Sporting Kansas City will kick off its 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign next April, entering in the Third Round of U.S. Soccer's National Championship.
U.S. Soccer announced today its first major restructuring of the U.S. Open Cup since 2012. In a significant move, the competition format for 2020 will require 11 MLS clubs—including Sporting Kansas City—to enter in the Third Round, one round earlier than in recent years. This change will see Sporting play up to six Open Cup matches in 2020, should they reach the Final.
The remaining 12 MLS clubs, which will include the four USA entrants to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League and the next four best American regular-season finishers in each of the league's Eastern and Western Conferences in 2019, will enter in the Round of 32 (previously labeled the Fourth Round).
The format revision consequently increases the number of matches between MLS teams and those from lower divisions across multiple rounds of the competition starting with the Third Round. It also increases the opportunity (from 11 in 2019) for up to 20 lower division clubs to reach the Round of 32. The 2019 tournament saw 11 "David vs. Goliath" matchups involving MLS sides over the first four rounds, while 2020 will have the same number of clashes in the Third Round plus up to 16 others (depending on Third Round results and the Round of 32 Draw) in the following round.
For the second consecutive year and as part of a four-year deal, ESPN+ will be the home for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The 2020 Final could take place as late as Sept. 24.
Sporting are four-time U.S. Open Cup champions, having hoisted the title in 2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017. Their four Open Cup titles are tied for the most among MLS clubs.
2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Competition Schedule
- Jan. 9 Pairings methodology, Open Division berth allocation announced
- Jan. 22 First Round pairings announced
- Jan. 29 Second Round pairings and possible pairings announced
- March 24-25 First Round (Open Division teams enter)
- April 7-9 Second Round (Division II and III teams enter)
- April 10 Third Round Draw
- April 21-23 Third Round (11 Division I teams enter, including Sporting KC)
- April 24 Round of 32 Draw
- May 19-20 Round of 32 (remaining 12 Division I teams enter)
- May 21 Round of 16/Quarterfinal Draw
- June 10 Possible Round of 16
- June 23-24 Round of 16 or Quarterfinals
- July 14-15 Quarterfinals or Semifinals
- Aug. 11-12 Semifinals or Final
- Sept. 22-24 Possible Final
2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Participating Teams
Professional Division Teams Eligible to Participate:
Division I - Major League Soccer
Teams entering in the Round of 32 (12): Atlanta United FC (defending Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion), D.C. United, Los Angeles FC, LA Galaxy, Minnesota United FC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders FC
Teams entering in the Third Round (11): Chicago Fire FC, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew SC, FC Cincinnati, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC, Orlando City SC, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting Kansas City
Division II - USL Championship (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)
Teams entering in the Second Round: To be named after the Dec. 31 professional division confirmation deadline
Division III - USL League One (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)
Teams entering in the Second Round: To be named after the Dec. 31 professional division confirmation deadline
Division III - National Independent Soccer Association (excludes teams majority-owned or otherwise controlled by a higher division professional club)
Teams entering in the Second Round: To be named after the Dec. 31 professional division confirmation deadline
Open Division Teams, entering in First Round:
Local Qualifiers (12):
East Region: Christos FC (Md.), New York Pancyprian Freedoms (N.Y.), Vereinigung Erzgebirge (Pa.), Virginia United* (Va.)
Central Region: Louisiana Krewe FC (La.), Miami United FC U23 (Fla.), Nashville United (Tenn.), NTX Rayados* (Texas)
West Region: Cal FC* (Calif.), Chula Vista FC (Calif.), FC Boulder Harpos (Colo.), Olympic Club (Calif.)
* Participated in 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
2019 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup champion: Newtown Pride FC (Conn.)
National Premier Soccer League: To be named after confirmation of the Open Division berths available. The NPSL entered its teams via the National Leagues track under Open Cup regulations, opting to use 2019 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2020 tournament.
USL League Two: To be named after confirmation of the Open Division berths available. USL League Two entered its teams via the National Leagues track under Open Cup regulations, opting to use 2019 league results to determine its qualifiers for the 2020 tournament.
About the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
In its 107th year, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer's National Championship, is the only high-profile competition in American team sports where amateur sides can face professionals in meaningful competition. The history-filled tournament, conducted on a single-game, knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, has crowned a champion annually since 1914. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States and the world's third-longest continuously running open soccer tournament was renamed to honor United States soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The 2020 U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports, now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.
