October 6: Twenty-four United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) clubs advance to the third qualifying round for the 2027 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. That’s 24 of the 64 remaining teams, more than a third of the field, and more than any other amateur league in the country.
The numbers have been going this way for some time. 155 clubs entered the qualifiers this year, with the UPSL supplying 63. Last year, 14 of the 32 teams in the final qualifying round came from the league.
Two UPSL clubs are already in the tournament. Deportivo Rose City beat Miami United 3-1 to win the UPSL spring title, and under the new US Soccer rules both runners-up earned automatic berths. For Miami United it is a fifth Open Cup in six attempts. In 2024 they beat two professional teams, Chattanooga FC and Club de Lyon, before falling to Memphis 901 FC in the third round.
Compare this with The League for Clubs. It makes a big deal about being the home of America’s serious amateur clubs, and under the same new rules their champion, Pensacola FC, goes straight into the tournament. However, only 11 clubs entered the rankings this year, fewer than the proposed UPSL from Florida alone. A league is busy telling people how elite it is. The other is filling the bracket.
Laguna United is among the 24 still standing and chasing a third straight appearance.
Under head coach Sam Nicholson, the Laguna Niguel club is in its fifth straight state. The first two ended at the hands of Capistrano FC, both times by 4-1. Then came the breakthrough. A 6-2 win at San Diego International in December 2024 sent Laguna to its first Open Cup, and Nicholson said at the time that ten years of work was paying off. Their 23 goals in that run were the most by any club in the standings since 2016.
They did it again last November, beating the same San Diego team 4-2 at La Paz Sports Park.
The tournament itself has been a tougher test. Laguna lost 7-0 to MLS NEXT Pro’s Ventura County FC in 2025 and 3-0 to USL Championship’s Orange County SC in Irvine this March. A third-place finish would give Nicholson’s team another shot at a professional club and place Laguna among the most consistent amateur teams in the country.
The third round is played on October 31 and November 1. The 32 winners meet in the final round on November 21-22, when the last 16 spots in next spring’s tournament are decided.