After many months of negotiations, the US Soccer “Board Open Cup Subcommittee” has come to an agreement with the professional leagues, mostly Major League Soccer, on the format for the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
As reported by many other media outlets, these changes also included increased travel reimbursements for visiting teams and a new structure for tournament hosting fees. TheCup.us has recently gotten a copy of the 2024 US Open Cup Tournament Proper Handbook which outlines both of these items in detail, along with many more organizational and operational items that have been changed from 2023.
Hosting Fees
For a majority of the US Open Cup’s Modern Era (1995 to present), teams paid a fee for hosting a match to the Open Cup operation budget. This covered the tournament prize money, referee payments, and the travel reimbursements. Typically, this was a set amount of money based on the round of the competition and then a percentage of net event revenue above a certain threshold.
This process has been greatly simplified going forward, with the first three rounds only having a set fixed fee, and then rounds afterwards based on all Event Net Revenue. See the table below for changes. Event Net Revenue is defined as Gross Ticket Revenue less State & Local Taxes. Gross Ticket Revenue is all money paid for admission, including but not limited to standard tickets, premium/suite/hospitality tickets or a pro-rated portion of a season ticket package or membership.
| Round | 2023 Fees | 2024 Fees |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | $750 + 15% of Event Net Revenue above $100,000 | $1,000 |
| Second Round | $2,500 + 15% of Event Net Revenue above $100,000 | $1,000 |
| Third Round | $5,000 if match did not involve a MLS team, $12,000 if it did + 15% of Event Net Revenue above $100,000 | $5,000 |
| Round of 32 | $18,000 + 15% of Event Net Revenue above $100,000 | 30% of all Event Net Revenue |
| Round of 16 | $25,000 + 15% of Event Net Revenue above $100,000 | 40% of all Event Net Revenue |
| Quarterfinals | $50,000 + 15% of Event Net Revenue above $100,000 | 40% of all Event Net Revenue |
| Semifinals | $100,000 + 50% of Event Net Revenue above $150,000 | 40% of all Event Net Revenue |
| Final | $325,000 + 50% of Event Net Revenue above $375,000 | 40% of all Event Net Revenue |
Travel Reimbursements
Going forward, the changes from the hosting fees (shown above) will allow for larger travel reimbursements for visiting teams, with larger limits set deeper into the tournament (See the table below for full changes). Also, keep in mind the traveling party for 2024 is 28 individuals, up one from 27 individuals in previous years (more about that below)
| Round | 2023 Reimbursement Limit | 2024 Reimbursement Limit |
|---|---|---|
| First Round | $15,000 | $20,000* |
| Second Round | $15,000 | $20,000* |
| Third Round | $15,000 | $25,000* |
| Round of 32 | $15,000 | $45,000* |
| Round of 16 | $15,000 | $45,000* |
| Quarterfinals | $15,000 | $60,000* |
| Semifinals | $15,000 | $60,000* |
| Final | $30,000 | $90,000* |
In addition, if any traveling club hits their cap for a match, additional reimbursement may be issued if the tournament total Gross Ticket Revenue is above $6.75 million dollars. 30% of all money above that amount may be given out until teams are whole or no more money is left.
Example: If tournament Gross Ticket Revenue is $7.75 million, then $300,000 (30% of $1,000,000) is added to the reimbursement pool. Teams that hit the cap for the round will be given extra reimbursement on a pro-rated basis if they were not made whole.
Additional changes include: Allowing for charter flights to be reimbursed, which are still subject to the maximum limit per team per round, and an increase in meal per diem maximum from $75 per person to $100 per person (still a max of 2 days / 6 meals)
Flights will only be reimbursed if the distance of the flight itself from origin to destination is more than 250 miles one way. This is an increase from 200 miles in 2023.
Hotels and meals will only be reimbursed if the trip is at least 150 miles one way. This is an increase from 120 miles in 2023. Ground transportation is covered regardless.
Teams may also apply for a hardship waiver to have more than the maximum limit covered if the rates for hotels and flights are “excessive due to market conditions”.
Increase in bench staff
The number of team staff members allowed on field on the team’s bench has been increased from nine (9) persons to 10. Each team will be allowed to select not more than seven (7) staff members, two (2) certified athletic trainers and one (1) team physician on the bench for a total of 10 individuals. Previously, there was no specification on the types of staff members on the bench, as in all nine staff members could be coaches.
Roster Rules
Two major roster rules have been changed for 2024, one for the Open Division teams from Local Qualifying, and one for the MLS NEXT Pro reserve teams.
Teams that entered via the Open Division Qualifying Rounds (fall qualifying) have had rosters expanded from 25 to 30 players.
For MLS NEXT Pro teams which are owned by or roster materially managed by a higher division MLS team, there have been special rules added for loans from the first team to the reserve team.
Normally, short term loans from other U.S. clubs (defined as less than 90 days) are not allowed in the Open Cup except when the loan comes from a foreign club, or comes from a reserve pro team up to the first team.
With reserve teams now back in the tournament, but no corresponding first team that is also playing, US Soccer set some additional rules for loans that come from the first team down to the MLS NEXT Pro team playing in the Open Cup. These are important because while the loan still has to be at least 90 days, there is no provision against recalling and ending that loan early at any point.
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In addition to the eligibility rules noted above, players on contracts with MLS first teams may play for their club’s MLS NEXT Pro team only in the following circumstances:
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The loan (of at least 90 days) must be confirmed to U.S. Open Cup staff and announced by the team and/or league no later than 2 p.m. CT the day prior to the match.
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Player must not make a salary above the MLS first-team league maximum salary budget charge (unadjusted for allocation money, designated player status or any other roster mechanism).
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Player must not be averaging more than 15.0 minutes per game in MLS first-team league matches up though the Match Day immediately preceding an Open Cup match.
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No more than seven (7) players on loan from an MLS First Team to an MLS NEXT Pro team can be included in an 18-player game-day roster for an MLS NEXT Pro team. In the event of hardship, MLS NEXT Pro teams may apply to the Commissioner to include more than seven (7) players.
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Procedure of Draws
With the new format, the draw procedure for each round has been adjusted.
First Round: Teams were paired geographically with the restriction that teams from the same Division (Division III) cannot be paired to play each other. Instances where a logical geographic fit doesn’t exist will be resolved by random selection. If three or more teams are from the same proximity, pairings for these teams will be made by random selection.
Second Round: The 32 teams advancing from the First Round will be paired geographically, with no restrictions. Instances where a logical geographic fit doesn’t exist will be resolved by random selection. If three or more teams/pairings are from the same proximity, pairings for these teams will be made by random selection.
A note for the first two rounds: In a random selection scenario, the random selection will be completed so that teams that faced each other in the previous edition of the competition avoid being paired in back-to-back editions.
Starting in the third round is when the draw groups come into play.
Third Round: There will be geographic groups of 4 to 6 teams, with exactly 50% of each group being USL-C teams entering in the Third Round. All USL-C teams will be drawn to face a Second Round winner and not another USL-C team. Any teams who are precluded from playing each other until the Final will not be placed in a group where they could be paired. Instances where a logical geographic fit doesn’t exist in determining the groups will be resolved by random selection.
Round of 32 and Round of 16: This is where the 4 team “mini brackets” come into play. There will be 8 mini brackets of 4 teams, and each bracket will have exactly 1 MLS team, 1 SEEDED USL-C team that enters in the Round of 32, and 2 winners from the Third Round. Groupings from the Third Round will have no bearing on this draw. The brackets will be as geographic as possible. Within the brackets, there are no restrictions on matchups. The Round of 16 match-up will be the winners of the two games within the bracket. Instances where a logical geographic fit doesn’t exist in determining the bracket groups will be resolved by random selection. Any teams who are precluded from playing each other until the Final will be placed in different bracket groups. In the event not all teams apply to host in the Round of 16, bracket groups will be constructed and teams will be drawn in the Round of 32 so that there is a viable host for the Round of 16. If viable brackets are not possible, the Round of 16 draw will be held separately after the Round of 16.
Quarterfinals to the Final: There will be NEW, made from scratch, four team mini brackets made at the Quarterfinals, with no restrictions besides geography (East and West). Quarterfinal and Semifinal matchups will be within those brackets, with the winners from the East bracket and the West bracket facing off in the Final. Any teams who are precluded from playing each other until the Final will be placed in different brackets.
Finally, the hosting determination for ALL matches in the tournament remains unchanged from past years. If both teams apply to host and meet venue requirements, which are also materially unchanged from previous years, then the selection is random, either by coin flip, or the draw itself (H1 vs. A1, H2 vs. A2 in the four-team mini brackets, with H1 vs. A1 winner hosting the next round in the mini bracket)
The Final will have a separate draw to determine hosting, following the same process as previous years where the four semifinal teams are drawn to determine hosting priority for the Final.
Governance Changes
As reported by other media outlets and now confirmed in this handbook, the Board of Directors at US Soccer appointed a “Board Open Cup Subcommittee” to negotiate these 2024 Open Cup changes with the pro leagues, mostly MLS. The governance of the Open Cup is outlined in the “National Championship Policy” of US Soccer’s policy documents, Policy 102(4)-1.
For the 2024 competition only, the Subcommittee has fully replaced the normal Open Cup committee and all duties they have, including temporarily changing this Policy for just this year. The US Soccer website has now removed the page for the Open Cup Committee, seemingly confirming this.
One of the sections of Policy 102(4)-1 accounts for emergencies.
Section 107. Matters not provided for and emergencies
The Committee may determine any matters not provided for in this policy. The Committee may also act to change matters included within this policy when emergency circumstances require and report the changes to the National Board of Directors of the Federation. An action of the Committee under this section is final.
The Committee is now the Board Open Cup Subcommittee and this section above could, according to one source, possibly explain why the Subcommittee can make these temporary changes without full approval of the board.
The full temporary changes made by the Board Open Cup Subcommittee are listed below.
Team Eligibility (Section 201)
For the 2024 U.S. Open Cup, the professional league members with teams registered in a Division I, Division II and Division III league may determine which teams from their league which qualified by sporting merit for the 2024 tournament proper with an allowance for teams competing in Concacaf Champions Cup in 2024 to opt out of the tournament, and were approved by the Subcommittee.
Team Eligibility (Section 202 (e) )
A team owned by a higher-level Outdoor Professional League Team may participate in the competition, provided that the higher-level team failed to qualify for the 2024 tournament proper or are competing in the Concacaf Champions Cup.
Role of the Committee (various)
The Board Subcommittee will fill all roles of the Open Cup Committee provided for by U.S. Soccer Policy regarding the 2024 U.S. Open Cup.
• Section 103: Provide direction to the Commissioner.
• Section 104 / Section 306: Appoint the Adjudication and Disciplinary Panel, and serving as the appeals body for Adjudication & Discipline Panel. The Commissioner will lead Adjudication and Disciplinary Panel meetings, but will not have a vote.
• Section 107: The Board Subcommittee will address matters not provided for and emergencies. regarding emergencies/matters not provided.
Things that have not changed
Despite all of these changes, many things remain unchanged from previous tournaments.
- Prize Money is unchanged from 2023: $300,000 to the champion, $100,000 to the runner-up, and then $25,000 to each furthest advancing lower division team by division (Division II, Division III, Open Division)
- Venue requirements remain unchanged materially, with some minor changes made for an additional team bench spot, and a provision for having enough restroom facilities at a venue.
- VAR is still in place for the Semifinals and Final, with the possibility of expansion into the Quarterfinals. Our sources tell us that VAR can be implemented at (almost) any venue, and is not tied to any venue requirement. This includes lower division stadiums that normally don’t have VAR for their league matches.
- As mentioned above, there isn’t any changes to how hosting is determined for any match of the tournament.
- Matches will still have up to 7 allowed substitutes on a bench, for a maximum of 18 players on a match day roster. Substitution rules also remain unchanged, with 5 allowed in regular time and an additional substitution in extra time. The concussion sub trial is still in place as well.
- Entry fees and Performance Bond amounts remain unchanged
- All teams: $1,500.00 for a performance bond, returned within 60 days of a team’s elimination AND after they have met all financial and administrative responsibilities.
- Entry Fees: $200 for Open Division, $400 for Division III, $600 for Division II, and $700 for Division I
- Cooling Breaks and Ramadan Fast Breaks are still in place for this year.
- The champion will still receive a spot in the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the runner-up qualifying if the champion qualifies in a different way (Leagues Cup, MLS Supporters Shield, MLS Cup, etc). If both finalists qualify from other ways, it will default to the next best team in the MLS Supporters Shield standings.
- However, one caveat is that CONCACAF has final say over the entries to its tournament, (see the CCC regulations) and may designate the MLS first team to qualify in place of the MLS NEXT Pro team if they were to win. Nothing official has been stated to this effect, but multiple sources have confirmed this with us.