The National Premier Soccer League has made a proposal to the US Soccer Federation for the league to receive four berths in the US Open Cup, sources confirmed to TheCup.us.
Over the first five seasons of the NPSL, league teams have had to qualify through their respective US Adult Soccer Association regional tournaments to get into the US Open Cup.
It’s not clear if the plan proposes taking the four berths from the eight currently assigned to the USASA. If that happens, only the four regional champions would qualify, rather than each region having two entries. Adding four berths to the NPSL and keeping eight for the USASA would require another revamp of the US Open Cup setup and possibly taking spots away from the Premier Development League (PDL).
The NPSL berths would be awarded using an in-season qualification process similar to the Premier Development League (PDL).
Six current NPSL teams have qualified for the US Open Cup, compiling a 1-7-4 record — the Sonoma County Sol posted the first victory with a 5-2 victory over the Orange County Blue Star in the first round this year.
The Salinas Valley Samba (2005) and the Sol (2006) also advanced to the second round on penalty kicks following ties in first-round matches; the Samba also drew their qualifying-round match in 2005 and advanced on penalties.
Two of the NPSL’s founding members who did not field teams in the league this season, the Chico Rooks and the Sacramento Knights, also have qualified for the US Open Cup in the past.