2014 US Open Cup...

Draw for #USOC2014 is out - here's USSF's release >> http://t.co/Bqh3oTBAB5

— TheCup.us (@usopencup) April 24, 2014

http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/04/24/09/27/140424-usoc-2014-tournament-announcement

 

About bloody time!!!

 

I think this maybe their tier 3 league

http://www.aslsoccer.us/index.php/component/k2/item/45-asl-recieves-provisional-usasa-sanctioning

 

Here's an (IMO) oddity given all the talk of "geographic" matchups:

Round 2:
May 14

Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) at Des Moines Menace (USASA)

May 14

Colorado Rovers (USSSA) / Red Force (USASA) winner at Laredo Heat (PDL)

The Rovers and the Foxes use the same stadium. Why wouldn't you match up the Foxes and the Rovers/Red Force winner and the Heat and Menace? Worst case Red Force is travelling to Denver (again) instead of Laredo, best case is that the USSSA team doesn't have to take an expensive road trip to Laredo.

 

So it'll be an entire 9-day window - and right before and during the beginning of the World Cup - where we'll have to put up with Ted and the other idiots with their stupid pro/rel tweets and discussions of how simple it would be to set up a league that competes with MLS and blah blah blah blah blah the usual US Open Cup mid-round bullshit. Oy.

To me, the Oklahoma City/Tulsa and Richmond Kickers/RVA matchups are super intriguing, as is the potential Michigan Bucks/Detroit City tie.

(Oh, and I almost forgot the inevitable and super-stupid "Why aren't these games all on TV?" tweets.)

 

I'm only hoping that the Red Bull US Open Cup game will be that Wednesday June 11th or Thursday June 12th.

 

I have relatives near Binghamton and I see from the schedule that Binghamton has a club in the U.S. Open Cup. I'll root for them in addition to the Red Bulls.

 

I was looking at the 4th Round window for the MLS entry into the tournament. Saturday, June 14 is already scheduled to be a home game for the Houston Dash women's team which also plays at BBVA Compass Stadium. Anyone know if the USSF would allow an Open Cup game to be part of a double-header?

I have no idea if the Dynamo are considering this possibility and, of course, it would be dependent on Houston getting the right to host the game. I just thought it would be an interesting combination. The Dash drew 8,000 for their first (and only so far) home game this season.

 

It has happened before.

• July 22, 1998, all four quarterfinals were played in two doubleheaders, one in Chattanooga (Crew/Fusion and MetroStars/Mutiny) and one in Dallas (Fire/Clash and Burn/Nashville).
• August 4, 1998 both semifinals were played as a doubleheader in Metairie, Louisiana (Fire/Burn and Crew/MetroStars).
• July 14, 1999, the Rapids played the (then-A-League) Sounders in a 3rd round match while the USMNT played Derby County in the other half of the doubleheader.
• September 1, 1999, the semifinals were a doubleheader in Virginia Beach (Rapids/Charleston and Rochester/Crew)
• June 15, 2000, the Fire played the D3 Pro League's Texas Rattlers and the Chicago Sockers played the Kansas City Wizards in a doubleheader in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
• June 27, 2001, a second round doubleheader in Milwaukee had the Fire against the San Diego Flash and the Milwaukee Rampage against the Utah Blitzz.
• July 11, 2001, a third-round doubleheader in Richmond had the Kickers against the Connecticut Wolves and DC United against the Hershey Wildcats.
• August 7, 2002 the Crew and MetroStars played on Long Island in a quarterfinal while the Carolina Courage and New York Power played a WUSA match.

 

Better than a half-header, when 1 game counted for two competitions.

Colorado was drawn against Tampa in 2000 (+/- a year) in the USOC, coincidentally on the same date they were already scheduled to play at Tampa in league play. so the game counted for both competitions.

 

Thank you very much.

 

August 13, 1999.

And Tampa Bay.

 

I'm not sure how they went about the draw this year but I feel like some teams got royally screwed in the Southeast. Take a look at these 3 games:

Ocala Stampede (PDL) at Orlando City (USL Pro)Seminole Soccer Complex; Sanford, Fla. – 7:30 p.m. ET
Panama City Beach Pirates (PDL) at Charleston Battery (USL Pro)Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C. – 7:30 p.m. ET
Jacksonville United FC (NPSL) at Orlando City U23s (PDL)Seminole Soccer Complex; Sanford, Fla. – 4:30 p.m. ET

So let's see here: The Stampede WON their PDL division last year, Panama City came in 2nd and Orlando City came in 3rd... repeat THIRD. So Ocala gets to travel to the defending USLPRO Champions, PCB get to travel to a USLPRO venue, and 3rd place Orlando City U23s get a HOME game vs an NPSL team, as part of a doubleheader with OCYS's USLPRO team (making sure they actually have fans in the stadium)?

To me that draw wreaks like garbage. Ocala gets royally screwed here and it seems like OCYS U23s get some odd preferential treatment.

 

Isn't it a blind draw (since 2012) if both teams' facilities meet the minimum standards?

One thing I do know for certain is that nobody on earth would go out of their way to "royally screw" the Ocala Freaking Stampede.

 

I didn't think that applied to the first round(s). It was more a case of splitting the teams into "who can host" or "not host" lists, then matching them up afterwards. Then they guesstimated matchups for the second / third rounds in a similar manner.

 

This is the explanation from TheCup.us in 2012.

I'm pretty sure this process is still in effect.

 

Even though it said, specifically, "in the first two rounds?"

 

I live about an hour from there and I wouldn't go that far for an NPSL game. I'd rather go to a Red Bulls game.

 

Let me reword: OCSC looks to have gotten some preferential treatment for their 3rd place PDL team. That better?

 

US Soccer to broadcast "Game of the Round"