Orlando City SC and the Columbus Crew will meet in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Wednesday, Sept. 16, as the 111th edition of the tournament reaches its final four.
The matchup gives both clubs a chance to move one step closer to a title in the country’s oldest annual tournament for team sports. The U.S. Open Cup was first played in 1913, is open to U.S.-based amateur and professional clubs, and was modeled after England’s FA Cup.
For the winner, the stakes are straightforward. The champion of the U.S. Open Cup is recognized as the national champion of American men’s club soccer and earns an automatic berth in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Why this semifinal matters
Columbus is looking to add to its lone U.S. Open Cup title, which came in 2002. Orlando City SC, meanwhile, won the tournament in 2022 and turned that run into its first Concacaf Champions Cup appearance.
This year’s semifinal also adds another chapter to a tournament with a long and occasionally interrupted history. The U.S. Open Cup was not played in 2020-21 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has returned with the same basic format that has made it a national knockout competition for more than a century.
There is also a broader MLS backdrop to the matchup. MLS began competing in the U.S. Open Cup in 1996, and since then the tournament has remained a useful measuring stick for how top-flight teams handle knockout pressure.
A familiar trophy chase with real consequences
The Columbus-Orlando semifinal is not just about surviving one game. It is about placing a club within reach of a trophy that still carries historical weight, especially in a competition that dates back to 1913.
The other semifinal slots make up the rest of the 111th edition’s final stage, but this matchup stands out because both teams arrive with recent Open Cup history. Orlando City SC already knows what winning the tournament can unlock. The Columbus Crew know what it feels like to finish the job, and they will be trying to do it again on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
