The United States Soccer Federation announced the pairings and host scenarios for the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinals set for July 10 or 11, two weeks following the conclusion of the Quarterfinals June 26 featuring five Major League Soccer teams and three sides from the third division USL Pro.
Among the three lower division sides, the Harrisburg City Islanders are the only club that could potentially host a semifinal contest. To do so, both they are league compatriot Dayton Dutch Lions would have to register upset victories over the Philadelphia Union and Sporting Kansas City. Otherwise, the Philadelphia Union are set to host the semifinal, playing Dayton July 10 or Kansas City July 11.
The other pairing is much simpler scenario with the winner of the quarterfinal meeting between the Seattle Sounders and San Jose Earthquakes playing host to either Chivas USA or the lower division Charlotte Eagles, who have already won three times in Texas and are now making a cross-country trip to Los Angeles.
The 2012 US Open Cup Semifinals are the first round in which the hosts were determined via the previous tournament process of blind bids. In earlier rounds, US Soccer used a draw to determine the hosts upon meeting the minimum requirements, which in some rounds included a hosting fee.
SEMIFINAL 1 – July 10 or 11
Sporting Kansas City (MLS) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, Pa.; 7:30 p.m. ET, July 11
OR
Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, Pa.; 7:30 p.m. ET, July 10
OR
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.; 7:30 p.m. CT, July 10
OR
Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) at Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO)
Skyline Sports Complex; Harrisburg, Pa.; 7:30 p.m. ET, July 10
SEMIFINAL 2 – July 10
Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) / Chivas USA (MLS) at Seattle Sounders FC (MLS)
Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, Wash.; 7 p.m. PT
OR
Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) / Chivas USA (MLS) at San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif.; 7:30 p.m. PT
QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE – Tuesday, June 26
Harrisburg City Islanders (USL PRO) at Philadelphia Union (MLS)
PPL Park; Chester, Pa.; 7:30 p.m. ET
—
Dayton Dutch Lions (USL PRO) at Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; Kansas City, Kan.; 8:30 p.m. ET
—
Charlotte Eagles (USL PRO) at Chivas USA (MLS)
Titan Stadium (Cal State Fullerton); Fullerton, Calif.; 10:30 p.m. ET
—
Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) at San Jose Earthquakes (MLS)
Kezar Stadium; San Francisco, Calif.; 10:30 p.m. ET
What about the finals? If not already determined, when and how will the host be chosen? And if Seattle makes it again and hosts, will it be at Century Link?
In the article above there is a link to a detailed explanation of how the hosting process is determined for 2012, and within that article there is a link to the detailed explanation of how the ‘secret bidding process’ works. The short version is that currently the hosts for the Semifinals and Final are determined by a secret bidding process where each team writes a check to the US Soccer Federation and the team that bids the most (assuming their stadium meets minimum standards), gets the game. The potential hosts for the Final will be announced by USSF after the deadline for bids passes on July 3.