Moments ago, the United States Soccer Federation officially released the format for the 2025 US Open Cup and announced the 96 teams that will appear in the tournament's 110th edition.
As reported last week by Hudson River Blue, New York City FC will return to the US Open Cup after skipping it in 2024. NYCFC are among the 16 Major League Soccer clubs that will join the tournament in the Round of 32, which will be played on Tuesday, May 6, and Wednesday, May 7. NYCFC II, the MLS NEXT Pro side that represented the club last year at the US Open Cup, will not participate this year per the federation's rule that prohibits one entity from fielding two teams.
The New York Red Bulls are also returning to the competition after skipping it in 2024. You will find a full list of participating clubs below.
• Austin FC*
• Charlotte FC
• Chicago Fire*
• DC United*
• FC Dallas*
• Houston Dynamo
• Minnesota United
• Nashville SC*
• New England Revolution
• New York City FC
• New York Red Bulls
• Orlando City SC
• Philadelphia Union*
• Portland Timbers
• San Jose Earthquakes*
• St. Louis City SC*
* Seeded
Eight of the MLS clubs entering in the Round of 32 are seeded, and will automatically host their games. They are the four teams are from the Eastern Conference and four from the Western Conference that finished at the bottom of the 2024 Supporters' Shield table. (In addition, they are among the 13 MLS teams that will participate in just one tournament outside of MLS this year. The remaining 17 teams will compete in two.)
Oliver Strand
New York City's 13th-place finish overall means that they are not one of the seeded teams. Last week, HRB speculated that the club could host a US Open Cup game at Icahn Stadium, NYCFC II's new second home on Randall's Island. It's unclear if that remains a possibility, or if New York City will play their Round of 32 game on the road.
The Round of 32 draw will be held on Thursday, April 17.
Hudson River Blue Staff
The rest of the field will be comprised of 24 teams from USL Championship, 14 teams from USL League One, 10 teams from MLS NEXT Pro, and 32 teams from the amateur and open divisions.
As reported in HRB yesterday, no teams from the National Independent Soccer Association will participate in the tournament. They are the only professional league not to take part in the 2025 US Open Cup, which seemingly puts them in violation of the rule by US Soccer requiring participation in the tournament. According to a statement issued by NISA, the decision not to take part was made in “agreement with US Soccer,” and that they “look forward to rejoining the competition in 2026.”
• Carolina Core FC
• Chattanooga FC
• FC Cincinnati 2
• Columbus Crew 2
• Inter Miami 2
• LAFC 2
• Real Monarchs
• Sporting Kansas City II
• Tacoma Defiance
• Ventura County FC
Michael Battista
