Kensington Soccer Club Accepted Into U.S. Open Cup Local Qualifiers
Photo: Hamzah Dabbour celebrates a 3-1 win against Philadelphia Heritage with Preston Gray./ Nur Adam
KENSINGTON, Pa. — Kensington Soccer Club was announced as one of 107 Open Division teams to be approved for entry into the Qualifying Rounds for the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
According to the press release by U.S. Soccer, the tournament “is entering its 108th edition, is the only high-profile event in American team sports where amateur sides have the opportunity, should they advance far enough, to face professionals in meaningful national competition.”
Kensington Soccer Club is one of eight teams to represent both the state of Pennsylvania and the Eastern Premier Soccer League via the local qualifying track.
Men’s Coach Jim Breslin believes people would call him mad if he told them that Kensington Soccer Club could compete in the same tournament that MLS teams compete in and he doesn’t blame them.
“It may sound unbelievable but it’s all true,” Breslin said. “The U.S Open Cup is like if March Madness had NBA, College, and other amateur teams competing in it. It’s the best tournament in the country and KSC is in the local qualifiers.”
KSC’s approval into the Qualifying Rounds is a milestone achievement. KSC, a certified 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, has seen tremendous growth and support in the past few years and an opportunity to compete in the U.S Open Cup is a stepping stone toward being able to provide more pathways to professional soccer for youth players in Philadelphia, especially for those who hail from the Kensington community.
2023 Open Cup Schedule
September 17-18, 2022 – First Qualifying Round
October 15-16, 2022 – Second Qualifying Round
November 19-20, 2022 – Third Qualifying Round
December, 17-18, 2022 – Fourth Qualifying Round
A total of nine slots in the 2023 tournament proper will be available to the teams left standing after the four rounds of qualifying competition.
The tournament proper will begin the week of March 20, 2023, with the Final scheduled for Wednesday, September 27, 2023.
About Kensington Soccer Club
Founded in 2010, Kensington Soccer Club believes in “Community Advancement Through Soccer,” working to make youth soccer and community development opportunities much more accessible and affordable to all residents of the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia.
What started as a small after-school summer program quickly grew into a year-round soccer organization that now offers competitive travel and recreational soccer at all levels, after-school programs, summer camps, community clinics, and employment opportunities.
As Kensington Soccer Club continues to grow, so has its support; from the state of Pennsylvania to the City of Philadelphia and in the community of Kensington itself, more and more people are jumping in behind to support Kensington Soccer Club’s mission of violence prevention through soccer. With that additional support, Kensington Soccer Club moves toward its mission of making soccer and personal development available for all.