U.S. Soccer announced today the third round possible pairings for the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and the New England Revolution has been awarded third-round hosting rights for a match to be played on July 1.
Full details regarding exact location and time of the match, as well as ticket information, will be announced at a later date. The Revolution will host the game in New England at a site that is yet to be determined.
The Revs' opponent for the match will be determined on June 24, when the Richmond Kickers and Western Mass. Pioneers will play in the tournament's second round for the opportunity to advance and face New England. Both Richmond and Western Mass. are members of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Second Division, the third tier of professional soccer in the United States.
The match will mark the beginning of New England's title defense in the competition, as the club won the 2007 U.S. Open Cup. On Oct. 3 of last year, the Revolution defeated FC Dallas, 3-2, at Pizza Hut Park to claim its first-ever cup championship.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. Sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The Revolution (7-3-2, 23 pts.), currently Major League Soccer's top team, returns to action tonight, Thursday, June 12, when the team travels to face MLS Cup 2007 champion Houston Dynamo at Houston's Robertson Stadium. ESPN2 will televise the match live in high definition, with the network's coverage beginning at 9 p.m. with a special live pregame show from the network's Bristol, Conn., headquarters.
