NASHVILLE, TN - Tomorrow, Nashville SC will begin their 2025 US Open Cup campaign. Taking on USL League One's Chattanooga Red Wolves at Geodis Park, Nashville are looking for their first-ever trophy.
New to the Open Cup? We've got you covered with everything you need to know about America's most historic soccer tournament.
History
The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup was started in 1914. The tournament was modeled after England's FA Cup, allowing a mix of professional and amateurs to compete in a single tournament.
It was only with the founding of Major League Soccer in 1996 that fully professional clubs would regularly compete in the tournament. The tournament wasn't played in 2020 or 2021 as Covid-19 impacted the entire global football calendar, and since the tournament resumed in 2023, MLS has been hesitant to go all-in on the competition.
In 2023, MLS attempted to remove all 29 clubs from the tournament and send their MLS NEXT Pro reserve teams instead. US Soccer denied this request, requiring all clubs to participate. In 2024, only eight MLS clubs took part in the tournament, with the remainder represented by their reserve sides.
In 2025, 16 MLS clubs will play in the tournament. The nine teams who did not qualify for Concacaf Champions Cup or Leagues Cup will automatically participate, with the remaining seven clubs determined by their standings in the 2024 Supporters' Shield, with teams playing in Concacaf excluded.
Past winners
Two clubs have won the cup five times each, and neither exist any longer. Bethlehem Steel (1915, 1916, 1918, 1919, 1926) and Maccabee Los Angeles (1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981) are the most successful clubs in the tournament's history.
Since MLS clubs entered the tournament starting in 1996, they've dominated. Chicago Fire FC, Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City have each won the tournament four times. Only one non-MLS side has won the tournament since MLS began, with the now-defunct Rochester Rhinos beating the Colorado Rapids in 1999. In fact, only three non-MLS sides have even made it to the final: Rochester (1996, 1999), Charleston Battery (2008) and Sacramento Republic (2022).
Format
While Nashville SC are just now entering the competition, the 2025 edition has been in progress for months. MLS clubs don't enter until the Round of 32, with three rounds taking place before. A total of 64 of amateur, UPSL, NPSL, USL League Two, USL League One, MLS NEXT Pro and USL Championship clubs began the first round back in early February, with an additional 16 USL Championship clubs entering in the third round in mid-April.
No amateur clubs currently remain in the tournament after El Farolito were knocked out by Sacramento in the third round. In fact, Nashville's opponent Chattanooga Red Wolves are one of just four Division III sides still alive – three from USL League One and one from MLS NEXT Pro. The remaining 29 clubs are a mix of MLS and USL Championship sides.
Why it matters
It's no secret that the US Open Cup has been consistently devalued by MLS clubs over the last several years, and it hasn't been given the financial backing by US Soccer that it's deserved. Media and TV coverage also has been lacking.
However, it's still one of the oldest and most historic competitions in global soccer. For an American soccer culture that craves authenticity, it's one of the rare authentic pieces of the landscape.
For a club like Nashville, who have never won a trophy at any level, it provides the most straightforward path to silverware they have. Entering in the Round of 32 means they're just four wins away from a trophy and a spot in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup.
How seriously will Nashville SC take the US Open Cup?
Nashville may rotate for their match against Chattanooga on Tuesday, but that doesn't mean that they're not going all-in to win it.
"From a big picture standpoint, the US Open Cup for me is one of the great trophies you can win in this country," head coach BJ Callaghan said earlier this season. "It's got such history. Our team will take tremendous pride in participating in the U.S. Open Cup. We will take it very seriously; One, because that's the respect that the tournament deserves. Two, we are a club that wants to pursue trophies, and there's only so many trophies as a professional soccer player in America that you can win."
Ben Wright
"Any time there's that on the line, we're going to give it our best shot. As a coach who's been in this league for a while, I've had the privilege and opportunity to coach in the US Open Cup. Also been there in three finals and have lost in three finals. Any way that we look at it, from an individual standpoint, a team standpoint, a club standpoint, or also just what it means to the overall soccer ecosystem here in the United States, it's a great opportunity for us and we look forward to playing in it."
