February 16, 2023 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Louisville City FC News Release
This spring, Kentuckians can celebrate a different sort of derby day – a local soccer rivalry – thanks to Thursday’s announcement of 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round pairings.
Louisville City FC and the newly launched Lexington SC were matched up to play in the knockout tournament sometime from April 4-6 at Lynn Family Stadium.
U.S. Soccer will set final Second Round dates and times later. LouCity season ticket members will be notified via email about first right to tickets before they go on sale to the public.
The Second Round sees non-Major League Soccer professional teams enter the Open Cup. LouCity belongs to the USL Championship, America’s second division, and Lexington SC will open play this year in the third-division USL League One.
Professional clubs join surviving amateur sides playing in the First Round from March 21-23. After the Second Round, MLS teams join for the Third Round on April 25-26. The Open Cup continues to whittle down throughout the summer to a Sept. 27 Final.
Home teams for each round are determined by random selection among those who apply to host. Clubs whose venue meets minimum tournament standards are given priority.
LouCity has advanced as far as the Open Cup’s Quarterfinals back in 2018. Last year, the boys in purple won three games in the tournament.
Now in its 108th edition, the U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s national championship – has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The history-filled tournament is open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The 2023 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money and a berth in the 2024 Concacaf Champions League. 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.
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