This is not the first, or longest, the US Open Cup has been delayed in its 106-year history. The start of the 1919 competition was set back nearly a month when the Spanish Flu pandemic swept through the country and there were many delays in the 1940s because of the weather and the Summer Olympics.
US Open Cup History
1918/1919 National Challenge Cup Semifinals & Final: Bethlehem Steel earn back-to-back shutouts to win 4th title
For the fifth year in a row, the juggernaut Bethlehem Steel had rumbled through the tournament and were once again in the Final. Standing in their way were fellow National Association Football League members Paterson FC.
1918/1919 National Challenge Cup Quarterfinals: Bethlehem Steel flattens Goodyear’s tires as snow causes problems elsewhere
Six inches of snow greeted Paterson FC when they arrived in Quincy, Mass. on Feb. 22 for their Quarterfinal encounter with Fore River FC.
1918/1919 National Challenge Cup Round 3: Protests produce controversy, World War I hands Bethlehem Steel free pass
The Eastern bracket’s third round schedule kicked off on Dec. 21 in Pawtucket, RI as J & P Coats played host to Fore River FC.
1918/1919 National Challenge Cup Round 2: After Spanish Flu, tourney resumes with controversy, promises of gold watches
With the Spanish Influenza threat cleared, the Second Round of the 1918/1919 National Challenge Cup got under way in November of 1918.
1918/1919 National Challenge Cup Round 1: World War I, Spanish Flu cause chaos for tournament
TheCup.us begins a five-part series that jumps in a time machine back a full century to see the challenges that the 1918/1919 tournament faced.
US Open Cup history: A final four with teams without a title game appearance is rare
This year’s Semifinal marks just the 10th time in the US Open Cup’s 106-year history that all four remaining teams have never lifted the trophy.
US Open Cup histories of the eight quarterfinalists seeking a first title and the cities they represent
The 2019 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup quarterfinals have the distinction of being just the eighth time in the tournament’s 106-year history in which none of the final eight teams have ever won an Open Cup championship.
Coaching legend Stephen Negoesco, rare US Open Cup, NCAA champion, has died
The San Francisco soccer scene is one of great tradition and history. That history includes National Team players, US Open Cup champions, NCAA champions and National Soccer Hall of Famers from multiple generations dating back more than a century. In a city with so many legends, you would be hard pressed to find a bigger, […]
Sigi Schmid: Greatest coach in US Open Cup history, dies at 65
Schmid passed away on Christmas Day, leaving behind a legacy not only of success on the field, but as an elite level scout who had an exceptional eye for talent.