El Paso Locomotive FC to Face Laredo Heat SC on March 19 in 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round
USL El Paso Locomotive FC

El Paso Locomotive FC to Face Laredo Heat SC on March 19 in 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round

Published on January 27, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
El Paso Locomotive FC News Release


EL PASO, Texas - El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it will kick off its 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign in South Texas against Laredo Heat SC on Thursday, March 19 at 6:30 p.m. The match will take place at PEG Energy Stadium and can be streamed on U.S. Soccer's YouTube channel.

El Paso Locomotive FC is slated to enter in the 32-match First Round array of exclusively amateur vs. pro matchups. Under the direction of Head Coach Junior Gonzalez, the Locos will prepare for their sixth Open Cup appearance looking to match their success last year where they won their first three matches in the tournament and reached the Round of 32 where they fell at the hands of Austin FC.

Laredo Heat SC, Locomotive's First Round opponent, competes in USL League Two in the Lone Star Division, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Heat prepare for their first Open Cup appearance since 2019 which saw them win their First Round contest against Brazos Valley Cavalry FC before falling to San Antonio FC in the second round.

2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Overview

The 2026 U.S. Open Cup format will feature seven rounds - one fewer than recent editions - to avoid overlap with the FIFA Men's World Cup™ calendar. This will be the 111th edition of this historic tournament. For the 2026 First Round, teams were paired on a geographic basis with the restriction that each professional team was matched with a team from the Open Division. Hosts were determined by random selection when each team applied to host with a venue that met the competition standard. Random selection was also used in cases where there was no logical geographic fit or there were more than two teams from the same proximity.

The 32 winners from the First Round will face off in a Second-Round matchup on March 31 or April 1. Each of the 16 teams that advance from the Second Round will face one of the 16 Division I professional teams from Major League Soccer who enter in the Round of 32 on April 14 or 15. Eight of the MLS teams will be seeded as home, and eight will be seeded as away ahead of this draw based on the qualifying criteria.

The final 32 teams will play down to a field of four semifinalists in May before the competition breaks until the semifinals on September 15 or 16. The Final match is slated for Wednesday, October 21.

The complete starting field of 80 teams for the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is competing for a $1 million purse, with a place in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup also up for grabs.

2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule

€” First Round: Tuesday, March 17 - Thursday, March 19

€” Second Round: Tuesday, March 31 - Wednesday, April 1

€” Round of 32: Tuesday, April 14 - Wednesday, April 15

€” Round of 16: Tuesday, April 28 - Wednesday, April 29

€” Quarterfinals: Tuesday, May 19 - Wednesday, May 20

€” Semifinals: Tuesday, Sept. 15 - Wednesday, Sept. 16

€” Final: Wednesday, October 21

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from January 27, 2026


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