http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Lamar-Hunt-U-S-Open-Cup/2012/01/2012-Open-Cup.aspx Everybody's in - all the US-based MLS teams, everybody. So what are people going to bitch about now?
I know they would have win the random draw to do that but would it be something people would complain at if it actually happens?
So every professional team is in the tournament proper for the first time. There's been a huge increase in the number of slots for amateur teams. The schedule is still pretty compressed, though, with every Tuesday for a month having games. May 15: 32 amateur teams (9 USASA, 16 PDL, 6 NPSL and the winner of an NPSL/US Club Soccer playoff) play each other. You can't play someone from your league, so it'll be 16 PDL teams each playing a USASA, NPSL or US Club Soccer team, geographically. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. May 22: Those 16 winners play 16 pro teams (6 NASL, 10 USL Pro) in the second round, geographically. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. May 29: Those 16 winners play the 16 MLS teams the day after Memorial Day, again, geographically. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. June 5: The 16 winners from the prior week play in the round of 16. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. (two Tuesdays off) June 26: The 8 winners from June 5 play in the quarterfinals. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. (a Tuesday off) July 10: The 4 winners from June 26 play in the semifinals. Here's where the random hosting stops. (almost a month off) August 7 or 8: The 2 winners from July 10 play for the title. So I know what people will bitch about now...that A PDL team from Massachusetts is unlikely to play the Galaxy because of the geographic constructs.
So every professional team is in the tournament proper for the first time. There's been a huge increase in the number of slots for amateur teams. The schedule is still pretty compressed, though, with every Tuesday for a month having games. May 15: 32 amateur teams (9 USASA, 16 PDL, 6 NPSL and the winner of an NPSL/US Club Soccer playoff) play each other. You can't play someone from your league, so it'll be 16 PDL teams each playing a USASA, NPSL or US Club Soccer team, geographically. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. May 22: Those 16 winners play 16 pro teams (6 NASL, 10 USL Pro) in the second round, geographically. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. May 29: Those 16 winners play the 16 MLS teams the day after Memorial Day, again, geographically. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. June 5: The 16 winners from the prior week play in the round of 16. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. (two Tuesdays off) June 26: The 8 winners from June 5 play in the quarterfinals. Hosts chosen randomly among teams that have applied to host. (a Tuesday off) July 10: The 4 winners from June 26 play in the semifinals. Here's where the random hosting stops. (almost a month off) August 7 or 8: The 2 winners from July 10 play for the title. So I know what people will bitch about now...that A PDL team from Massachusetts is unlikely to play the Galaxy because of the geographic constructs.
Of course they will. They'll just be on less solid ground. They won't be able to say "money talks," unless they then claim a conspiracy to rig the "random" draw.
Also, it appears to me that NASL and USL teams won't face each other unless they happen to both defeat MLS teams in Round 3. There are 16 first-round winners and 16 USL Pro/NASL teams, and those 16 winners face 16 MLS teams. So that's another thing people will bitch about. Only because they either want to see NASL teams crush USL Pro teams or vice versa.
You're assuming every team is going to be willing to host (which, AIUI, still requires a base payment to the USSF). I wouldn't be surprised if a number of teams (*cough* Colorado *cough*) choose not to pay and just agree to go on the road. If Seattle is drawn against one of them then they'll continue to "buy" home-field advantage. I wonder if the USSF will make public the list of teams that have agreed to host or not.
Shouldn't be too hard. I mean in previous formats how many MLS teams actually don't make it out of the 3rd round. I could see NASL vs USL pro in the forth round.
For the reasons I mentioned. Because some people aren't even concerned with winning the Open Cup. Since the USL/TOA split, they're only concerned with teams from the league whose side they're on beating the teams from the other side. Just worked out this way with 16 US-based MLS teams, and 10 and 6 in the two lower divisions. Had it gone another way, it might have been different. We can't count on having such a serendipitous format every year.
Now there's a conspiracy for you. Awfully convenient that FCNY folded. I'm wondering how they're going to decide on the 9th USASA team.
"USASA regional qualifiers will increase their number of places in the tournament by one compared to 2011." How do they do it now? Four regions, the two finalists from each region make it? Maybe they'll leg-wrestle?
The actual number is 72 percent of the time against lower-level teams, the MLS teams advance. (131 of 181 matchups.) They're 80-33 (advance/not advance) vs. the second division, 32-12 vs. the third division and 19-4 vs. amateurs. So out of 16 MLS teams, historically, 12 should advance. Meaning four spots in the round of 16 for lower-level clubs. They may or may not be drawn against each other, should they actually advance.
You have an excellent point. TheCup.us mentioned that there would be an "application fee" that would be required and the blind draw would only take place if both teams paid the fee. The first question is, does the application fee still apply? The USSF press release doesn't mention it, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't included in the application process. The second question is, do the teams get the application fee back if they aren't the winner in the blind draw. I think it would be an incentive for the amateur teams to not apply to be the home team if they didn't get the money back if they weren't the winner. As far as the Sounders continue to buy their championship if teams like the Rapids don't pony up the potential application fee, depending on the fee, I think the blame falls solely on the Rapids in this case. 15k is a pretty low threshold for a MLS team and shouldn't be a problem for them to come up with. Even a NASL or USL team should be able to pony up that much cash. The only issues I see is for a PDL/NPSL/USASA team where that could be more than their entire annual budget, or, at least significant chunk of that budget.
My question is what happens if both teams decline to make the $15K application fee? Will the USSF do a blind draw and force the winner to pay the $15K anyway?
You also forgot the section of the complainers that feel that up to the quarterfinals home field should always go to the lower division team and that blind draws should only occur if the opponents are both in the same division. Not that the blind draw would happen this year, but it could happen in the future if they continue with the "All US D1-III teams qualify".
If the application fee is "only" 15k, it would seem logical that a blind draw would be possible if sponsors willing to pay at least 15k a game were found. And by blind draw, I mean with the regional grouping. A pure blind draw where all of a league's teams are in one bag and a team is drawn out and placed on the bracket regardless of region, you're probably right.
I'm guessing you'll see a setup where two teams who don't want to host can't be drawn against each other (either openly or behind-the-scenes).
So speaking of Seattle hosting the Rapids, with all 16 MLS teams in it this year, and with US Soccer's continuing plans for a geographic draw, I'm thinking there's a good chance the Rapids and Sounders will be in different regions. actual geographic regions: East - NE, NY, DC, Philly Central - Crew, Fire, KC South - Houston, Dallas Mountain - Rapids, RSL West - LAG, Chivas, SJ, Portland, Seattle For US Soccer to cram those into 4 regions, I think we'll see: East - NE, NY, DC, Philly Central - Crew, Fire, KC, Rapids South - Houston, Dallas, RSL, and one random western team West - 4 out of LAG, Chivas, SJ, Portland, Seattle There's already a Colorado team representing the midwest from the PDL in this year's USOC, so the Rapids would seem to be a logical inclusion there too.