BIRMINGHAM, Ala (April 10, 2024) – Birmingham Legion FC will compete in the U.S. Lamar Hunt Open Cup in the 109th edition of the tournament. Legion FC will kick off its Open Cup run when hosting the Chattanooga Red Wolves. The game is set for 7 p.m. at the University of Montevallo.
Tickets will go on sale Thursday, April 11th. Tickets can be purchased directly through the link below.
The Third Round comprises sides from the USL Championship, that will enter the tournament against Second Round winners. The latter group consists of three Open Division amateur squads from the NPSL and the USSSA – and 13 Division III professional teams spanning from USL League One (8), MLS NEXT Pro (3), and NISA (2).
Third Round pairings were created by placing equal numbers of USL Championship sides and Second Round winners into pools based on geography and drawing randomly from those groups. Pairings and hosting scenarios were determined Thursday, April 4th by a draw conducted by U.S. Soccer.
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 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 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.
