After nearly upsetting Loudoun United FC in last year’s First Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, West Chester United (APSL/USLPA) will get another crack at the USL Championship side in the 2026 edition. Last week, U.S. Soccer announced the First Round pairings for the 2026 U.S. Open Cup, and West Chester Head Coach Blaise Santangelo might have been expecting a new opponent. West Chester will host Loudoun on Wednesday March 17th at YSC Sports in Wayne. The game will be livestreamed via U.S. Soccer’s Youtube channel and will kick off at 7:30 EST.
West Chester qualified after winning the 2025 USASA Amateur Championship last July when they defeated RWB Adria from Chicago 1-0 in the final. This is their fifth-straight year in the competition. FC Farolito returns as the farthest-advancing amateur team in last year’s Open Cup. The San Francisco-based club reached the Third Round, falling to Sacramento Republic of the USLC 1-0. West Chester lost to Farolito last summer in the Hank Steinbrecher Cup, a national competition between various amateur champions (USASA, NPSL, USL2) that West Chester won in 2024.
“We’re happy to be a part of it again,” Santangelo told Backyard Pitches about the Open Cup. “This is a remarkable thing.” West Chester actually qualified twice for the competition, with their second qualification coming as a top finisher in last year’s NPSL. During the lead-up to last year’s USASA national final four, West Chester lost in the USL2 Conference quarterfinals to NOVA FC, and the following day fell to Ristozi FC in the NPSL Regional Final. Santangelo recalled one of his players, Luca Mellor, expressing the good fortunes for the team to play in two national playoffs ahead of a national amateur final.
Recently, the U.S. Soccer Adult Council named West Chester a finalist for 2025 Best Amateur Team and Best Amateur Club. Winners for the awards will be announced on March 20th.
Only five other amateur teams made last year’s competition through qualifying proper.
Virginia Dream (UPSL, VSSL), CD Fialense (BSSL), Southern Indiana (UPSL), Laguna United (UPSL), and New York Renegades (UPSL) are back-to back qualifiers while a handful of other amateur clubs are repeat qualifiers through performance in last summer’s NPSL or USL2 seasons.
West Chester currently leads the Delaware River Conference in the APSL with an 11-0 record and is second in the USLPA with a 4-0-1 record. Both leagues will resume as soon as the winter weather breaks, which could still be weeks away. Fellow APSL side SC Vistula Garfield also qualified after knocking off Oaklyn United 2-1 in the final round of qualifying. They will face One Knoxville SC at home on March 18th.
In last year’s First Round, West Chester had a dream start when they jumped out to an early lead after Yassine Eklahloun converted a penalty within the game’s opening minutes. Loudoun equalized before the end of the half then added two more after the break. Kenny Roby pulled a goal back for West Chester in the 68thminute, but their push for a third came up short.
Ridge Robinson, West Chester’s leading scorer in the APSL and one the team’s veteran players was injured in that game but is fit and eager to play a role in this game. “It’s not often you get a chance for quick revenge,” he told Backyard Pitches. Over the past decade, West Chester has been one of the more dominant amateur sides in the region and will be using the game as a measuring stick for their season but also to prepare for their busy spring schedule. They will defend their EPSA Amateur title on February 22nd against VE and begin their quest for the Werner Fricker U.S. Open Cup, a competition they won in 2015 and 2022.
“We don’t lose much at our level,” Robinson said, “so to play an opponent like Loudoun is a chance to show what we’re made of.” An amateur side that trains like a pro side, West Chester has continued their training throughout the winter break, often 2-3 nights a week to maintain their sharpness and fitness. Though Robinson admits both sides will have some changes from the teams who competed last year, West Chester will have a few advantages. “We have a very strong core,” he said, “which is not the same as the pro teams where you have older players leaving and new players coming in.”
West Chester has lost a number of players to the professional ranks since last year, but Robinson has been one of the team’s central figures, along with Mellor, August Axtman, and Kyle Tucker, who recently returned from a two-year stint with the Philadelphia Union II. Robinson, who hails from Littleton, Colorado and played at Drexel and Coastal Carolina, scored his 100th goal for West Chester in the APSL in March, adding to a total that already includes numerous big goals in the amateur state and regional competitions over the past few seasons.
West Chester has appeared in the competition six times since 2016, advancing into the Second Round in both 2016 and 2019. In 2022, they beat Motown in the First Round but were forced to replay the game following a substitution dispute, mainly due to referee error. West Chester lost the replay. This will be the club’s third time facing a USL Championship team, and while West Chester has been engaged in their competitive season since training five days a week in August, Loudoun is just underway in its preseason preparations and recently drew 2-2 with the Philadelphia Union II.
Anthony Limbrick took over as head coach of Loudoun in January. Limbrick has extensive experience in the Southampton FC and West Ham Academies and had successful coaching runs with The New Saints in Wales and Hartepool in England. A large number of Limbrick’s players are new to the club.
“We’ve talked about it,” Robinson said when asked about catching Loudoun off guard early in their season, “but pro players know how to take care of themselves.”
“Ryan Martin [former Loudoun coach] had been with them for a long time,” Santangelo said, “so he knew his guys. They played a lot of games together and were very organized, but we’re hoping we can catch them. They’ll only have a couple matches and who knows? We’re hoping to be a Cinderella story.”
Robinson has been focused on training, which has included some of West Chester’s summer players home on college break as well as holding tryouts for new players to replace the players expected to sign pro contracts within the upcoming weeks. Robinson credits the program’s success to the intensity at which the team trains, the depth of the squad, and the dedication of the players. Following a 2025 full of silverware, his goal as a veteran is to maintain the high standards that come with being a regular in the Open Cup and regional and national amateur competitions.
In other matchups, USL Championship title holders Pittsburgh Riverhounds will face Steel City (USL2) at Rooney Field on March 17th. Villanova grad Jorge Garcia is entering his first season with the Hounds. Colorado Springs Switchbacks, led by a handful of local veterans, including former Penn star Duke Lacroix (New Egypt, NJ), Villanova’s Zach Zandi (West Chester, PA), and Temple alum Matt Mahoney, will host Azteca FC (CPL) on the opening night as well.
Louisville City FC and Hatfield, PA’s Josh Jones will open against Southern Indiana FC on the 18th. Jones and West Chester’s Aiden McFadden will be entering their second seasons with Lou City. Both were named to the USLC’s First Team All-League last season. In other action, FC Motown will host Drexel Hill’s Matt Real and Hartford Athletic on the second matchday as well.
The 32 winners from the First Round will advance to the Second Round, to be held the week of March 31st-April 1st, a quick turnaround for most of the teams opening their seasons.
Excellent article!! Thanks for the caring about our local level and keeping the game moving forward <3
Thanks, Ridge. Good luck this spring.