No matter what happens, a team will lift the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time. The semifinals will see Nashville SC host the Philadelphia Union on Tuesday and Minnesota United will host Austin FC on Wednesday. The Union are the only team of the quartet to have even made the finals of this competition before. With Concacaf Champions Cup sides not taking part in the tournament due to balancing the schedule with Leagues Cup duties, it has created a tournament that now sees different MLS teams make it to the final, and it could see history be made.
But with a trip to the final on the line, what does this mean to each team in the competition?
Philadelphia Union
Finishing as the runners up in this tournament three times in 2013, 2014, and 2018, no team will feel quite like they have to win the tournament like the Union. Add in their MLS Cup appearance in 2022, and finals haven’t been kind to this team, but they’re leading a charmed season under first year head coach Bradley Carnell. The Union are atop the Eastern Conference and also lead the Supporters’ Shield standings thanks to timely scoring from Tai Baribo and a strong defense. They won’t like to have conceded seven goals to the Vancouver Whitecaps over the weekend, but with the chance to rotate, Carnell can use it to motivate the team to do better this time around.
Nashville SC
Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge have combined to become one of the most productive attacking duos in the league, pushing Nashville to this stage of the tournament for the first time in their history. The duo have combined for 35 league goals and if Nashville are going to do anything in their match, they’ll need everything that they can get from their stars. Andy Najar is also a player to watch after signing a contract extension with the club. With seven assists from defense, he has been involved in the attack under B.J. Callaghan. It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season, but with Callaghan being a former Philadelphia Union assistant, he’ll be quite familiar with the side he is going up against, as Nashville want to go from being one of the most successful regular season clubs to take the next step.
Minnesota United
Second in the Western Conference, Minnesota will savor this competition as their first chance for silverware as an MLS side. Set plays have been Minnesota’s bread and butter with a league leading 21 goals from those situations as head coach Eric Ramsay has pushed the club to a new level after being appointed in 2024 as only the second head coach in club history. It was a mixed start to MLS life for the Loons under Adrian Heath, but this season’s team has been closer to what was expected. Now they’ll need to close things out.
Austin FC
Bringing in Brandon Vazquez on a record deal and losing him to an ACL tear in July, the Open Cup can salvage what has been a rough season for Austin. There is improvement, as where things stand, Nico Estevez would have this team sneaking into the MLS playoffs, but an Open Cup victory may be their only true chance at a trophy this season. The defense has kept Austin in games but the attack has struggled, which will make things tough facing a high powered attack like Minnesota.
U.S. Open Cup schedule
All times Eastern, all matches available on Paramount+
Tuesday, Sep. 16
Nashville SC vs. Philadelphia Union, 8 p.m.
Wednesday, Sep 17
Minnesota United vs. Austin FC, 8:30 p.m.
