UPDATE (6/15/11): The First Round is complete and the full Second Round schedule is listed at the bottom.
2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup bracket [+] The United States Soccer Federation has unveiled the first round pairings for the 2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The 98th edition of the tournament kicks off on Tuesday, June 14 with all 32 lower division teams competing. The draw was determined by dividing the teams geographically into eight groups of four in an effort to limit travel costs. Once the groups were determined, a blind draw determined the match-ups. The first three rounds will take place in consecutive weeks, with the Second Round scheduled for June 21, followed by the Third Round on June 28. The eight lower division teams that advance beyond the first and second rounds, will each play one of the eight qualified teams from Major League Soccer in Round 3, scheduled for June 28. After a two-week break, the Quarterfinals will take place on July 12, followed by the Semifinals on Aug. 30 and the 2011 US Open Cup Final on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
| FIRST ROUND RESUMES |
| AAC Eagles: 1990 champions Brooklyn Italians: 1979*, 1991 champions, 1981*, 1990 runner-up Charleston Battery: 2008 Runner-Up Chivas El Paso Patriots: 1995 Runner-Up NY Pancyprian Freedoms: 1980, 1982, 1983 champions Richmond Kickers: 1995 champions Rochester Rhinos: 1996 runner-up, 1999 champions *Known as the Brooklyn Dodgers |
The opening round is where the Cinderella stories begin. The field of 32 lower division clubs have strong histories on their sides, featuring eight Open Cup championships and five runners-up. Nine of the 11 USL Pro clubs will play host to First Round contests with the Dayton Dutch Lions and Charlotte Eagles the exceptions. The Eagles will be traveling to face nearby PDL cknlub Carolina Dynamo, a former pro rival, while Dayton will be squaring off with the Richmond Kickers in one of only two intra-league matches on the docket.
The only other match-up of two clubs from the same league/organization is a PDL showdown between the Chivas El Paso Patriots, designated the host, and the Kitsap Pumas, the dramatic 3-2 winner of the Northwest Division berth determined Friday, June 3 in a special ‘fifth game’ tiebreakers on the road against the Portland Timbers U23 in a previously scheduled regular season contest. The Dynamo and Patriots are two of four PDL sides that will host First Round matches, joining Real Colorado Foxes and Ventura County Fusion. The Madison 56ers, the only club that did not have to play any qualification games besides teams from USL Pro and Major League Soccer, are the only team from the National Premier Soccer League that was selected to host a match while two from the USASA, the Iowa Menace and New York Pancyprian Freedoms, will get the honor. Iowa is not a surprise as the club is part of the Des Moines Menace club that regularly leads the PDL in attendance. The Freedoms, a three-time Open Cup champion (1980, 1982, 1983), are also a former PDL club. Although the hosts of the Second Round were not announced, the pairings were released, creating four-team groupings that will produce the eight opponents for MLS clubs in the Third Round. Six of the eight groups have at least one USL Pro club in them. Chattanooga FC of the NPSL received arguably the toughest draw, falling into the only group with three clubs from USL Pro, traveling to Pittsburgh for the First Round before potentially playing the winner of the Dayton-Richmond contest.
Two clubs from the non-professional tiers of the sport will advance to play MLS clubs in the Third Round. The first group features the Menace, 56ers, AAC Eagles (USASA) and Chicago Fire Premier (PDL). The second is an expansive geographic group that includes the Patriots, Foxes, DV8 Defenders (USASA) and the Kitsap Pumas. The US Open Cup is the national championship for the United States and has crowned a champion every year since 1914, making it the second oldest continuously run cup competition in the world. The single-elimination tournament is open to teams from every level of American soccer from local rec leagues to the best from Major League Soccer. The winner of the 2011 competition wins $100,000 and a place in the 2012 CONCACAF Champions League. The runner-up wins $50,000 and the team that advances the furthest among the two lower divisions, Division III (USL Pro) and Amateur (PDL, NPSL, USASA) will each win $10,000.
2011 US Open Cup bracket [+] | 2011 US Open Cup participants [+]
2011 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
Official Pairings for First Round
(All games on Tuesday, June 14)
All Times Eastern
Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) at N.Y. Pancyprian Freedoms (USASA – East NY)
Belson Stadium, St. Johns University – Queens, N.Y. – 7:30 p.m.
Western Mass. Pioneers (PDL) at FC New York (USL PRO)
Met Oval – Queens, N.Y. – 7:00 p.m.
Reading United AC (PDL) at Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO)
Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, Pa. – 7:00 p.m.
Phoenix SC (USASA-East PA) at Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO)
Sahlen’s Stadium – Rochester, N.Y. – 7:35 p.m.
Chattanooga FC (NPSL) at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL PRO)
Chartiers Valley Stadium – Bridgeville, Pa. – 7:00 p.m.
Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) at Richmond Kickers (USL PRO)
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond, Va. – 7:00 p.m.
Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) at Carolina Dynamo (PDL)
Macpherson Stadium – Browns Summit, N.C. – 7:00 p.m.
Central Florida Kraze (PDL) at Wilmington Hammerheads (USL PRO)
Legion Stadium – Wilmington, N.C. – 7:30 p.m.
ASC New Stars (USASA-South TX) at Orlando City Soccer Club (USL PRO)
University of Central Florida Soccer Complex – Oviedo, Fla. – 7:30 p.m.
Regals FC (USASA-South TX) at Charleston Battery (USL PRO)
Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, S.C. – 7:30 p.m.
AAC Eagles (USASA-IL) at Madison 56ers (NPSL)
Breese Stevens Field – Madison, Wis. – 8:00 p.m.
Chicago Fire (PDL) at Iowa Menace (USASA-IA)
Valley Stadium – West Des Moines, Iowa – 8:30 p.m.
DV8 Defenders (USASA-No. CA) at Real Colorado Foxes (PDL)
Shea Stadium – Highlands Ranch, Colo. – 9:00 p.m.
Kitsap Pumas (PDL) at Chivas El Paso Patriots (PDL)
Patriots Stadium – El Paso, Texas – 10:00 p.m.
Hollywood United (NPSL) at Los Angeles Blues (USL PRO)
Riverside Community College – Riverside, Calif. – 8:00 p.m.
Doxa Italia (USASA-So. CA) at Ventura County Fusion (PDL)
Ventura College – Ventura, Calif. – 10:05 p.m.
Official Pairings / Potential Hosts for Second Round
(All games on Tuesday, June 21)
All Times Eastern
FC New York at NY Pancyprian Freedoms
Belson Stadium – Queens, NY – 7:30 p.m.
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Rochester Rhinos at Harrisburg City Islanders
Skyline Sports Complex – Harrisburg, Pa. – 7 p.m.
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Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Richmond Kickers
Richmond City Stadium – Richmond, Va. – 7 p.m.
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Charlotte Eagles at Wilmington Hammerheads
Legion Stadium – Wilmington, N.C. – 7:30 p.m.
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Orlando City SC at Charleston Battery
Blackbaud Stadium – Charleston, S.C. – 7:30 p.m.
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Chicago Fire Premier at Madison 56ers
Breese Stevens Field – Madison, Wis. – 8 p.m.
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Real Colorado Foxes at Kitsap Pumas
Bremerton Memorial Stadium – Bremerton, Wash. – 10 p.m.
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Los Angeles Blues at Ventura County Fusion
Ventura College – Ventura, Calif. – 10:05 p.m.