 Simutenkov Nets 95th Minute Winner in 91st U.S. Open Cup Final |
| KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Wednesday, Sept. 22) – The Kansas City Wizards brought the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup home to the tournament’s namesake as his Wizards topped the Chicago Fire 1-0 on an Igor Simutenkov free kick in the 95th minute. Josh Wolff was fouled 20 yards from goal by Evan Whitfield of the Chicago Fire. Simutenkov stepped up to take the kick drove a bending shot through a spot that teammate Alex Zotinca vacated in the wall. Once through the wall, Fire goalkeeper Henry Ring dove to his right to make the save. He tipped the ball straight up in the air, off the cross bar, and back down off the back of his hand and into the net. |
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| llinois, Missouri Have Long U.S. Open Cup Tradition |
| In addition to a long border along the Mississippi River, Missouri - home to the Kansas City Wizards - and Illinois - home to the Chicago Fire - share a long tradition of being the home of the Dewar Trophy for winning the U.S. Open Cup. While the trophy now resides in Oneonta, N.Y. at the National Soccer Hall of Fame, let's take a look back at the teams that brought it to the home states of the teams in the U.S. Open Cup Final in 2004. |
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| Chicago Needs 107 Minutes to Top Battery |
| NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2004) - The Chicago Fire needed 107 minutes on top of a 1 hour, 43 minute weather delay during halftime to advance to the U.S. Open Cup Final with a 1-0 victory over the Charleston Battery (A-League) on Wednesday night. Orlando Perez sent long ball into the area that Dipsy Selowane headed inside the left post in the 107th minute, just out of the reach of substitute Battery goalkeeper Chris Doyle. The Perez to Selowane connection was also clicking for the Fire in their quarterfinal Open Cup match, scoring the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over the Richmond Kickers. This will be the fourth final for the Fire in seven years of existence. They previously won the Open Cup in 1998, 2000 and 2003. They will also attempt to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Pancyprian-Freedoms of New York City did so in 1982 and 1983. The final will be hosted by the Kansas City Wizards, who topped the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 in the other semifinal on Aug. 24, on Sept. 22 at 7:30 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. |
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| Kansas City Advances to Final |
| OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (Tuesday, August 24, 2004) - The Kansas City Wizards will make their first appearance in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on Sept. 22 after a 1-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes tonight. Igor Simutenkov struck for the Wizards in the 45th minute on a penalty kick after Josh Wolff was brought down in the area. The Wizards will be the third team in Major League Soccer operated by Lamar Hunt, the namesake for the tournament since 1999, to appear in the final. Hunt, a longtime soccer pioneer in the U.S., also operates the Dallas Burn (1997 Champion) and the Columbus Crew (2002 Champion). |
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| Potential Hosts Finalized for 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final |
| CHICAGO (Friday, August 20, 2004) – Charleston, S.C., Chicago, and Kansas City, Mo., have been named potential sites for the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup final, which will be played Wednesday, Sept. 22. The final placement of the championship game will depend on the outcome of the tournament semifinal matches being played August 24 and 25. If the lone remaining A-League contender for the title, the Charleston Battery, defeats the three-time champion Chicago Fire on August 25, the final match will be played at classy Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. [more] |
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| Fire, Wizards, Battery & Earthquakes Advance to Open Cup Semifinals |
| CHICAGO (Wednesday, August 2, 2004) - The defending champion Chicago Fire are two wins away from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title for the fifth time in the team's seven year history as they topped the Richmond Kickers 1-0 on Wednesday night in Richmond, Va. [more] |
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| Semifinal Pairings Announced; Quarterfinals Set for Wednesday |
| CHICAGO (Monday, August 2, 2004) - The possible pairings, sites and kickoff times for the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals have been announced in advance of the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, which will be played Wednesday, August 4, at four sites around the country. [more] |
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| Richmond's Upset Puts Four A-League Teams in Quarterfinals of U.S. Open Cup |
| CHICAGO (Wednesday, July 21, 2004) - The A-League continued their domination of the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with another upset victory on Wednesday evening with the Richmond Kickers defeating D.C. United 2-1 at the University of Richmond Stadium. McColm Cehepas led the Kickers to the win with two goals on either side of halftime, before Nana Kuffour pulled one back for United in the loss.The victory for Richmond marked the fourth A-League upset over MLS in the tournament's fourth round, giving the United Soccer Leagues an all-time best four team's in the U.S Open Cup quarterfinals. Richmond joins the Charleston Battery, Minnesota Thunder and the Rochester Raging Rhinos as the A-League's representatives in the quarterfinals. With Charleston slated to play Rochester in one of the four quarterfinal matches on Aug. 4, the A-League is guaranteed to have at least one team in the final four. |
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| Three A-League Teams Pull off the Upset in Open Cup Fourth Round |
| CHICAGO (Tuesday, July 20, 2004) - The A-League rolled through the fourth round of 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night with three wins in four matches versus opponents representing Major League Soccer on a night that saw the Charleston Battery, Minnesota Thunder and Rochester Raging Rhinos - the tournament's 1999 champion - advance to the tournament quarterfinals. Those three teams join four MLS teams in the final eight, as the Kansas City Wizards and former champions the Chicago Fire (1998, 2000 & 2003) and Dallas Burn (1997) each advanced with wins on Tuesday (joining the San Jose Earthquakes, who advanced with a win last week). The eighth and final quarterfinal spot will be settled Wednesday night in another A-League vs. MLS showdown when the 1995 champion Richmond Kickers host 1996 titlists D.C. United. |
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| Earthquakes Top Timbers as Fourth Round of Open Cup Gets Underway |
| PORTLAND, Ore. - Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes put an impenetrable roadblock in the Timbers' drive for the U.S. Open Cup, eliminating Portland from contention with a 3-0 win before 10,622 fans Wednesday night PGE Park. [More] |
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| Open Cup Quarterfinal Pairings Announced |
| CHICAGO (Wednesday, July 14, 2004) - The four quarterfinal pairings for the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup have been determined as the fourth round of the tournament is set to kickoff tonight in Portland, Ore., when the Portland Timbers (A-League) host the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) in the Timbers' first ever Open Cup match. [more] |
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| A-LEAGUE VS. MLS OPEN CUP BATTLES BEGIN WEDNESDAY IN PORTLAND: |
| The 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup resumes play on Wednesday (July 14) as the Portland Timbers (A-League) host the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) in the franchise's first home Open Cup match ever. The final eight MLS teams will join the Open Cup in this round, and their opponents will be six A-League teams as well as the Columbus Crew and Dallas Burn, who made it safely out of the third round. Three Premier Development League teams forced overtime versus A-League opponents in the third round, but none prevailed as each of the lower division teams lost in the third round. The Richmond Kickers scored in the 94th minute to top the Cape Cod Crusaders, the Minnesota Thunder tallied in the 116th minute to beat the Boulder Rapids Reserve and the Atlanta Silverbacks scored in the final minute of overtime versus the Carolina Dynamo in the three most dramatic matches of the night. The balance of the fourth round matches will be played on July 20 and 21. For complete schedule information and the latest news and stats from the U.S. Open Cup, log on to ussoccer.com. |
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| Fourth Round Schedule |
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San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) at Portland Timbers (A)
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Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) at Minnesota Thunder (A)
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Metrodome; Minneapolis, Minn.
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Colorado Rapids (MLS) at Dallas Burn (MLS)
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Cotton Bowl; Dallas, Texas
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Rochester Rhinos (A) at New England Revolution (MLS)
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Lusitano Stadium; Ludlow, Mass.
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Chicago Fire (MLS) at Columbus Crew (MLS)
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Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
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Kansas City Wizards (MLS) at Atlanta Silverbacks (A)
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DeKalb Stadium; Clarkston, Ga.
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MetroStars (MLS) at Charleston Battery (A)
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Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.
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D.C. United (MLS) at Richmond Kickers (A)
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Univ. of Richmond Stadium; Richmond, Va.
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| Third Round Excitement Leaves PDL, PSL Without Fourth Round Rep |
| CHICAGO (Wednesday, June 30, 2004) - Three Premier Development League teams forced overtime vs. A-League opponents but none prevailed as each of the lower division teams lost as the eight 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round matches were played Wednesday night. The Richmond Kickers scored in the 94th minute to top the Cape Cod Crusaders, the Minnesota Thunder tallied in the 116th minute to beat the Boulder Rapids Reserve and the Atlanta Silverbacks scored in the final minute of overtime vs. the Carolina Dynamo in the three most dramatic matches of the night. [Read More] |
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| THIRD ROUND KICKS OF WEDNESDAY |
| CHICAGO (Tuesday, June 29, 2004) - A quartet of former champions enters the fold as the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round kicks off Wednesday night in eight venues across the country. Six A-League teams and two Major League Soccer clubs join the tournament and will face two A-League teams, two Pro Soccer League teams and four amateur teams from the Premier Development League. Third round victors will advance to face one of the eight MLS teams who are the last to enter the tournament when the fourth round kicks off on July 20. [Preview] |
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| FIRE/CREW/SALTYDOGS POTENTIAL FOURTH ROUND MATCHUP SET |
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The fourth round U.S. Open Cup match for the Chicago Fire has been set, with the defending champions traveling to open their 2004 campaign on the road at either the Columbus Crew or the Syracuse Salty Dogs. The Salty Dogs and the Crew will face off on June 30, 2004 in Columbus Crew Stadium, with the winner hosting the Fire on July 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Chicago Fire (MLS) @ Columbus Crew (MLS)
Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Tuesday, July 20, 7:30 p.m.
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Chicago Fire (MLS) @ Syracuse Salty Dogs (A-League)
SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex; Cortland , N.Y.
Tuesday, July 20, 7:30 p.m.
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| FOURTH ROUND SCHEDULE CHANGE CONFIRMED |
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U.S. Soccer confirmed today that the fourth round match that will include D.C. United will be played on Wednesday, July 21, 2004. The match was originally scheduled for July 20, 2004. The location is pending the outcome of a third round match between the Cape Cod Crusaders and the Richmond Kickers. If the Crusaders win, they will travel to face D.C. at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Md. at 7:30 p.m. ET. If the Kickers win, D.C. United will travel to the University of Richmond Stadium in Richmond, Va. for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff.
Cape Cod Crusaders (PDL) @ D.C. United (MLS)
Maryland SoccerPlex, Boyds, Md.
Wednesday, July 21, 7:30 p.m.
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D.C. United (MLS) @ Richmond Kickers (A-League)
Univ. of Richmond, Richmond, Va.
Wednesday, July 21, 7:00 p.m.
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| Final Teams to Join U.S. Open Cup in Fourth Round as Pairings Are Announced |
| CHICAGO (Monday, June 21, 2004) - The eight playoff teams from the 2003 Major League Soccer season have learned their potential opponents for the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup fourth round, the majority of which will be played on July 20, 2004. With the Dallas Burn and Columbus Crew entering in the third round (as the bottom two finishers in the 2003 MLS regular season), the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, D.C. United, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, MetroStars, New England Revolution and San Jose Earthquakes are the final eight MLS teams entering the 40-team tournament. [Read More] |
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| SYRACUSE TOPS SOUTH JERSEY IN REPLAY |
| CHICAGO (Thursday, June 17, 2004) - The replay of the Syracuse vs. South Jersey second round match r esulted in a 4-2 victory for the Salty Dogs on Monday, June 21 at Winslow High School in Tansboro, N.J. The teams were tied 1-1 on Tuesday, June 15 when weather and then darkness caused the match to be abandoned in the 75th minute. More information will be posted at a later time. |
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| SECOND ROUND MATCHDAY COMPLETE, ONE MATCH TO BE REPLAYED |
| CHICAGO (Tuesday, June 15, 2004) - The surprise team of the 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Wilmington Hammerheads (PSL), continued their winning ways from last year with a 3-0 win over the Cocoa Expos (PDL). The result was never in question as William Ukah scored the gamewinner in the fourth minute. Three PDL teams had better luck then the Expos, as the Boulder Rapids Reserves, Chicago Fire Reserves, Carolina Dynamo and Cape Cod Crusaders all topped teams in the Pro Soccer League Tuesday night. Chicago had two early goals from striker Julian Nash, who after two games has scored four goals, in a 5-1 win over the New Hampshire Phanoms. Other winners included the Virginia Beach Mariners and the Utah Blitzz. The Syracuse Salty Dogs and South Jersey Barons had their match suspended due to lightning in the 75th minute with the score deadlocked 1-1. That match will be replayed at a date to be determined. Full Match Reports |
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| SECOND ROUND KICKS OFF TUESDAY |
| CHICAGO (Monday, June 14, 2004) - The surprise team of the 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup joins seven other teams who enter the competition Tuesday night as the second round of the 2004 U.S. Open Cup gets underway around the country. The second round winners advance to play in the third round on June 30. [Read More] |
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| THIRD ROUND PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED BY U.S. SOCCER |
| CHICAGO (Thursday, June 10, 2004) - The Dallas Burn, Columbus Crew and six A-League teams have learned their potential opponents and venues for the third round of the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as U.S. Soccer announced third round pairings today. In addition to the two MLS sides, the Atlanta Silverbacks, Charleston Battery, Minnesota Thunder, Portland Timbers, Richmond Kickers and Rochester Raging Rhinos will enter the competition on June 30 from the A-League. Theses eight teams will face the eight winners from the second round, which will be played June 15. Read More |
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| DFW, COCOA ADVANCE AS FIRST ROUND CONCLUDES |
| The first round of the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup came to a close Tuesday night as a pair of Premier Development League squads topped the Region III USASA qualifiers. In Florida, Azzurri of Dallas had a 2-1 advantage with less than five minutes to play, but Cocoa Expos striker Fred Moojen equalized in the 86th minute before scoring the golden goal in the third minute of overtime to push his side through 3-2. Back in Azzurri's home town, the Dallas-Ft. Worth Tornadoes topped Legends FC 3-1. After a scoreless first half, Lourenzo Andrade de Souza assisted on a Mark Rowland goal in the 52nd minute. Fifteen minutes later, Rowland had the helper on Andrade's gamewinner. Andrade has proven himself as an solid scoring threat in the PDL this year, with 14 goals in nine games to lead the league. DFW forward Jamie Watson, who is expected to join the U.S. U-20s for a friendly vs. Brazil next week, started and played 80 minutes for his summer club. |
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| JAMIE'S JOURNAL: DFW TORNADOES FORWARD TALKS ABOUT PDL, OPEN CUP |
| What's up everyone? I want to welcome y'all (yes, that is the Texan in me coming out) to my first piece for ussoccer.com. My name is Jamie Watson and I am a member of the U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team and currently a member of the DFW Tornadoes of the Premier Development League (PDL). I was also a member of U.S. Soccer's Residency Program from 2002-03 and teammates with the now famous author of "Jules Journal" and "The Valentin Chronicles," defender Julian Valentin.Read More. |
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| SIX TEAMS ADVANCE, FIRST ROUND OF 2004 OPEN CUP CONCLUDES TUESDAY |
| Results are in from six of the eight first round matches in the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with the two final matches being played Tuesday night. On June 2, the Carolina Dynamo, Cape Cod Crusaders, Chicago Fire Reserves and South Jersey Barons of the Premier Development League all moved on in the tournament with multi-goal victories over regional qualifiers from the United States Amatuer Soccer Association. Out West, the contests were much tighter with the Boulder Rapids Reserve (PDL) staging a come-from-behind 2-1 win over regular Open Cup participant Chico Rooks (USASA). In the closest first round tilt to date, the Sacramento Knights of USASA's Region IV topped the Spokane Shadow of the PDL on a penalty kick just one minute into overtime for a 2-1 win. First round action continues Tuesday as the DFW Tornadoes (PDL) host Legends FC (USASA) in a Dallas derby, while Azzurri (USASA) of Dallas travels east to face the Cocoa Expos (PDL) on the Atlantic coast of Florida. Through the six games played, the leading scorer for the tournament is Julian Nash of the Chicago Fire Reserves who picked up two goals and two assists for six points against S.A.C. Wisla. |
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| Region III USASA Qualifying Complete |
| Qualifying for the 2004 U.S. Open Cup is now complete with 40 of the 40 spots filled. The final qualifiers were held last weekend as Legends FC and Azzurri, both of Dallas, emerged out of Region III. |
| First and Second Round Pairing Announced by U.S. Soccer |
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CHICAGO (Tuesday, May 25, 2004) - U.S. Soccer announced the first and second round pairings for the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup today. The field of teams is up from 34 to 40 last year, with the first round featuring solely amateur squads, with the professional teams from United Soccer Leagues and Major League Soccer entering in rounds two through four. In the first round, eight regional qualifiers from the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) will face eight clubs from the United Soccer Leagues' Premier Development League (PDL) on June 2 and 8. Click here to see the schedule.
Qualifying is complete except for USASA Region III. Click on the link below for the lastest results.
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Ante Razov hugs the Dewar Cup after winning the 2003 Championship with the Chicago Fire.
© Rich Schultz |
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| 2004 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP STRUCTURE OVERVIEW |
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CHICAGO (January 29, 2004) - A total of 40 teams - 24 professional and 16 amateur - will compete in the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup as it kicks off during the first week of June. After 34 teams participated in 2003, six additional amateur teams will take part in the tournament this year marking the most total teams since Major League Soccer began participating in 1996.
The additional amateur teams will hail from the United States Adult Soccer Association's regional qualifiers as well as the Premier Development League of the United Soccer Leagues. The four USASA regional champions will be joined by the four runners up in the tournament for the first time, while two additional PDL teams will earn berths to bring the total number of teams representing the PDL to eight.
First-round pairings will be announced on May 25 and the First Round will be played on June 2 & 8. The defending champion Chicago Fire (Major League Soccer) enter the tournament on July 20 in the fourth round. The semifinals will be played Aug. 24 & 25, with the final being played on Sept. 22, almost one month earlier than last year.
The 2004 Open Cup bracketing will be similar to 2003, but with an expanded number of games in the first two rounds. The first round will feature match-ups between USASA teams from the Premier Development League and regional qualifiers. In the second round six teams from the USL Pro Soccer League and two A-League teams join the mix to take on the first round winners. The second round winners will play six more A-League teams and the two non-playoff teams from the 2003 MLS standings (Columbus Crew & Dallas Burn) in the third round. The balance of the MLS teams will face the third round winners in the fourth round before the quarterfinals are set.
The U.S. Open Cup, which is recognized as U.S. Soccer's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. Within the U.S. Open Cup framework, teams shall compete in one of the following four categories: professional outdoor Division I (Major League Soccer), Division II (A-League) or Division III (USL Professional Soccer League); or Amateur Division (USL Premier Development League & U.S. Adult Soccer Association).
The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament, with drawn games being decided by two 15-minute sudden death ("Golden Goal") overtime halves. If neither team scores during the two overtime halves, the winner is decided on penalty kicks. The team that advances the furthest from each level except Division I earns a $10,000 cash prize. The runner-up takes home $50,000, while the champion collects $100,000. The winner also will have the team's name engraved on the historic Dewar Cup.
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| 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule |
Qualifying - Ends May 23*
Pairings Announcement - May 25
First Round - June 2 & 8 Eight USASA regional qualifiers vs. eight PDL teams
Second Round - June 15 First Round winners vs. six USL PSL, two A-League teams
Third Round - June 30 Second Round winners vs. two MLS, six A-League teams
Fourth Round - July 20 Third Round winners vs. remaining eight MLS teams
Quarterfinals - Aug. 4 Fourth Round winners
Semifinals - Aug. 24 & 25 Quarterfinal winners
Final - Sept. 22 Semifinal winners
*Qualifying for USASA Region III does not end until May 31 |
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| Composition of participating teams: |
10 Major League Soccer
8 A-League
6 USL-PSL
16 USASA (8 PDL, 8 regional qualifiers)
40 Total Teams |
2004 U.S. Open Cup Home Page
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