There’s big history on the line in the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Semifinal Round. The Final Four combatants, all hailing from the vaunted ranks of Major League Soccer (MLS), have their eyes fixed on lifting the country’s oldest and most venerable club soccer prize for the first time.
Join us for a look ahead to the two Semifinal contests where Austin FC, Minnesota United FC, Nashville SC and Philadelphia Union will stretch every sinew in hopes of grabbing their own piece of history in the 110th Final of the U.S. Open Cup.
Nashville SC vs. Philadelphia Union | Beasts of the East Face Off
LIVE on Paramount+ and on air at CBS Sports Network / September 16, 8:00pm ET
The eastern portion of the Semifinal Bracket is a clash of MLS titans. For the traveling Philadelphia Union the Final Four is familiar territory, the club having reached this stage three times previously (2014, 2015 and 2018).
The Union, in their first year under new coach Bradley Carnell, are among the best teams in MLS this year, sitting atop the league’s Eastern Conference and overall standings despite being on the wrong side of a 7-0 drubbing in Vancouver this weekend. Nashville, who’ve reached the Semifinals of an Open Cup for the first time in their short history, are only seven points off the Union’s pace, and three out of third (at the time of publishing).
The last time the two teams met was at Geodis Park in Nashville, with the host Coyotes winning out 1-0 despite being reduced to ten men, thanks to a last-gasp Hany Mukhtar penalty kick.
“We’ll be looking for revenge for that one,” said former USMNT standout Alejandro Bedoya, who scored against Indy Eleven in Philly’s first game of the 2025 Open Cup campaign and who, at 38, is hoping to claim a first non-Supporters’ Shield Trophy in his career. “That one left a sour taste in our mouths and we match up pretty well as teams so it’s likely to be a little cagey.”
“The opportunity to win – or even to play for – a trophy doesn’t come around often,” said the captain and veteran icon, who calls the Union’s record of reaching three Open Cup Finals without yet claiming victory a “dark spot” for the club. “We want to get to another Final and we want to be victorious – and to do that we have to be fully focussed on the Semifinal in Nashville.
After needing penalties to knock off Division II Indy Eleven in the Round of 16, the Union routed the Pittsburgh Riverhounds before a tense Quarterfinal win over long-time rivals the New York Red Bulls (rescheduled due to dangerous weather). It’s worth noting that the eight goals the Union have scored in their Open Cup campaign thus far are spread evenly between eight different players.
With former MLS MVP Mukhtar and top-scorer Sam Surridge in the mix, B.J. Callaghan’s Nashville SC can be simply unplayable when they’re in the mood. The Tennessee side arrived at their first Open Cup Semifinal with a string of impressive results, having beaten amateur Chattanooga Red Wolves, local MLS rivals and 2022 Open Cup Champions Orlando City before coming from behind to dismantle D.C. United 5-2 in the Quarters.
“The Semifinal is always the hardest game to get through,” said former interim USMNT coach Callaghan, in his first year in charge of an MLS side, about the potential to take a step closer to bringing a first piece of silverware to Nashville. “There’s a lot of focus and preparation that you need to get right and you only compound the difficulty by playing against a team like Philadelphia – who are really good, really deep and really want to win the Open Cup.
“It’s going to be a heavyweight battle,” added Callaghan.
Minnesota United FC vs. Austin FC | West Winner Gets Final Hosting Brief
LIVE on Paramount+ and on air at CBS Sports Network / September 17, 8:30pm ET
The western side of the Final Four is rife with its own dramas as 2019 Open Cup Runners-up Minnesota United play host to first-time Semifinalists Austin FC in St. Paul.
Not only is there a place in the Final on the line for the two sides, but the winner is guaranteed to host the 2025 Open Cup Final on October 1st. Semifinal host MNUFC are currently second behind San Diego FC in the league’s Western Conference standings – and the Loons sent a resounding message of their intent in all competitions this year with a 3-1 win over that same San Diego this weekend on the road.
Austin FC are farther down the line in MLS’ Western Conference mix (7th) but still in the hunt for a place in the playoffs only four points away from fourth. The last time these two teams met was in MLS league play, with the Loons picking up a simple 3-0 win on the road deep in the heart of Texas.
“We have the chance to have one of those special nights at home – and a chance to book a home Final here in Minnesota,” said Julian Gressel, who coach Eric Ramsay calls a “serial winner”, and who won an Open Cup on home turf as part of the Atlanta United side in 2019. Captain Michael Boxall is expecting a tough test from the visitors: “Austin are always very organized and defend well, so we’ll have to be clinical with our set-pieces, and make the most of our chances when we’re on the ball and can break.”
Like Minnesota, Austin FC is chasing its first-ever piece of silverware since the club’s founding in 2021. They may lack trophy-winning pedigree writ large, but they have a bona fide Open Cup hero in the heart of their midfield. “It’s been a journey for us as a club, and you’ll have to ask me in a few weeks if it’s a success or not,” said Ilie Sanchez, the Barcelona-born creator who lifted the Open Cup last year with LAFC and in 2017, in his first year in MLS, with Sporting Kansas City.
“This is the biggest challenge of our season,” Ilie added. “But also our biggest opportunity.”
Austin’s run in this Open Cup, culminating in their first-ever appearance in the Final Four, was not plain sailing. Nico Estevez’s side needed to come back from a two-goal deficit against Division II El Paso Locomotive, pull off a 3-1 win over two-time Open Cup Champions Houston Dynamo and a Quarterfinal in San Jose that needed a shootout and saw striker Brandon Vazquez go down to a season-ending injury.
“Minesota are never easy – they have their identity and are very hard to break down and can hurt you in transition and set pieces,” said Brad Stuver, the veteran Austin goalkeeper whose heroics in San Jose led the way to the Semifinals. “I’ve been a part of a lot of firsts with this club and I would love to be a part of a first trophy lift too.”
“This is a Semifinal, so it’s a go-to game,” added Stuver. “We’re gonna roll out with our best eleven and do everything we need to do to get the job done.”
Fontela is editor-in-chief ofusopencup.com. Follow him at@jonahfontela on X/Twitter.