The US Open Cup field is rapidly winnowing itself down, and on Monday the remaining teams got a taste of what they might experience should they advance from this week's fifth round when US Soccer revealed the potential pairings for the tournament's quarterfinal stage.
The most intriguing of the potential matchups on tap is the possibility of a Cascadia rivalry clash between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers, should those teams be able to overcome the San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting KC, respectively, on Tuesday evening.
Here are all the potential pairings for the US Open Cup quarterfinals (July 8-9), with home teams listed first:
- Philadelphia Union (MLS) or New York Cosmos (NASL) vs. New England Revolution (MLS) or Rochester Rhinos (USL PRO)
- Colorado Rapids (MLS) or Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) vs. Chicago Fire (MLS) or Columbus Crew (MLS)
- Carolina RailHawks (NASL) or LA Galaxy (MLS) vs. Houston Dynamo (MLS) or FC Dallas (MLS)
- Seattle Sounders (MLS) or San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) vs. Sporting Kansas City (MLS) or Portland Timbers (MLS)
After the conclusion of the quarterfinals, the Open Cup will take a month-long break following the third round of play in four weeks, and will return with the semifinals on August 12-13. The final will be played on either September 30 or October 1.
