West Chester United qualifies for 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

West Chester scored two first-half goals then held on to defeat a 10-man Vereinigung Erzgebirge team 2-1 to book their spot in next year’s U.S. Open Cup. In what was always going to be a close, physical matchup between the two United Soccer League rivals, West Chester stayed on the front foot in a game that featured double-digit cards and quick West Chester counter-attacks.

Led by Ken Roby and Josh Luchini on the attack and strong box play from keeper Riley Porter, West Chester will now play in the country’s oldest soccer tournament, the 110th edition, for the third-straight year.

Much different than the 8-2 West Chester win a week ago in the EPSA Amateur Cup, the two sides spent a majority of the opening half hour warming up on a frigid, windy evening at Kildare’s Field in West Chester. The early matchups featured West Chester’s front trio against VE’s backline. Roby challenged VE’s Chris Gomez down the right flank, a matchup that ended at the break when Gomez was forced off through injury. Luchini battled VE’s Jimi Leder on the left
flank, eventually getting the better of the VE right back. West Chester’s talisman Ridge Robinson was largely held in check by VE’s Christian Williams and Braden Salvati.

After a near VE header on the goalmouth fingertipped away by Porter in the 36 th minute, Roby turned the game up a notch in West Chester’s favor when he cut inside from the left and smashed a shot to the far corner, beating VE keeper Steve Paul but not the post. Less than a minute later, Leder pulled down Luchini in the box, resulting in a West Chester penalty, however video shows minimal contact if any at all and a clear officiating reversal had VAR or any technology or money been incorporated by U.S. Soccer in qualifying play. Nevertheless, Roby stepped up and buried the spot kick, giving West Chester a 1-0 lead, and despite the vocal grievances from the VE bench, the lead was fair considering West Chester’s opening performance.

VE threatened the West Chester box all night on set pieces, using several long throw ins by Chris Baker and free kicks from Salvati to push for an equalizer, but the counter game from West Chester was up to the task. Late in the half, Ayoub Mouhou was denied a clear breakaway opportunity by a sliding Paul to keep the West Chester lead in check, but in first-half stoppage time, Luchini stripped Leder at the midline, and with sixty yards and only Paul to beat, he
slipped the ball off the inside of the post to double the lead going into the break.

West Chester came out in the second half firing, and for the first few minutes it appeared the game could be headed toward the route from the week before, but to VE’s credit, they buckled down and eventually pulled a goal back to add some fire to an already sizzling match. In the 57th minute, Derek Antonini tapped home a Salvati free kick at the back post to the game within reach.

For the next fifteen minutes, the game went back and forth between tackles and cards, and for at times, three or four VE players could have seen red, but Kevin Smolyn drew the referee’s last straw and was double booked for a challenge then dissent and reduced the visitors to 10 men.

In the aftermath, VE actually put West Chester on their heels, bombing corners, free kicks, and throw-ins that were cleared time and again by Luca Mellor, Mason Miller, and Sama Tima. The remaining minutes came down to VE free kicks and West Chester counters, eventually leading to a triple goal-line VE clearance that could only be believed with a TikTok video and another shot off the post from John Ricks that would have sealed the game. As time ran out on VE’s qualifying run, they were left to endure the bitter taste of qualifying dreams dashed while watching their rivals move on.

“We knew they were going to come out and be physical with us,” West Chester head coach Blaise Santangelo said after the win, “so we just tried to play quicker where we couldn’t get touched.”

Santangelo had praise for VE’s keeper Paul and some criticism for his own team for allowing VE to hang in the game. With their sights set on upcoming semifinals in the EPSA Amateur Cup and Open Cup, in which they earned doubles in both, Santangelo’s tough love comes from the team’s higher goals of reaching the national level.

“It helps our program through the winter,” Santangelo said about his team’s return to the Open Cup proper, “because we train two or three times a week when we’re in that tournament. Guys are coming in to train, and other guys are trying to make the team for that. So it’s good.”

Last year, West Chester hosted the Maryland Bobcats (NISA) in the First Round at YSC Sports and lost 2-0. Maryland went on to lose 5-2 to the Richmond Kickers (USL-1) in the Second Round. West Chester previously hosted the Ocean City Nor’easters in the First Round in 2023, falling 3-1. In 2019, they reached the Second Round after beating Christos FC (NPSL) 5-4 on penalties (1-1) then lost to the Birmingham Legion (USL-C) 4-1. West Chester also reached the Second Round in 2016 after knocking off Fredericksburg FC before dropping a close game to the Harrisburg City Islanders.

Though not seeking to win the Open Cup, Santangelo added that qualifying is part of the larger goal of building a sustainable championship program. “It helps for national recognition and local recognition, and every year we try to win a national title in the amateur cup so we don’t have to go through this.” Last season, West Chester qualified by reaching the semifinals in the NPSL, avoiding a meeting with VE in qualifying, which has been as certain the past several years as leaves falling.

VE lost to Charlotte Independence (USL-1) 2-0 in the First Round at Cairn University. Charlotte went on to beat the South Carolina United Heat (UPSL) 4-3 on penalties (0-0) then upset Rhode Island FC (USL-C) 5-4 on penalties (4-4) before falling to Atlanta United in the Round of 32. VE qualified for the cancelled 2020 edition after beating West Chester in the final round of qualifying but never got the opportunity to play. Their previous trip to the Open Cup came in 2002.

“It’s great to be in the cup, especially since what’s been going on with the MLS, and hopefully the Union will be involved this year since they’re not in the other competition,” Santangelo said. “We need it. We need it in the city. We had good support for our match, and I know they [VE] had great support for their match.”

It remains to be seen what the Union and MLS will decide for next year’s edition, but what can certain as of now is the entire Philadelphia soccer community will rally around a West Chester run, putting any pro teams in their path on Cupset alert.