The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, originally called the National Challenge Cup, has evolved significantly over its 100 years of competition, ranging from amateur-based competing to the integration of professional teams going up against the ranks of semi-pro teams.

Lest we forget that Pittsburgh, and the overall state of Pennsylvania for that matter, has a major foothold on this cup. Pennsylvania ranks third overall in my most cups won by state (12), with Bethlehem Steel tied for most cup wins at five.

Surrounding suburbs of Pittsburgh have a majority of these cups for the Keystone State. The Harmarville Hurricanes have netted two cup titles. Their 1952 win came off a 7-5 aggregate win over Philadelphia Nationals. 1956 gave them their second title, with a 3-2 aggregate win over Chicago’s Schwaben SC. On the heels of a Riverhounds Open Cup draw against DC United in 2003, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted this article, recounting some moments from the players.

Other local victories include Gallatin Sport Club’s 1942 6-3 aggregate win over Pawtucket Rangers, and Morgan Strasser’s 4-2 aggregate win over Philadelphia Nationals in 1949.

Now in the “professional era,” of the US Open Cup, the Riverhounds have entered the tournament 10 out of the 13 seasons of play. The furthest they have gone came in 2001, when they beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0 in the second round, but stalled in the quarterfinals, losing to the Chicago Fire 3-2. 2011’s first round was a thrilling come-from-behind victory for Pittsburgh over NPSL’s Chatanooga FC. The final was 3-2, with all Riverhounds goals coming in the last 15 minutes. 2012 was a cup-wide year of upsets and the Riverhounds fell victim to that, suffering a dramatic 2-0 defeat to PDL’s Michigan Bucks. Michigan went on to beat the Chicago Fire of MLS and then lost to USL-Pro’s Dayton Dutch Lions in the fourth round.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is always an exciting tournament for soccer and here’s hoping that the Pittsburgh Riverhounds can hoist the Cup at the Highmark!