US Open Cup

Six area teams in first round of 2017 US Open Cup qualifiers

US Soccer announced on Wednesday that a record 64 amateur teams will take part in the opening rounds of qualifiers for the 2017 US Open Cup.

Six area teams are among those 64 teams participating in the qualifying path of the tournament’s Open Division, which includes all teams other than Division I, II and III professional teams. Junior Lone Star FC, Rising Stars FC, and Salone FC, who play in the Philadelphia Premier League; West Chester United and Vereinigung Erzgebirge, who play in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania; and Brick Lions FC of Ocean County, New Jersey, who play in the Garden State Soccer League.

The first round of qualifiers will take place on Saturday, September 10. The area matchups are:

Vereinigung Erzgebirge vs. Brick Lions FC (2:30 pm: Vereinigung Erzgebirge; Warminster, Pa.)
Junior Lone Star FC vs. Rising Stars FC (7 pm: Monsignor Bonner High School; Drexel Hill, Pa.)
West Chester United vs. Salone FC (7:30 pm: West Chester United SC Turf Field; West Chester, Pa.)

The second round of qualifiers will take place October 15-16. The winner of Junior Lone Star-Rising Stars will travel to face the winner Vereinigung Erzgebirge-Brick Lions, while the winner of West Chester United-Salone will face the winner of Christos FC-Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks in Maryland.

West Chester United qualified for the 2016 tournament, traveling to defeat Fredericksburg FC on penalty kicks in the first round before falling 2-0 at home to Harrisburg City Islanders in the second round.

The Premier Development League and the National Premier Soccer League are also part of the Open Division but will use 2016 league results to determine their entrants into the 2017 US Open Cup.

The US Soccer announcement notes, “The final number of slots for each method of entry into the tournament will be determined by early January. Those teams advancing will see action in the 2017 Open Cup first round, tentatively scheduled for May 10.”

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