Initial pairings set for 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

U.S. Soccer has announced the groupings for the first two rounds of the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup which will kick off with first-round matches on Tuesday, June 9, around the country.

All 32 lower division teams will enter the tournament in the first round and have been grouped geographically into eight groups of four teams. The first-round match ups were drawn randomly within the four-team groups, although match ups between teams in the same division were avoided when possible.

The two winners from each group will face off in the second round on June 16, with the winners then advancing to the third round to face the eight qualified Major League Soccer teams. The quarterfinals will be played July 7, the semifinals will be played July 21 or 22, and the final will be played on Sept. 2.

Of the 16 amateur division teams representing the U.S. Adult Soccer Association and the Premier Development League, only two are returning for their second consecutive U.S. Open Cup, with the St. Louis Lions (PDL) and the Arizona Sahuaros (USASA) in the field for a second straight year. The Sahuaros have qualified for three of the last four U.S. Open Cups, the best record of any amateur team during that span.

Within the U.S. Open Cup framework, teams compete in one of the following four categories: professional outdoor Division I (Major League Soccer), Division II (USL First Division) or Division III (USL Second Division); or Amateur Division (USL Premier Development League & U.S. Adult Soccer Association).

Overall, 120 amateur division teams nationwide participated in qualifying for the 2009 U.S. Open Cup, with 16 teams advancing to the tournament. The 16 teams in the USL First Division and USL Second Division based in the U.S. qualified automatically. Major League Soccer’s top six teams from the 2008 standings qualified, while D.C. United and the Seattle Sounders won their respective play-in games to complete the field of 40.

The Lamar Hunt 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. The tournament has crowned a champion for 95 consecutive years dating back to 1914.

The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament, with games tied after regulation being decided in two 15-minute overtime halves. If the score is still tied after overtime, the winner is decided in a penalty kick shootout. The team that advances the furthest from each level except Division I will earn a $10,000 cash prize. The runner-up will take home $50,000, while the champion will collect $100,000. The winner also will have the team’s name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, the oldest trophy in American team sports that is housed in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.

2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule

First Round
No.    Date    Match    Time (local)    Venue
1    June 9    Reading Rage (PDL) at Harrisburg City Islanders (USL2)    7:05 p.m. ET    Skyline Sports Complex; Harrisburg, Pa.

2    June 9    Emigrantes Das Ilhas (USASA-Mass.) at Western Mass Pioneers (USL2)    7 p.m. ET    Lusitano Stadium; Ludlow, Mass.

3    June 9    Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL2) at Ocean City Barons (PDL)    7 p.m. ET    Carey Stadium; Ocean City, N.J.

4    June 9    Aegean Hawks FC (USASA-Va.) at Real Maryland FC (USL2)    6 p.m. ET    Richard Montgomery H.S.; Rockville, Md.

5    June 9    Richmond Kickers (USL2) at Carolina RailHawks (USL1)    7 p.m. ET    WakeMed Soccer Park; Cary, N.C.

6    June 9    Charlotte Eagles (USL2) at Wilmington Hammerheads (USL2)    7 p.m. ET    Legion Stadium; Wilmington, N.C.

7    June 9    Atlanta FC (USASA-Ga.) at Charleston Battery (USL1)    7:30 p.m. ET    Blackbaud Stadium; Charleston, S.C.

8    June 9    Lynch’s FC (USASA-Fla.) at Miami FC (USL1)    8 p.m. ET    Tropical Park; Miami, Fla.

9    June 9    St. Louis Lions (PDL) at Cleveland City Stars (USL1)    7 p.m. ET    Middlefield Cheese Stadium; Bedford, Ohio

10    June 9    Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL2) at Rochester Rhinos (USL1)    7 p.m. ET    Rochester Rhinos Stadium; Rochester, N.Y.

11    June 9    402 (USASA-Neb.) at Minnesota Thunder (USL1)    7:05 p.m. ET    National Sports Center; Blaine, Minn.

12    June 9    Milwaukee Bavarians (USASA-Wis.) at Chicago Fire PDL (PDL)    5 p.m. CT    Toyota Park Practice Field; Bridgeview, Ill.

13    June 9    Arizona Sahuaros (USASA-Ariz.) at El Paso Patriots (PDL)    8 p.m. MT    Patriot Stadium; El Paso, Texas

14    June 9    Mississippi Brilla FC (PDL) at Austin Aztex (USL1)    7:30 p.m. CT    Nelson Field; Austin, Texas

15    June 9    Portland Timbers (USL1) at Kitsap Pumas (PDL)    7 p.m. PT    Bremerton Memorial H.S.; Bremerton, Wash.

16    June 9    Sonoma County Sol (USASA-Calif.) at Orange County Blue Star (PDL)    2 p.m. PT    Concordia University; Irvine, Calif.


Second Round
No.    Date    Match    Time (local)    Venue
17    June 16    Winner 1 vs. Winner 2    TBD    TBD
18    June 16    Winner 3 vs. Winner 4    TBD    TBD
18    June 16    Winner 5 vs. Winner 6    TBD    TBD
20    June 16    Winner 7 vs. Winner 8    TBD    TBD
21    June 16    Winner 9 vs. Winner 10    TBD    TBD
22    June 16    Winner 11 vs. Winner 12    TBD    TBD
23    June 16    Winner 13 vs. Winner 14    TBD    TBD
24    June 16    Winner 15 vs. Winner 16    TBD    TBD

Future Dates
Date    Round    Notes
June 30    Third Round    Round 2 winners face eight MLS teams
July 7    Quarterfinals    Round 3 winners
July 21/22    Semifinals    Quarterfinal winners
Sept. 2    Final    Semifinal winners