U.S. OPEN CUP 2024 ROUND OF 32 DRAW: MLS, TOP USL CHAMPIONSHIP CLUBS ENTER THE FRAY

The 2024 U.S. Open Cup is down to its final 32 entrants, as Thursday's draw set the bracket for the next two rounds of the country's oldest soccer tournament.

16 third-round winners were paired with the top eight teams from the 2023 USL Championship season and eight MLS clubs — the only representatives from the top of the American soccer pyramid.

In December, MLS had announced plans to refuse to play in the Open Cup in 2024, with a stated intention to send MLS Next Pro clubs instead. U.S. Soccer rejected that move, with an eight-team compromise (and 11 from MLS Next Pro) eventually emerging as a stopgap solution.

The format for the draw included a stipulation that the teams given a bye into this round must face a side that won in the third round, effectively ensuring that the tournament's supposed underdogs will get a shot at a favorite.

Adding to that requirement, U.S. Soccer mandated that the bracket would be formed from eight geographic quartets. An imbalance between the coasts obliged a random draw that saw Loudoun United of the USL Championship and New York City FC II — the lone surviving MLS Next Pro representative — placed in groups that are otherwise made up of teams from out west.

Draw highlights include a home game for the tournament's defending champions, with the Houston Dynamo hosting Detroit City FC.

The 2023 champions of the USL Championship and USL League One will also square off, with North Carolina FC (who have returned to USL's top tier after several seasons in League One) hosting Phoenix Rising FC.

Below are the results of the round of 32 draw. The schedule and venues for all matches will be confirmed later on Thursday. Host sides are listed first in each pairing.

2024 U.S. Open Cup round of 32 draw

  • Charleston Battery (USL-C) vs. South Georgia Tormenta FC (USL-1)
  • Atlanta United (MLS) vs. Charlotte Independence (USL-1)
  • Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL-C) vs. Birmingham Legion FC (USL-C)
  • FC Dallas (MLS) vs. Memphis 901 FC (USL-C)
  • Union Omaha (USL-1) vs. Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
  • Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USL-C) vs. FC Tulsa (USL-C)
  • Seattle Sounders (MLS) vs. Louisville City FC (USL-C)
  • North Carolina FC (USL-C) vs. Phoenix Rising FC (USL-C)
  • Sacramento Republic FC (USL-C) vs. Monterey Bay FC (USL-C)
  • San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) vs. Oakland Roots (USL-C)
  • Las Vegas Lights FC (USL-C) vs. Los Angeles FC (MLS)
  • Orange County SC (USL-C) vs. Loudoun United FC (USL-C)
  • Indy Eleven (USL-C) vs. San Antonio FC (USL-C)
  • Houston Dynamo (MLS) vs. Detroit City FC (USL-C)
  • New York City FC II (MLS Next Pro) vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USL-C)
  • New Mexico United (USL-C) vs. Real Salt Lake (MLS)

This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: U.S. Open Cup 2024 round of 32 draw: MLS, top USL Championship clubs enter the fray

2024-04-18T17:57:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd