Does anyone care about the U.S. Open Cup?

[rymannryan]

Does anyone care about the U.S. Open Cup? If so, what can be done to get it more exposure. It would be great if the final was televised on national T.V. Even if it was with Fox or someone instead of ABC and ESPN. I believe they show it on Fox Sports World but most people don't have that.

[HalfManHalfAmazing]

It's hard to care when it would be nearly impossible for any team other than an MLS team to win and the MLS is so small that every team plays each other so much.

[UncleSam527]

Originally posted by HalfManHalfAmazing
It's hard to care when it would be nearly impossible for any team other than an MLS team to win and the MLS is so small that every team plays each other so much.
Perhaps, instead of all MLS teams automatically qualifying, perhaps only 5 or 6 of the MLS teams should be entered. Maybe it could be the top 5/6 in regular season standings from the previous year.

[Tuba]

I care.

Also,...all MLS teams should be required to participate in the Open Cup. As far as I am concerned, this is THE trophy in the USA.

Clearly MLS teams are better than the other entrants, but the likes of Charleston, Rochester, Seattle, Minnesota can still compete.

What is better than the Charleston Battery hosting an MLS club in the Open Cup?

[vflkirwan]

I don't understand why MLS teams even get home field advantage in the early rounds vs the lower teams .....

[art]

Originally posted by vflkirwan
I don't understand why MLS teams even get home field advantage in the early rounds vs the lower teams .....

Makes it easier/more likely for them to participate, as they don't have to make a midweek trip to some godforsaken little town? MLS clubs don't exactly fall over themselves, fighting for US Open Cup slots. Which is too bad.

[Swampgas United]

Originally posted by vflkirwan
I don't understand why MLS teams even get home field advantage in the early rounds vs the lower teams .....

I believe that the first round the MLS played in this year 7 of the 8 games were at A-league sites.

[UnitedNut]

Originally posted by rymannryan
Does anyone care about the U.S. Open Cup? If so, what can be done to get it more exposure. It would be great if the final was televised on national T.V. Even if it was with Fox or someone instead of ABC and ESPN. I believe they show it on Fox Sports World but most people don't have that.

I think that the reason there isn't more exposure is because the US Soccer Federation has done an exceptionally poor job promoting it. Near as I can tell there isn't an official web site just for the US Open Cup. It's the oldest trophy in the country but yet not that many people outside the soccer community (and even within the community for that matter) know about it.

(Not to plug to my site, but I got a really nice note from a soccer fan the other day complimenting my site, http://pointme.to/soccer , and the small section I have on the cup and this years schedule/results. I shared her frustration, had a heck of time finding the research material to put that page together.)

[jmeissen0]

Originally posted by Swampgas United


I believe that the first round the MLS played in this year 7 of the 8 games were at A-league sites.


aye, i know we played in milwaukee

[thurd]

Originally posted by UncleSam527

Perhaps, instead of all MLS teams automatically qualifying, perhaps only 5 or 6 of the MLS teams should be entered. Maybe it could be the top 5/6 in regular season standings from the previous year.
they did something like that this year...i know the revs werent in it

[WHOLMAN2]

The GaLAxy do. :D

[pething101]

I do. Looking forward to watching this one on FSW.

[Hattrix]

Everyone on earth should care about THIS Open Cup. The Galaxy stand to do what no team has done yet: The Triple.

And this year only 8 MLS teams were in the competition.

The winner SHOULD be an MLS side, othewise the US first division is actually the A-League.

[dearprudence]

Originally posted by jmeissen0



aye, i know we played in milwaukee
Yes, but Milwaukee is just Chicago's biggest suburb.

[Quaker]

Originally posted by UnitedNut
Not to plug to my site... http://pointme.to/soccer

Pretty comprehensive, but I don't think you have the proper 2001 US Open Cup champion listed. The Galaxy won last year.

[biosoccer]

Originally posted by rymannryan
Does anyone care about the U.S. Open Cup?
You talking about the US Open Tennis Cup, right? :p

[GIO17]

Every year this same damned question comes up every year, every new season of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament, does it mean anything.

YES IT DOES!

This means a hell of a lot to me and it should mean a hell of alot to everyone else. So many people want an FA Cup tournament like the English FA does it.

At least they are doing their best to set up the structure for the cup, but the one or two things that US Soccer doesn't do. Proper promotion of the tournament and create a proper cup that should be made of silver. Since the retirement of the Thomas R. Dewer Cup of 2000 US Soccer has somehow loved to create a sparkling glass trophy with the US Open Cup logo sketched into it. In 2001 the US Open Cup became a bowling trophy when the Galaxy won it, then the Crew defeating the Galaxy last season, the cup looked like a glass version of half a clam. If some of you are laughing at this part of my arguement, how is it that a silver plate, or plaque in Germany & the Netherlands stands the test of time and is lifted with happiness & Glee for a footballer, as well as the FA Cup final in England when a member of the Royal Family hands it over to the Captain of the team and the celebration truly starts.

The Stanley Cup of the National Hockey League is over 100 years old, the base has changed thru the years but the actual cup remains the same. If US Soccer wanted the fans to start creating a design for a proper cup I would jump on it.

Promoting the tournament as well as proper TV coverage and the apperance of a proper trophy shows the true pride of winning the US Open Cup.

[Wizardscharter]

Originally posted by GIO17
...Proper promotion of the tournament and create a proper cup that should be made of silver [would help]. Since the retirement of the Thomas R. Dewer Cup of 2000 US Soccer has somehow loved to create a sparkling glass trophy with the US Open Cup logo sketched into it...

The Stanley Cup of the National Hockey League is over 100 years old, the base has changed thru the years but the actual cup remains the same.

Promoting the tournament as well as proper TV coverage and the apperance of a proper trophy shows the true pride of winning the US Open Cup. He's absolutely right. Some of the suggestions are impossible without money so it becomes a chicken/egg problem.

Some are easy: The creation of a proper award is paramount. It doesn't have to be exactly like a Euro award, but crystal is no good, save the Baccarat crystal for golf. Award a Cup, put the names of all past Champions on it. I'm sure one of the reasons USS decided to retire the trophy was to get trophies into the cabinets of the MLS teams. This is harder to do without a permanent trophy. Still, The solution is to have a permanent Cup and a replica to give each winner every year. That just leaves money as the problem.

The other immediate thing I would change if given power is to include all teams from all levels and Canandian teams and eliminate the qualifiers. You want USOC to be important? Great, then don't have games count in league standings and for USOC qualifying.

To review: Do the "easy" things now and make a plan to get the money to do the harder things later. How? Easy, professional fundraising 101. USSoccer needs to hire a soccer-loving insurance agent with experience in estate planning . Give the guy entree to all friends of US Soccer and open a website for the purpose. His job becomes one of convincing anyone and everyone to donate a 1% or larger share of their total estate today or upon death. They would do this in exchange for a kind of immortality TBD. This money is earmarked in advance to create an invested endowment that spins off interest. The interest is planned in advance (to cut squabble and FIFA/USSoccer stealing) to be spent for USOC interests. All large charities do this. All rich people do this as a matter of routine for their pet-projects.

This is too involved to get the whole process across here, but simply put, make the USOC self-funded, do things at a high level and the prestige will follow naturally.

[RevdUp]

I second the excellent suggestions of "GIO17" & "wizardscharter".

[worldwidechicago]

Does any one NOT care about the US Open Cup? Well, okay, there are probably a lot, but they're wrong. The San Jose v Seattle Sounders game was one of the most fun matches I attended last year. What beats jeering LD from the touchline of what's basically a rec pitch as the hometown 11 put five goals past the Quakes (only to lose 6-5)? The Open Cup is my favorite tournament in the States.