USL PRO News Release
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
TAMPA, Fla. - All 21 U.S.-based USL PRO sides will be part of the 102nd Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, for which the participating teams and format were announced on Wednesday by U.S. Soccer. After a remarkable season of expansion, USL PRO’s clubs will get the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Rochester Rhinos and Richmond Kickers, the last two non-MLS sides to claim the championship.
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USL PRO sides, who commanded the most entries into this year’s tournament, will enter the competition in the second round, set to be played on May 20, where they may face some of the top clubs in the PDL, which earned 19 berths in the tournament. The chance to face MLS opposition will come in the fourth round on June 16-17, where clubs with rich Open Cup pasts like 2014 USL PRO Championship finalist the Harrisburg City Islanders and Charleston Battery will look to add to their giant-killing histories.
The 2015 tournament will feature 91 teams, an increase from the 80 that competed last year, marking the largest field in the modern era (1995-present) and the fourth consecutive year where a record has been set. In 2014, the Rochester Rhinos carried USL PRO’s flag into the fifth round with an upset of D.C. United, before they were eliminated by MLS Cup Finalist the New England Revolution.
The Rhinos remain the only non-MLS side to claim the Open Cup title in the tournament’s modern era, having won the championship in 1999.
New USL PRO side the Austin Aztex will make their third consecutive appearance in the tournament, having twice earned a berth as a PDL side in the past two seasons. USL PRO’s remaining expansion sides will make their first appearances in the tournament, as clubs like Saint Louis FC (Chicago Fire) and the Seattle Sounders FC 2 look to replicate their MLS affiliate’s success over the tournament’s past 20 years.
For more details on the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, visit www.ussoccer.com.
