There’s a twinkle of light off in the distance, friends.
It’s the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy, and it’s coming into focus for the eight surviving teams – all from Major League Soccer (MLS) – of our 2025 Quarterfinal Round. Two historic Champions, D.C. United and Chicago Fire, look to recapture former glories while the remaining six, Minnesota United FC, San Jose Earthquakes, Austin FC, Philadelphia Union, NY Red Bulls and Nashville SC, all take aim at what would be a first-ever lift of our historic prize.
You can WATCH all the action LIVE, with a pair of double-headers on Tuesday July 8 and Wednesday July 9. All four GAMES are available to stream on Paramount+ with other viewing options on air at CBS Sports Network and for FREE on the CBS Sports Golazo Network (details below).
The Quarterfinal Round of the 110th edition of the U.S. Open Cup kicks off in the Twin Cities, where Minnesota United FC host four-time Open Cup Champions Chicago Fire. The Loons have one player, captain and long throw-in master Michael Boxall, who was a part of the team that reached our 2019 Final. This new-look MNUFC, a squad that spurns needless possession and covets lightning-counter attacks and inventive set-pieces, is up near the top of MLS’ Western Conference (third, only two points off leaders San Diego FC) and got there with a style some neutrals love and others hate – but that has hardcore fans in the North Country dreaming of trophies.
“We like to do things our own way and we’re not okay with just being okay,” said Julian Gressel, who arrived in Minnesota in late April from the flash and pomp of Inter Miami, and who’s been linking up with Anthony Markanich to great effect. “We’re here to win – in MLS play and the Open Cup. The fans here deserve one of those special nights and we want to be the team that brings a trophy here.”
The results of an official Hosting Draw, conducted last month, mean that, should the Loons win their Quarterfinal, they would host the Semi (on September 16-17) and, should they win that, the Final (on October 1) would be at their Allianz Field too. “Nights like that mean everything,” added Gressel, who won the Open Cup at home with Atlanta United in 2019, and has been crucial in recent wins over Louisville City of the USL Championship and fellow MLS outfit St. Louis CITY SC. “We have to make sure we do all we can to make it happen.”
Gregg Berhalter’s Chicago Fire – led by the attacking nous and output of Hugo Cuypers and Philip Zinckernagel, have their own motivations driving them forward. Struggling to break into the top half of MLS’ Eastern Conference standings, a deep run in the Open Cup – where they’ve beaten New England Revolution and Division II Detroit City FC – is a huge opportunity for the side from the Windy City.
A win would also mark the Fire down in the history books. They’d be the first team from MLS to win five Open Cup titles – and only the fourth team to do so in history, alongside legendary old-timers Maccabee LA, Bethlehem Steel and the Fall River Marksmen.
WATCH MNUFC (MLS) vs. Chicago Fire (MLS) on Paramount+ & CBS Sports Network
Tuesday’s other Quarterfinal is out in California’s Bay Area, where two-time Open Cup Semifinalists the San Jose Earthquakes (2004 and 2017) aim for their highest-water mark again against Austin FC.
The Quakes, on a tasty Open Cup run after a stretch of upsets at the hands of lower-league opposition like Sacramento Republic (2022 and 2024) and Monterey Bay (2023), are led by American coaching royalty in the form of Bruce Arena. The long-time USMNT boss has built a strong side – balanced on the defensive assurance of Dave Romney and Mark-Anthony Kaye and with former Open Cup Champion Josef Martinez (Atlanta United, 2019) and Chicho Arango causing havoc in attack. A draw against fellow Open Cup Quarterfinalists the New York Red Bulls in MLS league play this weekend has them near the Top Five in the league’s Western Conference and very much in striking distance of the top.
“You need a little bit of everything to have success in the Open Cup – luck, a deep squad and confidence to build at the right time,” said Ian Harkes, son of former Open Cup Champion John (who won our prize with D.C. United and Columbus Crew in 1996 and 2002 respectively) and who’s the all-energy dynamo in midfield that keeps this Quakes side humming. “There’s a different flavor to Open Cup games and we have the kind of players we need to make something good of it.”
Austin FC, who started life in MLS in 2021 and whose first win in the Open Cup only came in 2022, don’t have much history to stand on. But they do boast a former Champion, and one who’s been in the mood for goals since the side roared back from a two-goal deficit to knock out Division II El Paso Locomotive in the Round of 32. Brandon Vazquez – the USMNT ace who finished top scorer for Atlanta United when they lifted the Open Cup in 2019 – has three goals in two games in this year’s edition.
And with the elegant Ilie Sanchez, a 2024 Champion with LAFC, pulling the strings in midfield, Austin FC have a good chance of making even bigger waves in this year’s competition – maybe claiming a first piece of silverware for the young club. “The Open Cup, with all its history, is something you have to honor,” said Sanchez, who knows all about it from his days in Southern California. “You have to stay focussed and bring everything in these games.”
WATCH SJ Quakes (MLS) vs. Austin FC (MLS) on Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
The second day of Quarterfinal play opens with a classic between MLS teams from Philadelphia and Metro New York – places with deep roots in our historic Open Cup. The New York Red Bulls – who last reached an Open Cup Final back in 2017, when Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips were still on the scene – have been hot-and-cold in MLS league play this term. Their opponents, the Philadelphia Union, have been pretty much exclusively hot despite losing their grip on top spot at the weekend.
The Union – who’ve reached our Open Cup Final three times in their history, hosting twice – are still waiting for that first trophy-lift. It may well be this year, with veterans like 38-year-old Alejandro Bedoya and up-and-comers like 15-year-old Cavan Sullivan (and his older brother Quinn of the USMNT) all playing a part to see the team, currently third and two points out of first place in MLS, among the favorites to scoop this year’s Open Cup crown.
“Any opportunity to win a Cup with your team is obviously a huge incentive for the players,” said Indiana Vassilev, the Union’s Man of the Match when they knocked out the last remaining non-MLS team (Pittsburgh’s Riverhounds) in the Round of 16. “We’re definitely looking to make a deep run.”
The Union will have their hands full when the Red Bulls come to town. Coach Sandro Schwarz is looking “to build emotions in the Open Cup” and while his team has been inconsistent in league play this term, they are unplayable when in the mood. Big-name stars like Emil Forsberg and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting have combined with young up-and-comers Mohammed Sofo and goalkeeper AJ Marcucci, brought in for his first starts in RBNY’s first two 2025 Open Cup games.
“It’s amazing to be out there and be a part of things,” said Marcucci, shootout hero of a Round of 16 win over FC Dallas, who, four years ago, was lining up on the Division III NCAA fields of New England as a Connecticut College Camel. “These are the moments you strive for in your career, where it’s all on the line and we have the kind of players who thrive in those.”
WATCH Philadelphia Union (MLS) vs. RBNY (MLS) on Paramount+ & CBS Sports Network
The last game of the Quarterfinal Round will be played in Tennessee, where Nashville SC aim to book a place in their first Semifinal up against a D.C. United who’ve won the Open Cup three times before (the last time in 2013) but who are struggling for consistent results in league play.
With former Liverpool ace Christian Benteke still working his way back to full fitness, D.C.’s young coach Troy Lesesne has been forced to experiment with players in unusual positions to reach this point of the Open Cup. And in a dramatic twist, the inventive coach brought in third-string goalkeeper Jordan Farr late in OT for the shootout against Charlotte FC. The rest was, as they say, history.
“The Open Cup is never easy, but it’s the last trophy we’ve won as a club [2013] and it's important that we do all we can to represent ourselves well in this tournament,” said Lesesne, who reached the Quarterfinals as coach of Division II (USL Championship) side New Mexico United in 2019.
Farr, D.C.’s secret weapon who made four saves in the shootout in the last round – a historic first for the Modern Era of the Open Cup – is in a similar mood to his boss: “You have to be ready for the chances when they come,” he said. “It’s what the Open Cup is all about.”
Nashville has matched their best-ever run in the Open Cup (a Quarterfinal berth earned back in 2022), and they’re the top team on current form in all of Major League Soccer. The play (and goals) of 2022 league MVP Hany Mukhtar has seen the side climb to within one point of FC Cincinnati at the top of the MLS table and B.J. Callaghan’s men are on an unbeaten streak of 14 games in all competitions.
“The U.S. Open Cup was the first trophy I won as a pro [with FC Dallas in 2016)],” said Nashville captain Walker Zimmerman, who’ll have a quick turnaround from USMNT duty in the Concacaf Gold Cup to be ready for the Open Cup Quarterfinal. “I want to try and lift that thing again here in Nashville.”
WATCH Nashville SC (MLS) vs. D.C. United (MLS) on Paramount+ & CBS Sports Golazo Network
Fontela is editor-in-chief of ussoccer.com/us-open-cup. Follow him at @jonahfontela on X/Twitter.