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The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup takes place in the United States every season and there is a lucrative prize on offer to the team that comes out on top.
Not only does the winning team receive $300,000 in prize money, there is also a place in the following season's CONCACAF Champions League, which sees teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean collide.
But who is Lamar Hunt, the man the competition has been named after? GOAL brings you everything you need to know.
Who is Lamar Hunt?
Lamar Hunt was an American businessman who is best known for his contributions to the promotion of sports in the United States, particularly soccer, American football and tennis.
Born in El Dorado, Arkansa on August 2, 1932, his wealth was accrued through the family oil business and, driven by his keen love of sports, he began to invest in a variety of teams and competitions from the 1950s on.
His first venture in sports began in American football, when he and a group of businessmen established the American Football League (AFL) in 1959. Hunt's team was the Kansas City Chiefs, which he founded and owned until his death in 2006.
Having witnessed the World Cup in England in 1966 and spending time in Ireland, Hunt began to cultivate soccer leagues and teams, helping to form the NASL before eventually becoming a founder of Major League Soccer.
He was the owner of a number of soccer franchises, including Dallas Tornado in the NASL, Columbus Crew, Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) and FC Dallas. Hunt died on December 13, 2006. He was 74 years old.
As well as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Lamar Hunt Trophy in American football's AFC Championship game was also named in his honour.
"There's a reason that the U.S Open Cup is named after Lamar Hunt, and that reason is that American soccer would not exist as we know it if not for his efforts," says GOAL's U.S. soccer expert Ryan Tolmich.
"Hunt was one of several owners who helped found the North American Soccer League back in the '60s and, even as that league collapsed, he remained steadfast in his support of the American game. When MLS began play in the '90s, he purchased two franchises, the Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wiz before then funding a third team, the Dallas Burn.
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Getty"Under his ownership, the Crew made American soccer history by building their own venue in 1999, becoming the first MLS team to play in their own soccer-specific stadium. A quick glimpse around the league shows just how far MLS and American soccer has come, with 29 teams now competing across two countries.
"Many of those teams now have their own stadiums to call home, with Hunt's efforts integral to not just American soccer's survival, but its progress.
"Without Hunt, MLS may not have survived those early years and, without Hunt, even if the league did, it never would have flourished in the way it has over the last 25 years. Because of that, Hunt is one of the most important believers in American soccer, and it's that belief that helped the sport grow to what we know it as today."
What is the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup?
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout cup competition played between soccer teams across the United States. Its origins date back to 1914, when it was known as the National Challenge Cup and it was renamed in honour of Lamar Hunt in 1999.
The tournament features soccer teams from across the U.S., with a number of different leagues represented. In 2023, 100 teams competed in the competition.
Maccabee Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel are the most decorated teams in the history of the U.S. Open Cup with five titles each. However, MLS teams have, perhaps understandably, dominated since the establishment of the league in 1996.