2018 U.S. Open Cup

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by newtex, Mar 14, 2018.

  1. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    There is supposed to be a big announcement today about the 2018 U.S. Open Cup but the handbook is already available.

    https://www.ussoccer.com/~/media/fi...up-handbook-finalists-edition-v3_13.pdf?la=en

    They show 94 teams in the tournament: MLS 20, USL 22, PDL 20, NSPL 19, Local Qualifying Tournament entrants 13

    Schedule:
    These games all have some flexibility as far as the specific date.

    Wednesday, April 4
    First Round Pairings and Second Round Possible Matchups Announced

    Wednesday, May 9
    First Round games

    Wednesday, May 16
    Second Round games

    Wednesday, May 23
    Third Round games

    Thursday, May 24
    Fourth Round Draw

    Wednesday, June 6
    Fourth Round games (MLS teams enter)

    Thursday, June 7
    Round of 16 draw

    Wednesday, June 20
    Round of 16 games

    Wednesday, July 18
    Quarterfinal Round games

    Thursday, July 19
    Draw for Semifinal and Final hosts

    Wednesday, August 8
    Semifinal Round games

    Wednesday, September 26
    Final game
     
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  2. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    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 - 52 local, PDL, and NPSL teams face off, 26 games

    2nd Round - 26 winners join 22 USL teams, 24 games

    3rd Round - 24 winners face off, 12 games

    4th Round - 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.
     
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  3. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    The 4th Round is going to be interesting.

    They are going to create 8 groups of 4 teams each that will have 1 or 2 lower division teams and then draw for pairings. There will still only be 12 lower division-MLS matchups but at least those will be random. The other 8 MLS teams will get paired up roughly geographically but no more of the "play the team that is closest" system. We should get some new matchups. Maybe.
     
    Sounders78 repped this.
  4. PTFC in KCMO

    PTFC in KCMO Member+

    Aug 12, 2012
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    I swear to god, if Portland and Seattle play their opening game against each other again i will lose my shit.
     
  5. onefineesq

    onefineesq Member+

    Sep 16, 2003
    Laurel, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In a good way or a bad way?
     
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  6. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    It is possible but this new format should lessen the chances. Those two will be put in to a four team group with at least 1 lower division team and possibly two of them. If there are two then Seattle and Portland could not open against each other. If there is only one then there is still only a 1 in three chance.
     
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  7. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Meh, that would hardly be the worst "random" chance thing that's happened over the years of this tournament... :D
     
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  8. cleazer

    cleazer Member+

    May 6, 2003
    Toledo, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So the 4th round draw won't be done until the 3rd round is done? (Sounds fine to me by the way.) That means the groups of 4 could still shift rather dramatically depending on which USL/etc teams make it through.

    One group that will probably only have 2 MLS teams would be the Atlanta/Orlando group, since there are usually lots of lower teams from the southeast coming through.


    Tough to say with the old Portland/Seattle matchup, but with 20 MLS teams fitting into 8 groups, that means there will be 4 groups with 3 MLS teams and 4 groups with 2 MLS teams.

    So I guess I could see the 2 west coast groups split among the following 8 teams:
    -LAFC
    -LAG
    -SJ
    -Portland
    -Seattle
    -Sacramento/Reno
    -Orange County/Fresno
    -Phoenix/Vegas

    If that happens, I could easily see SJ getting grouped with Portland and Seattle instead of the 2 LA teams. Meaning there will have to be an MLSvMLS game in that group. Of course, if Phoenix and/or Vegas somehow gets tossed into a RSL/Rapids group, then who knows.
     
  9. T.M. Anthony

    T.M. Anthony Member+

    Jun 13, 2010
    Hudson Valley
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, at least we'll have one tournament with our favorite team involved this summer...
     
  10. PTFC in KCMO

    PTFC in KCMO Member+

    Aug 12, 2012
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Cristina FC?
     
  11. cleazer

    cleazer Member+

    May 6, 2003
    Toledo, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    one of a million different possibilities, just to illustrate what the 4th round could look like:


    1st round (looks like teams from the same qualifying pool can play each other if it really helps, like Denver/Azteca below)
    -LA Wolves/Orange County
    -La Maquina/Golden State
    -Santa Ana/Tucson
    -San Francisco/Aguiluchos
    -Sporting Arizona/FC Arizona
    -Kitsap/PortlandU23
    -Denver/Azteca
    -NTX Rayados/Fort Worth
    -Wichita/OKC U23
    -New Orleans/Mississippi
    -Midland-Odessa/Inter Nashville
    -Michigan Bucks/Detroit City
    -Ann Arbor/Erie
    -Duluth/Dakota
    -SIMA Aguilas/Miami United
    -Red Force/Miami City
    -FC Kendall/Lakeland
    -The Villages/South Georgia
    -Charlotte/Myrtle Beach
    -Christos/Reading
    -Ocean City/NYRBU23
    -Kingston/Rochester
    -Long Island/Motown
    -Lansdowne/Brooklyn
    -Elm City/Western Mass
    -Kendall Wanderers/Seacoast United



    2nd round (looks like USL teams cannot play each other, so there's going to be some ugliness towards the bottom of this list)
    -LA Wolves/Orange County vs Fresno
    -La Maquina/Golden State vs Orange County
    -Santa Ana/Tucson vs Las Vegas
    -San Francisco/Aguiluchos vs Sacramento
    -Sporting Arizona/FC Arizona vs Phoenix
    -Kitsap/PortlandU23 vs Reno
    -Denver/Azteca vs Colorado Springs
    -NTX Rayados/Fort Worth vs San Antonio
    -Wichita/OKC U23 vs Tulsa
    -New Orleans/Mississippi vs OKC
    -Midland-Odessa/Inter Nashville vs Nashville
    -Michigan Bucks/Detroit City vs Cincinnati
    -Ann Arbor/Erie vs Indy
    -Duluth/Dakota vs St Louis
    -SIMA Aguilas/Miami United vs Red Force/Miami City
    -FC Kendall/Lakeland vs Charleston
    -The Villages/South Georgia vs Tampa
    -Charlotte/Myrtle Beach vs Charlotte
    -Christos/Reading vs Penn
    -Ocean City/NYRBU23 vs North Carolina
    -Kingston/Rochester vs Pittsburgh
    -Long Island/Motown vs Louisville
    -Lansdowne/Brooklyn vs Richmond
    -Elm City/Western Mass vs Kendall Wanderers/Seacoast United



    3rd round
    -LA Wolves/Orange County/Fresno vs La Maquina/Golden State/Orange County
    -Santa Ana/Tucson/Las Vegas vs Sporting Arizona/FC Arizona/Phoenix
    -Kitsap/PortlandU23/Reno vs San Francisco/Aguiluchos/Sacramento
    -Denver/Azteca/Colorado Springs vs Duluth/Dakota/St Louis
    -NTX Rayados/Fort Worth/San Antonio vs Wichita/OKC U23/Tulsa
    -New Orleans/Mississippi/OKC vs Midland-Odessa/Inter Nashville/Nashville
    -Michigan Bucks/Detroit City/Cincinnati vs Ann Arbor/Erie/Indy
    -SIMA Aguilas/Miami United/Red Force/Miami City vs FC Kendall/Lakeland/Charleston
    -The Villages/South Georgia/Tampa vs Charlotte/Myrtle Beach/Charlotte
    -Christos/Reading/Penn vs Lansdowne/Brooklyn/Richmond
    -Kingston/Rochester/Pittsburgh vs Long Island/Motown/Louisville
    -Ocean City/NYRBU23/North Carolina vs Elm City/Western Mass/Kendall Wanderers/Seacoast United



    4th round groups (or course, modifications may have to be made to prevent San Jose from playing Reno or whatever other impermissible matchups that could happen depending on which "supported" teams advance)
    -LAFC, LAG, Fresno/Orange, Phoenix/Vegas
    -Portland, Seattle, SJ, Sacramento/Reno
    -RSL, Colorado, SKC, Colorado Springs/St Louis
    -Dallas, Houston, OKC/Nashville, San Antonio/Tulsa
    -Minnesota, Chicago, Columbus, Indy/Cincinnati
    -Orlando, Atlanta, MiamiCity/Charleston, Tampa/Charlotte
    -Philly, DC, Penn/Richmond, Pittsburgh/Louisville
    -NER, NYRB, NYC, North Carolina/Seacoast United

    (Obviously once you get all the way down to these imaginary 4th round groups, things could change if certain teams advance. If, for example, Duluth or Dakota pulled off a couple USL upsets, they would have to be grouped with Minnesota. And there are always upsets.)


    Anyways, I just felt like wasting some time to see what things could look like this year. For obvious geographical reasons, a lot of matchups seem to repeat year after year, but there are usually a few little surprises and changes to mix things up just a little bit.

    Perhaps one little twist might happen thanks to them dividing the teams up into groups of 4 for two consecutive rounds, the 4th and round of 16. I could imagine some little quirk where a team like DC is drawn in a group with northern teams like Philly in the 4th round, but then gets drawn in a group with more southern teams like Atlanta in the round of 16. So theoretically, DC and Philly could be in the same 4th round group of 4, but if they're not drawn against each other for that round (and other results dictate the geography), there's a chance they might not meet until the final.
     
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  12. Bluecat82

    Bluecat82 Member+

    Feb 24, 1999
    Minneapolis, MN
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Um...aren't there 23 MLS teams? Who's getting left out?
     
  13. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    Canadian teams
     
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  14. Bluecat82

    Bluecat82 Member+

    Feb 24, 1999
    Minneapolis, MN
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Dur.

    I hate Daylight Savings Time. :)
     
  15. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    BTW, here is the 2018 Canadian Championship schedule:
    PLSQ is the Premier League de soccer du Quebec.
    L1O is League 1 Ontario.

    First Qualifying Round
    Wednesday, June 6
    AS Blainville (PLSQ) v. Oakville Blue Devils (L1O)

    Wednesday, June 13
    Oakville Blue Devils (L1O) v. AS Blainville (PLSQ)

    Second Qualifying Round
    Wednesday, June 20
    Winner 1QR v. Ottawa Fury (USL)

    Wednesday, June 27
    Ottawa Fury (USL) v. Winner 1QR

    Semi-Final Round
    Wednesday, July 18
    Winner 2QR v. Toronto FC
    Montreal Impact v. Vancouver Whitecaps

    Wednesday, July 25
    Toronto FC v. Winner 2QR
    Vancouver Whitecaps v. Montreal Impact

    Final Round
    August 8 and 15
     
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  16. Bluecat82

    Bluecat82 Member+

    Feb 24, 1999
    Minneapolis, MN
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Dang.

    I wonder if we changed our name to Baja Canada United Football Club if the Loons could sneak into this... :)
     
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  17. Salvadanish

    Salvadanish Member

    Sep 14, 2014
    Vancouver, WA
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    It's a problem of geography, my friend ... there simply aren't any other pro teams to face in the NW (that aren't "2" teams). The nearest one I can think of right now is probably Reno, assuming they're allowed to participate this year.

    Maybe we can crowdfund some USL expansion franchises in Boise and Spokane?
     
  18. Namrog The Just

    Namrog The Just Member+

    L.A. Galaxy
    United States
    Jul 2, 2007
    Baltimore County, Maryland
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    There's been some sort of mistake as I don't see the NASL listed.*



    "No need to call security, I will escort myself out.
     
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  19. newtex

    newtex Member+

    May 25, 2005
    Houston
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    They have also noticed. Mr. Commisso has some complaints and demands.

    http://www.nycosmos.com/news/2018/03/15/ny-cosmos-open-cup-letter-to-the-us-soccer-board

     
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  20. PTFC in KCMO

    PTFC in KCMO Member+

    Aug 12, 2012
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    JasonMa and Namrog The Just repped this.
  21. Namrog The Just

    Namrog The Just Member+

    L.A. Galaxy
    United States
    Jul 2, 2007
    Baltimore County, Maryland
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  22. Egbert Sousé

    Egbert Sousé Member

    NYCFC
    May 25, 2013
    nyc
    Club:
    New York City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  23. PTFC in KCMO

    PTFC in KCMO Member+

    Aug 12, 2012
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    #23 PTFC in KCMO, Mar 15, 2018
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2018
    Dont you actually have to be playing in a real league to qualify for the open cup?
     
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  24. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Those hosers were stayin’ away because they were afraid of drawing the Cosmos.
     
  25. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He seems to be saying that they ARE in a “real league” - the NPSL.

    Chuckle.

    Problem is, the NPSL awards its berths (and has already done so) based on 2017 results and Cosmos B went 6-4-2 and finished fourth in their division last year. Miami and Jacksonville (proper, not their U23s) did not play in the NPSL last year. And though they did pay their tournament entrance fees, apparently, I’m sorry, but your league has opted not to play in 2018, so buh-bye.

    Rocco is a crazy person.
     

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