The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is back, and so is FC Tucson.
The tournament, which began in 1913, returns this season after being cancelled in 2020 and ’21.
FC Tucson will mark its return to the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2018 by hosting Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL Championship at Kino North Stadium. The match will be held between April 5-7 and serve as a prelude to FC Tucson’s home opener on April 16.
Tickets will go on sale to Season Ticket Holders on Feb. 15 and to the general public on Feb. 18.
This is the sixth season FC Tucson has appeared in the competition, and first as a professional club. The club is once again available to play in the competition after missing out on the 2019 competition due to its connection with USL Championship’s Phoenix Rising.
With Benevolent Sports Tucson purchasing the team in 2021 and returning it to an independent club, the door was open to FC Tucson competing for the U.S. Open Cup once again.
In its last appearance in the competition, FC Tucson – then an amateur team in the PDL – made it to the second round where it as was eliminated by the Las Vegas Lights FC, 4-2, before a sold-out crowd at UNLV’s Peter Johann Soccer Field.
Las Vegas midfielder Carlos Alvarez scored a goal and an assist as the Lights went up 2-0. Jason Romero scored for Tucson and then assisted on a goal by AJ Valenzuela in the early minutes of the second half to tie the game.
Las Vegas forward Sammy Ochoa added two more goals to put the game away.
FC Tucson made its longest run in the competition in 2013. The club made it to the third round before losing 2-0 to Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamo. The club has also hosted the competition six times at Kino North, each year that it has made an appearance in the competition.
The Las Vegas Lights FC will make its second appearance in club history in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup this season.
The club had its inaugural season in 2018 where it finished 15th in the Western Conference of the USL Championship and made it to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup, losing to FC Golden State Force.
Las Vegas returned to the U.S. Open Cup in 2019 where it once again made it to the third round of the competition, losing 5-3 to amateur side Orange County FC.
Las Vegas is an independent team with an affiliation with MLS’s LAFC, keeping the club eligible for competing in the U.S. Open Cup.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest ongoing soccer competition in the United States, first being held during the 1913-14 season, then known as the National Challenge Cup. The last team outside the MLS to win the competition was the Rochester Rhinos in 1999.
The winner of the U.S. Open Cup gets an automatic spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. This competition is a 16-team tournament that runs from February to May each year with teams coming from across the North American continent. The winner of this competition then plays in the FIFA Club World Cup, with the top teams from around the world playing to be named the best team in the world.
More information on FC Tucson’s U.S. Open Cup match against Las Vegas Lights FC will be released in the following weeks.
