearts of Pine from USL League One.
Hartford knocked off Albany amateurs New York Shockers, 3-0, on Tuesday night. The USL Championship side has never beaten another professional team in the US Open Cup, only ever beating amateur sides. They’ll have a challenging task on the road.
Portland's first-ever game came during the First Round, where a dedicated crowd at Lewiston High School witnessed the expansion side knock off Boston area amateurs CD Faialense, 4-0.
Other known matches for the round include MLS Season Pass on Apple TV superteam Des Moines Menace of USL League Two hosting the winner of tonight’s rescheduled Flatirons FC (USL2) and Union Omaha (USL1) match. That squad, which includes MLS alumni Bradley Wright-Phillips, Dax McCarty, AJ DeLaGarza, and more, beat Sporting Kansas City II, 2-1, on Wednesday. Former USMNT midfielder, New York Red Bulls captain, and current MLS Apple TV presenter Sacha Kljestan scored two penalty kicks in the second half.
