The New England Revolution will begin defense of its 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title when the team hosts a third-round match in the 2008 U.S. Open Cup against the Richmond Kickers (USL-2) at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Conn., on Tuesday, July 1. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Advance tickets for the event are $13 and will be on sale at the discounted rate through 12 p.m. on Friday, June 27. A special $10 advanced-sale ticket is available for groups of 20 or more. Beginning Saturday, June 28, all tickets will be $18. Tickets can be purchased online at www.new-britain.net or by calling the New Britain Parks and Recreation Department at (860) 826-3360.
The Connecticut Junior Soccer Association will also be selling tickets to the match at its offices (11 Executive Dr., Farmington, CT 06032) or by phone (860-676-1161), Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Kickers advanced to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup with their 2-1 victory over the Western Mass Pioneers on Tuesday, June 24, in Ludlow, Mass. Richmond earned its berth in the 2008 U.S. Open Cup with its first-place regular-season finish in the USL's second division. Last year, the Kickers advanced to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup after defeating the L.A. Galaxy in the fourth round. Richmond won the 1995 U.S. Open Cup - the final year before Major League Soccer teams started play and joined the tournament bracket.
The Revolution has played two previous U.S. Open Cup matches at Veterans Stadium, a 4-3 loss in double overtime to the Long Island Rough Riders (A-League) in the third round of the 1997 tournament, and a 2-1 overtime victory against the Carolina RailHawks (USL-1) in the semifinals in 2007 on its way to the tournament title, the club's first-ever championship.
New England (8-4-4, 27 pts.) is currently the top team in all of Major League Soccer, leading the Eastern Conference by four points. The Revs will play three major in-season tournaments this season including the Open Cup, SuperLiga - a tournament between the top club teams of the U.S. and Mexico - and the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League, a 24- team tournament that features championship teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The U.S. Open Cup has existed for more than 80 years and incorporates American soccer clubs of every level - ranging from Major League Soccer pro teams to the amateur leagues. The annual event, which began in 1914, also ranks among the oldest cup competitions in the world. The single-elimination tournament was born as the National Challenge Cup, and was modeled after England's Football Association Cup.
