The Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in United States soccer and is among the oldest in the world. The US Open Cup dates back to 1914 when it was known as the National Challenge Cup. The first cup was won by the Brooklyn Field Club 2-1 over Brooklyn Celtic.
Back then it was a competition open to amateur clubs as well as professional teams. It was modeled after the English Football League’s FA Cup which began in 1872.
In 1999 the official name for the tournament was changed to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Hunt had spent his life promoting soccer. He was one of the founders of the American Football League, Major League Soccer, and the North American Soccer League.
Brooklyn Hispano with the 1944 US Open Cup Trophy
Over the years the New York area has produced 26 US Open Cup Champions including:
Greek American AA (4)
New York Pancyprian-Freedoms (3)
Brooklyn Hispano (2)
Brooklyn Italians (2)
New York Americans (2)
Brookhattan
Brooklyn Field Club
Brooklyn St. Mary's Celtic
Eintracht
New York German–Hungarian
Krete
New York Hota
New York Hakoah
New York Hungaria
New York Nationals
New York Ukrainians
Robins Dry Dock
Rochester Rhinos
While there have been a number of back-to-back winners, the only New York area club to win three straight years is still the New York Greek Americans who were champions from 1967-1969.
MLS teams have dominated the tournament since they began participating in 1996.
The 107th edition of the tournament scheduled for 2020 was expected to include 100 clubs. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic caused its cancellation. It was the first time in 106 years that the US Open Cup was not contested.
In total, the New York region has hosted 27 US Open Cup finals at various venues, that no longer exist, including Starlight Park, Triborough Stadium, Dexter Park, the Metropolitan Oval, the Polo Grounds, and Ebbets Field. Despite this, a New York City-based club has not won the Open Cup since 1991, when the Brooklyn Italians defeated the Richardson Rockets. The last time a local club reached the final was 2003 when the MetroStars (now known as the New York Red Bulls) lost to the Chicago Fire.