Pairings for first two rounds of U.S. Open Cup unveiled

Two first round games of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will be played in the region with games being staged in Ocean City, N.J. and Reading, Pa. on Wednesday, May 10.

U.S. Soccer released the pairings for the first two rounds of the 104th edition of the competition on Wednesday.

Ocean City Nor’easters will host local club Junior Lone Star FC at Carey Stadium in Ocean City at 7:30 p.m. while Reading United A.C. will host Clarkstown SC Eagles at 7:30 p.m. at Exeter Township Senior High School in Reading.

Harrisburg City Islanders play the winner of Ocean City and Junior Lone Star on Wednesday, May 17. The game will be played at Carey Stadium at 7:30 p.m. if the Nor’easters advance from the first round. If Junior Lone Star win the first round game, the home team and start time is TBD.

If Reading beats Clarkstown, they’ll host New York Cosmos at 7:30 p.m. at Exeter Township High School on May 17.

Junior Lone Star is making their first appearance in the competition, having earned a berth in the tournament by beating Rising Stars FC and Brick Lions FC in two qualifying rounds played in the fall.

The Philadelphia Union will enter the competition along with the other 18 U.S.-based MLS clubs in the fourth round on June 14.

A record 99 teams are competing in this year’s edition, including 24 from USL, 6 from NASL, 21 from the PDL, 18 from the NPSL and 17 from local qualifiers. Bethlehem Steel FC and other MLS-owned USL clubs are not included in the competition.

Click here to see the full listing of the pairings released on Wednesday.