This is the schedule of events put out by the USSF so far: https://www.ussoccer.com/lamar-hunt-us-open-cup/2018-us-open-cup-schedule We should be hearing soon how many teams will be playing from the various leagues and the rest of the Cup dates. Wednesday, April 4 - 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round pairings and Second Round possible matchups announced Wednesday, May 9 - 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup First Round; Dates for remaining rounds of the competition and deadlines to apply to host in these rounds will be determined by January 2018 Possible number of teams in the tournament: Qualifying Tournament - 14 teams NPSL - 18 teams PDL - 21 teams USL - 22 teams MLS - 20 teams Total - 95 Has anyone else heard numbers from NPSL and PDL? I think the USL and MLS numbers are correct. Breaking down the rounds is going to be interesting. If they do it the same way as last year we would have something like this: 1st round: Add 1 more amateur teams to get to 54. Give 14 of them a bye into the 2nd round. The remaining 40 are matched up. 20 winners advance. 2nd round: The 20 winners + 14 byes + 22 USL teams = 56 teams. 28 winners advance. 3rd round: The 28 winners are paired up. 4 MLS teams are paired up. The 16 winners advance. 4th round: The 16 winners meet the remaining 16 MLS teams. 5th round: 16 winners Quarterfinals: 8 winners Semifinals: 4 winners Final: 2 winners Or they could do something completely different.
Looking at the USL and MLS schedules I see these mid-weeks are open for eligible U.S. teams. May 16 - No USL games May 23 - No USL games June 6 - No USL or MLS games June 20 - No USL or MLS games June 27 - No MLS games August 1 - No MLS games August 8 - No MLS games I don't see any really free Wednesdays in July but things could be worked out for teams that advance.
My guess is that the USL will start in round 3 this year. I'm working with the assumption that no NASL teams will play. My count is 20 MLS teams and 22 USL teams that are eligible. If that is the case, then you have Round 1: 52 Amateur teams* Round 2: 26 Winners plus 22 USL teams Round 3: 24 Winners Round 4: 12 Winners plus 20 MLS teams Round 5: 16 Winners Quarters: 8 Winners Semis: 4 Winners Final: 2 Winners *We know that there were 14 amateur teams from Open Qualifying. However, one of those(El Farolito) have been disqualified due to switching leagues. So there are 13 Open Qualifying teams that need to be in the first round. That leaves 39 other spots in the 1st round. Based on the ratio of the last few years, I would guess that 21 PDL and 18 NPSL teams get invited to the 1st round. This doubly works,as these are the same number as last year, even if it only works out that way by accident.
https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...-2018-lamar-hunt-us-open-cup-format-finalized Prize money has increased: The winner of this year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will receive $300,000 (up from $250,000 last year). The tournament runner-up will receive $100,000 (up from $60,000) and the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will earn $25,000 (up from $15,000). 2018 Format: 1st Round (May 9) - 52 local, PDL, and NPSL teams face off, 26 games 2nd Round (May 16) - 26 winners join 22 USL teams, 24 games 3rd Round (May 23) - 24 winners face off, 12 games 4th Round (June 6) - 12 winners join 20 MLS teams, 16 games Similar to the Round of 16, pairings for the Fourth Round will now be made by random draw after dividing teams geographically into groups of four and drawing matchups within each group. Each Fourth Round group will have at least one and no more than two Third Round winners, with pairs drawn so that each Third Round winner faces an MLS team. Round of 16 into the Final - Same as last year. 16 winners divided into 4 regions. Pairings and hosting randomly drawn after that. Round of 16 (June 20) Quarterfinals (July 18) Semifinals (August 8) Final (September 26)
Open Division Teams (52 total, all entering in the First Round): Local Qualifiers (13 teams, listed alphabetically by state): Arizona (1): Sporting AZ FC California (3): La Máquina*, LA Wolves FC*, Santa Ana Winds Colorado (2): Azteca FC*, FC Denver Florida (2): FC Kendall, Red Force FC* Maryland (1): Christos FC* Massachusetts (1): Kendall Wanderers New York (2): Lansdowne Bhoys FC, Rochester River Dogz Texas (1): NTX Rayados* PDL (20 teams, listed alphabetically): Charlotte Eagles (N.C.)*, FC Golden State Force (Calif.)*, FC Miami City (Fla.), FC Tucson (Ariz.)*, Lakeland Tropics (Fla.), Long Island Rough Riders (N.Y.), Michigan Bucks*, Mississippi Brilla FC, Myrtle Beach Mutiny (S.C.), New York Red Bulls U23, Ocean City Nor’easters (N.J.)*, OKC Energy U23 (Okla.)*, Portland Timbers U23 (Ore.), Reading United AC (Pa.)*, San Francisco City FC (Calif.), Seacoast United Phantoms (N.H.), SIMA Aguilas (Fla.), South Georgia Tormenta FC, The Villages SC (Fla.)*, Western Mass Pioneers* NPSL (19 teams, listed alphabetically): AFC Ann Arbor (Mich.)*, Brooklyn Italians (N.Y.), CD Aguiluchos USA (Calif.), Dakota Fusion FC (N.D.), Detroit City FC (Mich.), Duluth FC (Minn.), Elm City Express (Conn.), Erie Commodores (Pa.), FC Arizona, FC Motown (N.J.) (formerly Clarkstown SC Eagles)*, FC Wichita (Kan.)*, Fort Worth Vaqueros (Texas), Inter Nashville FC (Tenn.), Kingston Stockade FC (N.Y.), Kitsap Soccer Club (Wash.), Miami United FC (Fla.)*, Midland-Odessa FC (Texas), New Orleans Jesters (La.), Orange County FC (Calif.)
I wish MLS would join in a round earlier. Too many all MLS games in the last 32. If they had a round of 64 with the 20 MLS teams + 22 USL teams + 22 qualifiers. It's not like the Premier League teams drop in in the last 32 of the FA Cup. Part of the magic of a cup competition is you get to play teams from a different division.
http://thecup.us/2017/08/04/predicting-which-pdl-teams-will-play-in-the-2018-us-open-cup/ This article is from last July indicating that Des Moines was not going to make the top 21 from PDL. The standings from that article indicating that Des Moines only had 23 points with no games left and it was going to take at least 26 to qualify. 20. The Villages SC 26 0 21. FC Boulder U-23s 26 0 22. San Francisco City FC 25 0 23. South Georgia Tormenta FC 25 0 24. Des Moines Menace 23 0
Yeah I thought they would get in as the best placed american team in the heartland. But the division champ slots don't get passed down if a Canadian team wins a division.
📣#USOC2018📣@JaxArmadaFC, @TheMiamiFC (2) & @NYCosmosB invited to 2018 @opencup, have until Monday April 2 @ 4 p.m. to confirm participation.READ 🏆 MORE ➡️ https://t.co/L2T7Bhm7DZ pic.twitter.com/f4ZrI4dxYJ— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) March 30, 2018
MORE DETAILS ON THE STORY: Officially this an invitation only at this point but it seems likely that they will accept the invitation. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...-2-new-york-cosmos-b-invited-to-2018-open-cup The USSF is going to create a play-in round so the NY Cosmos B, Miami FC 2, and Jacksonville Armada will get to face nearby NPSL or PDL teams with the winners advancing to the 1st round of the Open Cup. Those games will be May 5-6 ahead of the May 9 First Round.
https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...ksonville-armada-miami-fc-2-new-york-cosmos-b The NY Cosmos B, Miami FC 2, and Jacksonville Armada accepted the invitation from the USSF to take part in the 2018 U.S. Open Cup. The USSF picked out some already qualified NPSL and PDL teams that were geographically close to them and then drew to see who would meet in the Play-In Round. The Villages SC (PDL) vs. Jacksonville Armada FC Miami City (PDL) vs. Miami FC 2 Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) vs. New York Cosmos B The teams listed first get the option to host the games on May 5-6.
The Play-In and First Round pairings have been announced. The 2nd round pairings announcement has been delayed until April 11. https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/20...soc-first-round-pairings-for-2018-us-open-cup 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Home team first, times are ET Play-In Round May 5-6 The Villages SC (PDL) v. Jacksonville Armada (NPSL) FC Miami City (PDL) v. Miami FC 2 (NPSL) Sunday, May 6 May 6 Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) v. New York Cosmos B (NPSL) 8:00 pm First Round Northeast Region Wednesday, May 9 AFC Ann Arbor (MI) (NPSL) v. Ocean City Nor'easters (MD) (PDL) 6:00 pm Western Mass Pioneers (PDL) v. Elm City Express (CT) (NPSL) 7:00 pm Long Island Rough Riders (PDL) v. Kingston Stockade FC (NY) (NPSL) 7:00 pm FC Motown (NJ) (NPSL) v. New York Red Bulls U23 (PDL) 7:00 pm Reading United AC (PA) (PDL) v. Christos FC (MD) 7:00 pm Erie Commodores FC (NPSL) v. Rochester River Dogz (NY) 7:00 pm Seacoast United Phantoms (MA) (PDL) v. Kendall Wanderers (MA) 7:00 pm Detroit City FC (NPSL) v. Michigan Bucks (PDL) 7:30 pm New York Cosmos B (NPSL)/Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) winner v. Lansdowne Bhoys FC (NY) 7:30/8:00 pm Southeast Region Wednesday, May 9 SIMA Aguilas (FL)(PDL) v. The Villages SC (FL) (PDL)/Jacksonville Armada (NPSL) winner 7:00 pm Charlotte Eagles (PDL) v. Inter Nashville FC (NPSL) 7:00 pm New Orleans Jesters (NPSL) v. Mississippi Brilla FC (PDL) 7:00 pm Myrtle Beach Mutiny (SC) (PDL) v. South Georgia Tormenta FC (PDL) 7:10 pm Miami United FC (NPSL) v. FC Kendall (FL) 7:30 pm Red Force FC (FL) v. FC Miami City (PDL)/Miami FC 2 (NPSL) winner 8:30 pm Central Region Wednesday, May 9 FC Wichita (KS)(NPSL) v. OKC Energy U23 (PDL) 8:00 pm Duluth FC (MN)(NPSL) v. Dakota Fusion FC (ND) (NPSL) 8:00 pm Midland-Odessa Sockers FC (TX) (NPSL) v. Lakeland Tropics (FL) (PDL) 8:30 pm NTX Rayados (TX) v. Fort Worth Vaqueros (NPSL) 8:30 pm FC Denver (CO) v. Azteca FC (CO) 9:15 pm West Region Tuesday, May 8 Portland Timbers U23 (PDL) v. Kitsap Soccer Club (WA) (NPSL) 10:00 pm Wednesday, May 9 CD Aguiluchos USA (CA) (NPSL) v. San Francisco City FC (PDL) 9:00 pm FC Golden State Force (CA)(PDL) v. L.A. Wolves FC (Calif.) 10:00 pm Orange County FC (CA) (NPSL) v. Santa Ana Winds FC (CA) 10:00 pm FC Arizona (NPSL) v. Sporting AZ FC (AZ) 10:00 pm FC Tucson (PDL) v. La Máquina FC (CA) 10:30 pm The 2nd round is May 16.
Update on the Play-In Round with hosts, dates, and times: 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Home team first, times are ET Play-In Round Sunday, May 6 FC Miami City (PDL) v. Miami FC 2 (NPSL) 7:00 pm Jacksonville Armada (NPSL) v. The Villages SC (PDL) 7:00 pm Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) v. New York Cosmos B (NPSL) 8:00 pm
2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Home team first, times are ET 2nd Round Pairings Due to conditional scenarios these are listed irrespective of hosts. Northeast Region Wednesday, May 16 North Carolina FC (USL) v. Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)/New York Cosmos B (NPSL)/Lansdowne Bhoys FC (NY) winner 7:00 pm Charlotte Independence (USL) v. AFC Ann Arbor (NPSL)/Ocean City Nor'easters (PDL) winner 7:00 pm Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (USL) v. Erie Commodores FC (NPSL)/Rochester River Dogz (NY) winner 7:00 pm Richmond Kickers (USL) v. Reading United AC (PDL)/Christos FC (MD) winner 7:00 pm Louisville City FC (USL) v. Kingston Stockade FC (NPSL)/ Long Island Rough Riders (PDL) winner 7:00 pm Penn FC (USL) v. FC Motown (NPSL)/New York Red Bulls U23 (PDL) winner 7 or 7:30 pm Western Mass Pioneers (PDL)/Elm City Express (NPSL) winner v. Seacoast United Phantoms (PDL)/Kendall Wanderers (MA) winner 7 or 7:30 pm FC Cincinnati (USL) v. Detroit City FC (NPSL)/Michigan Bucks (PDL) winner 7:30 pm Southeast Region Wednesday, May 16 Charleston Battery (USL) v. Myrtle Beach Mutiny (PDL)/South Georgia Tormenta FC (PDL) winner 7:00 pm Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL) v. SIMA Aguilas (PDL)/Jacksonville Armada FD/ The Villages SC (PDL) winner 7 or 7:30 pm Miami United FC (NPSL)/FC Kendall (FL) winner v. Red Force FC (FL)/FC Miami City (PDL)/Miami FC 2 (NPSL) winner 7/7:30 or 8:30 pm Indy Eleven (USL) v. New Orleans Jesters (NPSL)/Mississippi Brilla FC (PDL) winner 8:00 pm Nashville SC (USL) v. Charlotte Eagles (PDL)/Inter Nashville FC (NPSL) winner 8:30 pm Central Region Wednesday, May 16 Tulsa Roughnecks FC (USL) v. FC Wichita (NPSL)/OKC Energy U23 (PDL) winner 8:00 pm Saint Louis FC (USL) v. Duluth FC (NPSL)/Dakota Fusion FC (NPSL) winner 8:00 pm OKC Energy FC (USL) v. NTX Rayados (TX)/Fort Worth Vaqueros (NPSL) winner 8:30 pm San Antonio FC (USL) v. Midland-Odessa Sockers FC (NPSL)/Lakeland Tropics (PDL) winner 8:30 pm Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC (USL) v. FC Denver (CO)/Azteca FC (CO) winner 9:00 pm West Region Wednesday, May 16 Phoenix Rising FC (USL) v. FC Arizona (NPSL)/Sporting AZ FC (AZ) winner 10:00 pm Fresno FC (USL) v. Orange County FC (NPSL)/Santa Ana Winds FC (CA) winner 10:00 pm Orange County SC (USL) vs. FC Golden State Force (PDL)/L.A. Wolves FC (CA) winner 10:00 pm Reno 1868 FC (USL) v. Kitsap Soccer Club (NPSL)/Portland Timbers U23 (PDL) winner 10 or 10:30 pm Sacramento Republic FC (USL) vs. CD Aguiluchos USA (NPSL)/San Francisco City FC (PDL) winner 10:30 pm Las Vegas Lights FC (USL) vs. FC Tucson (PDL)/La Máquina FC (CA) winner 11:00 pm
REMINDER: The Open Cup starts on Sunday. 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Home team first, times are ET Play-In Round Sunday, May 6 FC Miami City (PDL) v. Miami FC 2 (NPSL) 7:00 pm Jacksonville Armada (NPSL) v. The Villages SC (PDL) 7:00 pm Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) v. New York Cosmos B (NPSL) 8:00 pm The First Round starts on May 8.
Red Bulls AcademyVerified account @RedBullsAcademy 13h13 hours ago #USOC2018 is fast approaching! #RBNY U-23s @fc_motown is a little over a week away! #PDL | #UpForTheCuppic.twitter.com/OW177blyIv
Thanks, but would you happen to know if there will be any live feeds for the games being played on Sunday?
The USSF has this "Match Center" page which says, "Welcome to the 2018 U.S. Open Cup First Round Match Center. Read previews and recaps about all the round's matches and watch the games." Each game, including the Play-In Round, goes to a page with a video link. Right now those go to the "She Believes Summit" but it sure looks like it is setup for the game feeds. https://www.ussoccer.com/lamar-hunt...aments/2018-usoc/2018-us-open-cup-first-round
As I had mentioned in the US Open Cup thread in the MLS forums, since these play-in games are not part of the tournament proper, they will not be included in my ELO rankings. I anxiously await the first update of the season this week!
2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Home team first, times are ET Play-In Round Results: Sunday, May 6 FC Miami City (PDL) 1-3 Miami FC 2 (NPSL) Jacksonville Armada (NPSL) 2-1 The Villages SC (PDL) Brooklyn Italians (NPSL) 3-2 New York Cosmos B (NPSL)