San Ramon Soccer Team Wins California Cup, Headed To U.S. Open Cup

SAN RAMON, CA — The San Ramon FC men's soccer team is headed to the U.S. Open Cup after winning the California Cup, the team announced.

San Ramon FC beat out 31 other teams to win the inaugural California Cup, which took place the weekend of Feb. 21-22. The amateur club qualified in November after defeating the Olympic Club of San Francisco.

On Tuesday, they are headed to the Phoenix Rising Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona to play Phoenix Rising, a second-division USL Championship professional team that won the 2023 league title.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest national soccer competition in the United States, and is notable for allowing amateur leagues like San Ramon FC to play professional teams.

The team also plans to donate $1,000 of their California Cup winnings to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. A representative from the Food Bank is expected to receive the donation at a team training session Thursday.

“I'm more proud that this team chose to give back during these trying times, than the win itself, which clearly shows the character and compassion of these wonderful players,” club member Bejan Esmaili told Patch in an email.

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