Mass. amateur teams face off against each other next month

The first qualifying round pairings for the 2019 US Open Cup competition are out, and as expected, we will see four all-Massachusetts matchups next month.

Three of the four will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22, with the fourth and final match on Sunday, Sept. 23.

The Bay State Soccer League’s Southie FC will take on GPS Omens at Roxbury’s Madison Park High School’s Upper Field at 12 p.m. on the 22nd. Two hours later, Kendall Wanderers — which made the first-round proper this spring — will host Boston Siege FC at Cambridge’s Danehy Park’s Field Three.

At 7 p.m. on the 22nd, Safira FC will host Mass United FC at Dilboy Stadium in Somerville.

On Sunday, Sept. 23, Boston City FC II will host Juve-Pro Soccer at Malden Catholic’s Brother Gilbert Stadium beginning at 6 p.m.

The winners of all four matchups will advance to October’s second qualifying round on Oct. 20-21, and are expected to further whittle the Commonwealth's options down to two amateur sides, who will advance to the third qualifying round.

A total of five qualifying rounds are expected, but that could change.

The US Open Cup, which will be in its 106th year in 2019, is the oldest domestic soccer tournament in the country. Since 1996, Major League Soccer teams have dominated the competition, with one exception: 1999, when Rochester won it.

The Revolution have been to three US Open Cup Finals, winning the competition in 2007. They last made the Final in 2016.

Of the local amateurs, Omens, Boston City FC, and Kendall Wanderers have all played in the tournament proper.

The competition is a knockout-style tournament similar to the FA Cup in England, where teams generally do not know who or where they'll be playing when they win. Blind draws settle the opponents and the locations.