USSF published the dates for USOC today and made a rules change where the home side for all USOC games will be determined via coin flip. Now that bidding for the quarter, semis and finals are gone, let the conspiracy theories about coin flipping begin! I wonder if they'll be broadcast live. http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Lamar-...3/2013-US-Lamar-Hunt-US-Open-Cup-Release.aspx
Or if you'd like to hear it in more detail from TheCup.us ... http://thecup.us/format-of-100th-ed...r-prize-money-hosting-decisions-team-numbers/ (please share)
UPDATE in TheCup.us story ... USSF has eliminated the sale of hosting rights. If you don't want to host the game, don't put your name in the hat.
Is that an option? Wouldn't that just open up the possibility of a team paying another team to not even try to host the game?
I mean I guess it could ... but I can't imagine it would happen very often. Just like selling home games is pretty rare. (believe it or not) You have to apply to USSF to host Open Cup games, so if you don't want to host, you don't apply.
This is the one part that bugs me .(regarding the press release) What does "random selection" mean? & how does the "random selection" work?
I think you're right to question how the system will work. I'm actually not very enthused about last year's system, in which "randomly" selected lower division clubs were paired with "randomly selected" MLS teams automatically. If they want to have a real cup format, they should either randomly assign slots on a bracket at the beginning of the tournament (after the play-ins) and then lock it, or they should randomly redraw the bracket every round. (My vote is for the former.) It's unfair and unsporting to force lower division opponents to go through MLS teams automatically.
Nobody ever said the draw was random. It isn't, never has been, and US Soccer never claimed it was. It is designed to minimize travel expenses.
Are teams allowed to forgo participation in the coin flip to host the match (effectively handing it to the other team) if they have absolutely no interest/ability to host said match? Also, what if neither side (an issue in the all-amateur play-in/first rounds) has the ability/desire to host a particular match?
I just wish that the draw was public. I completely understand the match-ups of Cali team vs. Cali team, or AZ team vs. AZ team, due to travel costs. But lets say FC Tucson hosts Phoenix. Phoenix fans will want to know how Tucson won the draw to host the match. Or if its the other way around, Tucson fans will want to know how Phoenix won the draw. If the draw was public, it would eliminate the "speculation" part of the US Open Cup.
It's a regional draw. no one "won" anything. The hosting will be decided by a coin flip, IIRC (not a draw).
Did you not read the press release at all? Only the Semi-Finals and Final will be decided by a coin flip. The Round 1-QuarterFinals hosts will be decided by "random selection."
Well, since the draw is pretty much set up geographically before the hosts are even decided, a coin flip seems like the easiest way to set up a random determination between two hosting choices for each match (assuming one club doesn't ask to be removed from hosting consideration).
In all honesty, I think US Soccer should have a live webcam inside their board room so the Open Cup Committee is together creating the match ups for all rounds proper with the trophy near by and then announcing it on US Soccer's website. Would be better.
US Soccer usually arranges the regional pods so that there are enough potential hosts in each pod. If too many teams from one area don't want to host, US Soccer will just throw in some random Carolina or Rochester or whoever team that is able to host games.