US Cup Soccer

CHICAGO (Feb. 5, 2016) – Entering its 103rd 12 months of competition, the Lamar search U.S. Open Cup is placed to kick off the 2016 competition may 11 and will feature a tiered-bracket and single-game knockout structure, with a record range teams participating.

Like in 2015, groups may be paired geographically through the First Round through the Fourth Round. After the Fourth Round, a geographically-based arbitrary draw needs location to determine the Round of 16 matchups and set a hard and fast bracket to your Final, scheduled for Sept. 21.

This year’s U.S. Open Cup features 92 groups, a record when you look at the tournament’s modern period (1995 to provide). Berths for groups from the Open Division, including groups from all leagues apart from Division I, II and III outdoor professional leagues, have actually broadened through the 36 announced last September to a modern era-record 48 as a consequence of the sheer number of very first Round places readily available after slotting Division I, II and III groups into subsequent rounds.

The 3rd Qualifying Round, which was set to happen April 2-3, is currently eradicated as a result of the development of berths for Open Division sides. Teams from neighborhood qualifying are awarded six brand-new slot machines, allowing all 14 groups still live within qualifying track to-be placed straight into the initial Round.

Furthermore, four new berths are awarded into Premier developing League (PDL), a nationwide amateur league, giving it 19 complete teams in competition, as the nationwide Premier Soccer League (NPSL), another all over the country amateur league, was granted two additional slot machines to reach 15 participating teams.

Start Division teams will type in the very first Round, Division III (United Soccer League) sides will begin into the 2nd Round, Division II (North American Soccer League) groups might find their very first activity inside Third Round and Division we (major-league Soccer) teams will require the field beginning into the Fourth Round. Groups playing in their very first Open Cup match will never be paired against another club from the same qualifying pool (an exception will undoubtedly be manufactured in the 4th Round when two MLS teams will meet in their very first tournament game).

This year’s winning group will receive $250, 000, a berth in 2017-18 CONCACAF Champions’ League and now have its name engraved from the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of several earliest nationwide contested trophies in United states team recreations. The runner-up will make $60, 000, while the team that increases the furthest from each lower division will need house a $15, 000 cash prize.

Sporting Kansas City could be the defending U.S. Open Cup winner, having claimed another event title (following its victory in 2012) after a punishment shootout road victory resistant to the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 30, 2015 at PPL Park, in Chester, Pennsylvania.

The Lamar search U.S. Open Cup, seen as U.S. Soccer's nationwide Club Championship, is a yearly competitors available to all amateur and professional football teams connected to U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 102 successive years dating from 1914. In 1999, your competition ended up being rebranded to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

Tournament Format, Plan alongside Crucial Dates:

Initial Pairings Announcement – April 6

• First Round games in addition to Second Round opportunities revealed.

Initially Round – Might 11

• Few Games: 24
• Members: 48 Open Division teams (14 regional qualifiers, 19 PDL sides and 15 NPSL groups).
• Information: groups will be paired geographically because of the limitation that groups through the same qualifying share (example. regional qualifiers, PDL, NPSL, etc.) cannot be paired to play each other.

2nd Round – Might 18

• Few Games: 21
• Participants: champions of 24 very first Round games tend to be accompanied by 18 USL groups.
• Definition: at that time the First Round pairings are manufactured, each USL team will undoubtedly be coordinated geographically to a certain very first Round pairing and become scheduled to play its champion. The remaining very first Round matchups not paired with a Division III side will undoubtedly be paired up geographically, aided by the champions playing both to perform the round.

3rd Round – Summer 1

• Few Games: 15
• Individuals: champions of 21 Second Round games are joined by nine NASL sides.
• Information: After each 2nd Round matchup has been determined, each NASL group will be paired geographically to a specific 2nd Round matchup and stay planned to play its champion. The 12 continuing to be Second Round matchups not paired with a Division II side may be paired up geographically, using winners playing both to accomplish the round.

Fourth Round – Summer 15

• Wide range of Games: 16
• Participants: champions from 15 3rd Round games are accompanied by 17 MLS clubs.
• Description: After each 3rd Round matchup has been determined, 15 of 17 MLS groups is paired geographically to a certain 3rd Round matchup and be scheduled to play these champions, while two MLS groups will deal with both to perform the bracket.

Round of 16 Draw – Summer 16

• The Fourth Round winners are going to be split geographically (no matter league association) into groups of four, with teams who are precluded from playing both through to the Final (see list in other places) put in various teams. A random draw should determine the pairings within each team, leading to a hard and fast bracket the rest associated with the tournament. Should a precluded set of teams achieve the Semifinal Round and stay scheduled to face both, the matches is going to be re-drawn following the quarterfinals in order to prevent this result.

Round of 16 – Summer 29

• Range Games: 8
• Fourth Round champions face both as dependant on the Round of 16 Draw.

Quarterfinals – July 20

Semifinals – Aug. 10

Last – Sept. 21

Note: your day following all the times mentioned above is reserved as a make-up time in the event of a-weather postponement. Also, any online game from the 4th Round through to the Semifinals where one of several members has actually a league online game here Friday would be moved up a-day (exclusion for this is when the team’s adversary is planned for a league online game the preceding Sunday; in this instance, the provisions in the great outdoors Cup Handbook to resolve such an issue prevail). Eventually, any online game plumped for by U.S. Soccer to-be broadcast nationally is susceptible to becoming moved up on a daily basis.

2016 Lamar Search U.S. Open Cup Participating Teams
Division we, II and III expert groups permitted Participate (44 total):

Division we - major-league Soccer (17 groups, entering into the 4th Round): Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy, New The united kingdomt Revolution, nyc FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, wearing Kansas City

Division II - North American Soccer League (9 groups, entering in Third Round): Carolina RailHawks, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Indy Eleven, Jacksonville Armada, Miami FC, Minnesota United FC, nyc Cosmos, Rayo OKC, Tampa Bay Rowdies