Our Steel City FC Men’s First Team will return to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as part of a record-setting field of 155 Open Division clubs entering the fall qualifying rounds. After narrowly missing out on automatic qualification, our USL League Two squad must again navigate the grueling four-round local qualification path to secure their third-ever appearance in the tournament proper.

Photo: Randy Warner

The Road to the 2027 Tournament Proper

All matches will take place over designated weekend windows, with the Men’s First Team round one matchup and location draw expected from U.S. Soccer in late August.
The official qualifying windows are scheduled as follows:
    • Round 1: September 12-13, 2026
    • Round 2: October 3-4, 2026
    • Round 3: October 31-November 1, 2026
    • Round 4: November 21-22, 2026

A Brief History of Steel City FC in the Open Cup

Steel City FC enters the tournament looking to claim its first official win in the Tournament Proper, following two previous hard-fought opening-round exits.
  • 2024 Debut: In their inaugural tournament appearance, the club traveled to face the professional side Michigan Stars FC (NISA), dropping a narrow 1-0 decision in a fiercely contested defensive battle. [Match recap]
  • 2026 In-Town Derby: Steel City fought through three rigorous local qualifying rounds—capping it off with a dramatic 3-2 road victory over Croatia Cleveland—to book a historic First Round matchup against local professional side, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Rescheduled to late March due to severe winter weather, the match at Highmark Stadium marked the first competitive “Pittsburgh Derby” in the Open Cup in 69 years. The Men’s First Team put on a stellar performance but ultimately succumbed 2-1 to the USL Championship side. [Match recap]
Fans can find updates on upcoming matches on the Steel City FC social profiles and by joining our email list.

 

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Posted in Club News, First Teams