The 102nd edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup will feature a tournament-record 91 teams and includes several new wrinkles, US Soccer announced on Wednesday.
Notable changes include a fixed bracket beginning with the Round of 16, formalization of a rule preventing clubs sharing an ownership group from meeting until the tournament final and a late-April start date.
All 17 US-based MLS teams will compete, entering in mid-June in Round 4, along with nine US-based NASL teams and 21 US-based teams from USL PRO, which includes five teams operated by MLS clubs.
The Seattle Sounders, who beat the Philadelphia Union in extra time in last year's final, have won four of the last six US Open Cup tournamants. The tournament champion has traditionally earned a berth to the following year's CONCACAF Champions League.
The 2015 tournament will begin with two amateur qualifying games April 22-26 and will conclude with the final, to be played Sept. 29-30.
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Once qualifiers are determined for the Round of 16, they will be divided geographically into groups of four, yet preventing teams with shared-ownership affiliations from playing each other (i.e. Real Salt Lake and Real Monarchs SLC may not be in the same group).
Each group will be paired with another group to pre-determine the semifinal pairings, creating a fixed bracket. However, if two ownership-affiliated teams reach the semifinals, they may not face each other. The Round of 16 draw, to be held June 18, and fixed bracket are new in 2015.
USL PRO clubs will enter in Round 2 on May 20, with NASL clubs following in Round 3 on May 27. The 17 US-based MLS clubs will enter in Round 4, with games to be played June 16-17. That means two MLS teams will face each other in their first games of the tournament.
Schedule
Preliminary Round: April 22-26, 4 amateur teams
Round 1: May 13, 40 amateur teams + 2 Preliminary Round winners
Round 2: May 20, 21 USL PRO clubs + 21 Round 1 winners
Round 3: May 27, 9 NASL clubs + 21 Round 2 winners
Round 4: June 16-17, 17 MLS clubs + 15 Round 3 winners
Round of 16: June 30-July 1, 16 Round 4 winners
Quarterfinals: July 21-22
Semifinals: Aug. 11-12
Final: Sept. 29-30
Qualified Teams
US Specialty Sports Association (1): to be determined
US Club Soccer (1): San Francisco City FC
US Adult Soccer Association (11): Maryland Bays, New York Greek American Atlas, KC Athletics, Madison Fire, Rayados, Triangle Brigade, Cal FC, Chula Vista FC, Mass Premier Soccer, PSA Elite, RWB Adria.
NPSL (12): Brooklyn Italians, Chattanooga FC, Greater Binghamton Thunder, Lansing United, Miami United, Tulsa Athletics, Upward Star (S.C.), 5 to be determined
PDL (19): Des Moines Menace, FC Tucson, Jersey Express, Kitsap Pumas, Michigan Bucks, Ocala Stampede, Seacoast United Phantoms, Ventura County Fusion, West Virginia Chaos, AC Connecticut, Burlingame Dragons (San Jose Earthquakes), BYU Cougars, Golden State Misioneros, Laredo Heat, Long Island Rough Riders, Midland/Odessa Sockers, Reading United (Philadelphia Union), SW Florida Adrenaline, Western Mass Pioneers.
USL PRO (21): Arizona United, Austin Aztex, Charleston Battery, Charlotte Independence, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Harrisburg City Islanders, LA Galaxy II, Louisville City, New York Red Bulls USL PRO, Oklahoma City Energy, Orange County Blues, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Portland Timbers 2, Real Monarchs, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, Sacramento Republic, Saint Louis FC, Seattle Sounders 2, Tulsa Roughnecks, Wilmington Hammerheads.
NASL (9): Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Indy Eleven, Jacksonville Armada, Minnesota United, New York Cosmos, San Antonio Scorpions, Tampa Bay Rowdies.
