The 2017 US Open Cup is Around the Corner

On May 10th, the 104th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup will officially begin, with the first round pairings being announced tomorrow, April 12th. 

Boca Raton FC will begin the competition at this stage. The tournament is a tiered-bracket single game knockout format with a total of 99 amateur and professional teams taking part. From the First Round to the Fourth Round, teams will be paired geographically. A geographically-based random draw will take place after the Fourth Round to determine the the Round of 16 matchups and set a fixed bracket to the Final.

In the First Round, 56 Open Division teams from local qualifiers, Premier Development League (PDL), and National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) will take part. The Second Round will see 24 Division II clubs join the tournament, six from the North American Soccer League (NASL) and 18 from the United Soccer League (USL). After the Third Round, the winners will be joined by 19 Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs in the Fourth Round.

In this season’s U.S. Open Cup, the winner will receive $250,000 and a berth in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, as well as its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy (one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in U.S. sports). The runner-up will earn $60,000 for reaching the final, while the teams that advance the furthest from each lower division will receive $15,000. 

Tournament Format and Schedule:

April 12th – Initial Pairings Announcement

May 10th – First Round Games

Participants: 56 Open Division teams

May 17th – Second Round Games

Participants: 28 First Round winners are joined by 24 Division II teams

May 31st – Third Round Games

Participants: 26 Second Round winners will play each other

June 14th – Fourth Round Games

Participants: 13 Third Round winners are joined by 19 Major League Soccer clubs

June 15th – Round of 16 Draw

Round of 16 Draw: Draw will set a fixed bracket to the final

June 28th – Round of 16 Games

July 11th – Quarterfinal Games

August 9th – Semifinal Games

September 20th – Open Cup Final