Is the US Open Cup format ideal?

pc4th · Sep 3, 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Lamar_Hunt_U.S._Open_Cup_qualification

The tournament proper features teams from the top five levels of the American Soccer Pyramid. These five levels, namely Major League Soccer, the United Soccer Leagues (First Division, Second Division, and Premier Development League), and the United States Adult Soccer Association, each have their own separate qualification process to trim their ranks down to their final eight team delegations in the months leading up to the start of the tournament proper. It is expected that eight teams from each level will compete in the tournament proper, with the eight clubs from MLS receiving byes into the Third Round.

The qualifying process for MLS will take the form of an eight-team play-off tournament. The top six finishers, regardless of conference, in 2008 were given six of the berths into the Third Round. The eight remaining U.S.-based clubs will compete for the final two berths via a playoff.

Continuing the format of recent seasons, no qualification process will be needed for USL-1 and USL-2 as each level has exactly eight U.S.-based clubs for the 2009 season. The PDL has announced that selected early season games will again double as qualifying matches, as they had in recent years. Each conference will be given two berths that will be awarded to the best team in each division.

The qualifying process for the USASA will take the form of four regional tournaments. Assuming the continuation of recent seasons' format, the two finalists in each region will be awarded berths.
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If it's not ideal, what's would you like see change? What's your solution?

Here's the format for the most well-known domestic Cup competition: The FA Cup

The competition begins in August with the Extra Preliminary Round, followed by the Preliminary Round and First Qualifying Round, which are contested by the lowest-ranked clubs. Clubs playing in the Conference North and Conference South are given exemption to the Second Qualifying Round, and Conference National teams are given exemption to the Fourth Qualifying Round. The 32 winners from that round join the 48 clubs from League One and League Two in the First Round (often called the First Round Proper). Finally, teams from the Premier League and Football League Championship enter at the Third Round Proper, at which point there are 64 teams remaining in the competition.

The qualifying rounds are regionalised to reduce the travel costs for smaller non-league sides.
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My suggestion:

Open draw with no seeding. The round of 64 is split into two regions East and West to reduce travel cost. No split from 32 onward.

64 teams open draw will split into two regions will have these teams:

all US-based MLS teams (will have 15 US-based teams in 2010)
all US-based USL-1 teams (currently have 11 teams total)
all US-based USL-2 teams (currently have 9 teams total)
the rest will be teams from PDL, USASA etc that qualified

64 to 32: 1 game
32 to 16: 1 game
16 to 8: 1 game
8 to 4: 1 game
4 to 2: 1 game
2 to 1: 1 game

To win this tourny, a team will play at most 6 games.

The 2009 Champions also played 6 games:

1st: Real Salt Lake
2nd: Colorado
3rd: Portland Timbers
4th: Kansas City
5th; Houston
6th: DC United

chapka · Sep 3, 2009

pc4th said: ↑

64 to 32: 1 game
32 to 16: 1 game
16 to 8: 1 game
8 to 4: 1 game
4 to 2: 1 game
2 to 1: 1 game

To win this tourny, a team will play at most 6 games.

The 2009 Champions also played 6 games:

1st: Real Salt Lake
2nd: Colorado
3rd: Portland Timbers
4th: Kansas City
5th; Houston
6th: DC United
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Problems with this proposal:

1. The Sounders played 6 games, and that was acceptable, because they had to play into the tournament. If you had to play into the tournament, it means you didn't qualify for the Champions League or SuperLiga, meaning your schedule isn't already congested. Your plan would add games to most MLS teams' seasons, including those teams that can least afford it (anyone in the CL).

2. Right now, the tournament awards prizes to the team that makes it farthest of their level of soccer (Divisions II, III, and amateur). The brackets aren't perfect for this purpose, but in this format they'd be completely unworkable.

3. Not to mention, how would you seed these 64 teams? You can seed them like the NCAAs, but that would mean fifteen first-round games where MLS teams beat up on USASA teams 18 - 0. Nobody wants to see that. Or you could put all the MLS teams together in one bracket, which unbalances the later rounds and the finals.

No, the current fomat isn't ideal, but it's a good compromise. And the MLS teams entering late is going to be necessary in pretty much any format you pick.