CARSON, Calif. - Chivas USA will make its historic debut in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, July 13 when it travels to face the winner of next week's second-round U.S. Open Cup tie between the El Paso Patriots and the Charlotte Eagles, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced today.
"As a Mexican club looking to make soccer history in the United States, Chivas USA is excited to make its debut in such a prestigious tournament as the U.S. Open Cup," said Whit Haskel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Chivas USA.
The El Paso Patriots of the amateur Premier Development League, and the Charlotte Eagles of the semipro United Soccer Leagues Second Division face off next Wednesday, June 29 at 7:30 p.m. MT at Patriot Stadium in the border city of El Paso, Texas.
Should the Patriots emerge victorious from this second-round tie, they would host Chivas USA in a third-round match at 7:30 p.m. MT (6:30 p.m. PT) at Patriot Stadium. If the Eagles win, they would host Chivas USA at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT) at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina.
At stake in the tournament is $180,000 in prize money broken down as follows: $100,000 to the champion, $50,000 to the runner up and $10,000 to the team which advances deepest in the tournament from each of the Division II, Division III and amateur levels.
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. First held in 1914, 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.
For more information on Club Deportivo Chivas USA, visit www.CDCHIVASUSA.com, the club's official Web site. For more information on the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, visit U.S. Soccer's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup section at http://www.ussoccer.com/events/competitions.sps?iType=262.
