|
 U.S. Soccer
has announced the qualifying and first round pairings for the
2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup today.
Teams from the United
Soccer Leagues Second Division and Premier Development
League join regional qualifiers from the United States
Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as 18 teams will see action
over the next two weeks.
U.S. Open Cup
History & Information
2005 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup |
U.S. Open Cup Champions |
U.S. Open Cup Championship Results
A qualifying
round was added in 2005 to accommodate the expansion of
the tournament by two teams to 42 from 40 due to the entrance of
the two first-year Major League Soccer teams into the
tournament. Two teams each that qualified through the
USASA and PDL will playoff for spots in the first round on
June 15. The teams playing in the qualifying round were
selected by random draw after all of the USASA and PDL teams
were grouped regionally.
The U.S. Open
Cup officially kicks off on June 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET in
Cocoa, Fla., as the Cocoa Expos (PDL) host Roma (USASA) of
Dallas, Texas. The second qualifying round game sees the
Salinas Valley Samba of USASA travel up the West Coast to
face the Cascade Surge later that day at 7 p.m. PT in
Salem, Ore.
 Two
professional teams - the USL Second Division Cincinnati Kings
and Pittsburgh Riverhounds – join the balance of the
amateur teams and the qualifying round winners in eight second round matches scheduled
for June 8. The first round features one cross-town
match-up as Chicago Fire Premier of the PDL hosts a fellow
Second City side, the AAC Eagles of the USASA, in the
suburb of Algonquin, Ill.
All 12 MLS
teams are part of the 42-team field and will join the
tournament beginning in the third round on July 13. All eight of
the eligible USL First Division teams, six of the nine USL
Second Division teams and eight teams from the PDL
qualified for the 2005 tournament. Additionally, regional
qualifying narrowed down the field of USASA teams to
eight.
Geographical
pairings and host proposals received from each club
determined match-ups, as they will through the quarterfinals of
the tournament. Possible pairings for the second round
will be announced after the completion of the qualifying
round.
At stake in
the tournament is $180,000 in prize money broken down as
follows: $100,000 to the champion, $50,000 to the runner up and
$10,000 to the team which advances deepest in the
tournament from each of the Division II, Division III and
amateur levels.
The Lamar
Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation’s National
Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and
professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the
oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and
among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the
world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor
long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
About Induction 2005
The
National Soccer Hall of Fame will host
Induction 2005 in
Oneonta, New York on August 27th - 29th. Induction Weekend kicks
off on Saturday, August 27th with a
Pub Night starting at
7:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, August 28th the Hall of Fame will
present the 2nd Annual
Hall of Fame Golf Tournament
presented by Nike at the Delhi Golf Course in Delhi, New York.
For those who are interested in exploring beautiful Otsego
County there will a
Leatherstocking Summer Sampler
tour at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday.
The Hall of Fame will host the
President's Reception & Dinner
starting at 6:00 p.m. in the Hall of Fame's Museum.
The
Induction Ceremony on
Monday, August 29th
honors three of the most identifiable
players in U.S. Men's National Team history as
Marcelo Balboa,
John
Harkes, and
Tab
Ramos
will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame
starting at 10:00 a.m. and ceremony is free of charge and open
to the public in the Museum. The
2005 Hall of Fame Game
will kick off at 1:00 p.m. on August 29th on the Hall of Fame campus.
Tickets for the
Hall of Fame Golf Tournament,
President's Reception & Dinner
and the
Hall of Fame Game are available at the Hall of Fame
or by calling 1-800-545-FAME (3263).
About the National
Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum
Located in
Oneonta, NY, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a 30,000
square foot, state-of-the-art museum in 1999. The Hall of Fame
tells the story of soccer in
America through artifacts, photographs, and video clips. The new
Hall features an extensive interactive, youth oriented Kicks
Zone where visitors have fun kicking,
heading and playing computer trivia stations and video
soccer games. The VideoWall portrays some of the greatest
moments and the greatest goals in history as well as live soccer
action with World Cup, MLS, and U.S. Soccer matches. Unique and
rare artifacts on exhibit range from the world’s oldest soccer
ball to the FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy won by the USA in
1999,
Pelé's and Mia Hamm’s uniforms, Kristine Lilly’s golden
shoes, NASL championship rings, the original MLS championship
trophy, MLS gallery - it’s all at the National Soccer Hall of
Fame. In addition to the interactive Museum, the National Soccer
Hall of Fame complex boasts the
Kicks
Zone Store,
a research library, four world-class soccer fields and
office/meeting facilities. The Hall plans to add a stadium, an
indoor soccer arena and housing facilities in the future.
The mission of
the National Soccer Hall of Fame is to celebrate the history,
honor the heroes, inspire the youth and preserve the legacy of
soccer in the United States.
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