CHICAGO (July 22, 2024) – U.S. Soccer has determined the host priority order for the Final of the 109th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The order draw placed Major League Soccer (Div. I) side Los Angeles Football Club in pole position to host the tournament Final, set to take place on Wednesday, September 25.
During the draw – conducted Saturday evening as part of Apple TV’s MLS Countdown coverage – LAFC earned the top spot, followed by USL Championship side Indy Eleven -- the lone remaining Division II squad in the Semifinals. Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) drew the third position, leaving fellow four-time Champion Sporting Kansas City (MLS) with no hope of hosting the Final.
The Final’s participants will be determined during a Semifinal Round doubleheader on Tuesday, August 27, starting with Indy Eleven taking to the road to face Sporting KC at 8:00 p.m. ET. That will be followed by the all-MLS affair in the Pacific Northwest between Sounders FC and LAFC at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Following are the results needed for each side to host the Final:
- LAFC hosts: with a win at Seattle
- Indy Eleven hosts: with a win at Sporting KC and a LAFC loss
- Seattle Sounders FC hosts: with a win over LAFC and an Indy Eleven loss
- Sporting KC: will not host Final
All three remaining Open Cup contests will be available to stream for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. With broadcasts in more than 100 countries worldwide, the conclusion of the 109th edition of the Open Cup will be available to its largest global audience to date.
For more details on this year’s competition, including schedule details, features, and more, visit usopencup.com.
About the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
Now in its 109th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer's Club Championship – has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and 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 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the Concacaf Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. 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.
Houston Dynamo are defending Open Cup champions, having earned the club's second tournament title thanks to a 2-1 victory against fellow MLS club Inter Miami CF on September 27, 2023 in a Final played before a capacity crowd at Miami’s Chase Stadium.
usopencup.com is the official website of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Fans can also follow the competition on Twitter and Instagram @OpenCup and Facebook @OfficialOpenCup.
