COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The Colorado Rapids will host Real Salt Lake in the Round of 16 of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer announced Thursday. The game will take place at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park on Wednesday, May 24, at 8 p.m. MT.
Colorado advanced to the Round of 16 following a 4-2 road win against Sacramento Republic FC in the Round of 32 on Tuesday night. It marks the first time since 2017 that the club has advanced to the Round of 16 and the first time since 2012 that the Rapids have won an Open Cup game on the road. The club’s earlier 3-1 win against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC in the Third Round and Tuesday’s win against Sacramento is the first time the Rapids have recorded consecutive victories in the tournament’s knockout stages since 1999.
Real Salt Lake will make its first appearance in the Round of 16 since 2016. The club advanced to the next round following a 4-3 win against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Wednesday night, marking the first win for the club in the U.S. Open Cup since 2016. Last year, Real Salt Lake lost to Hailstorm FC, 1-0. The last time the Rapids faced Real Salt Lake in the Open Cup was in 2007, a 2-1 win in the qualifying rounds. The only other time the two teams have faced each other in the tournament was in 2006, which resulted in a 1-0 win for the Rapids.
Introduced in the 1913-14 season as the National Challenge Cup and rebranded in 1999, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States. The competition enters its 108th edition after suspending play in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The single-elimination tournament includes clubs from different professional leagues including Major League Soccer (MLS), the United Soccer League (USL) and the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), as well as semi-pro and amateur teams who qualify through the first two rounds of the tournament. It spans across eight rounds, with the winner getting an automatic bid in the Concacaf Champions League.
Tickets for the Rapids’ Round of 16 match at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park against Real Salt Lake on will go on sale to the public on Monday, May 15, at 10 a.m. Rapids Season Ticket Members will receive additional information from their Membership Services Executive on how they can secure their membership seating locations for this match.
