It’s been almost two years since SD Internacional defeated Chula Vista FC in the third qualifying round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the two teams will face each other again Saturday.
This time the match, at Mission Bay High School, will be in the second qualifying round, with each team hoping to advance to the 2027 edition of the prestigious tournament.
There’s a lot at stake – even a long shot at facing San Diego FC.
The U.S. Open Cup started in 1914 as the National Challenge Cup. It was officially renamed the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1999 to honor the American soccer pioneer and Major League Soccer founding executive. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the oldest annual tournament for team sports in the country.
The US Open Cup has seen local teams compete before. USL Championship club San Diego and National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) side ALBION San Diego faced each other back in 2022 and 2023.
The qualifying rounds, which began last month, filter out the amateur and semi-pro clubs through four rounds of competition with the most famous of these being CD Mexico (now El Farolito), still an amateur team when it won the 1993 US Open Cup.
San Diego FC announced on Sept. 2 that it would take part in the tournament, making it possible for a local amateur team like SD Internacional or Chula Vista FC to face the MLS side in the round of 64 – if they can make it that far.
The champion is awarded $600,000 with the runner-up earning $250,000; the highest finishers in Division II, Division III and the Open Division earn $50,000 each.
The eventual winner also gets a spot in the following Concacaf Champions Cup. The current defending champion is Toluca FC of Liga MX.
The match, also at Mission Bay High, in November 2024 was decided on a goal by forward Spencer Hoyle in the final moments to seal the 3-2 win for SD Internacional and punch their ticket to the fourth-qualifying round.
Chula Vista is ready for the re-match with the Mission Bay-area club.
“This is the team that eliminated us in the final minutes of the last Open Cup qualifier, so we are absolutely looking for revenge,” said Chula Vista FC head coach, Hector Diaz. “The experience was a good one for us, but the reality is we are looking at a very new roster right now. We still have a couple of the same impact players who know what this tournament demands, but for most of these guys, this will be their first Open Cup run.”
Chula Vista comes in as the defending Southwest Premier League (SWPL) champion thanks its 3-1 victory over Sin City FC on Aug. 29 in Las Vegas. SD Internacional won the Fall 2025 United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) SoCal South Division crown after a 2-1 win over City SC San Diego. The club achieved the same feat in the spring of 2023.
“Chula Vista always sends out a very good team,” said SD Internacional head coach Matt Palpal-Latoc. “I’m expecting another pretty tight and technical game.”
SD Internacional already has played several games in the fall 2026 UPSL season with mixed results, while Chula Vista is still awaiting the reveal of its SWPL San Diego Super Liga opponents.
Both teams earned a bye for the opening qualifying round of the US Open Cup.
“I’m excited to see our team play a young, dynamic and exciting brand of soccer,” Diaz added. “The focus is on keeping the ball, pressing aggressively and scoring goals. We learned the standard, and now we are ready to see this young group step up to it.”
The third qualifying round begins Oct. 31, followed by the final qualifying round, on Nov. 21–22. The official opening round for the US Open Cup begins April 13, 2027, leading up to July 8, 2027 when all 27 U.S.-based MLS clubs begin to enter the bracket.
The match between SD Internacional and Chula Vista FC will be at 8 p.m. Saturday at Mission Bay High School. Admission is free.
