U.S. Soccer announced the competition format on Wednesday for the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. All MLS clubs based in the United States will enter this year’s tournament in the fourth round, to be played June 16-17.
The 102nd edition of the tournament will kick off in late April and feature a single-elimination, one-game-knockout format through the final on Sept. 29 or 30. This year’s competition will include 91 teams, making it the largest field during the modern era (1995-present).
Amateur teams will comprise 44 of the 91 entries and will enter the competition in the play-in and first rounds. The remaining 47 participants encompass Division I, Division II and Division III professional clubs, who will enter in the second (USL PRO), third (NASL) and fourth (MLS) rounds. A new, geographically-based random draw will result in a fixed bracket from the Round of 16 onward.
Teams will be paired geographically via the following format:
- Play-In Round: April 22-26 (4 amateur teams: 2 USASA, 1 US Club Soccer, 1 USSSA)
- First Round: May 13 (2 Play-In Round winners and 40 remaining amateur teams [19 PDL, 12 NPSL, 9 USASA])
- Second Round: May 20 (21 First Round winners and 21 Division III [USL PRO] clubs). Each Division III team will be matched geographically to play the winner of a First Round pairing.
- Third Round: May 27 (21 Second Round winners and 9 Division II [NASL] clubs). Each Division II team will be matched geographically to play the winner of a Second Round pairing. The remaining six Second Round winners not paired with a Division II side will be paired together.
- Fourth Round: June 16-17 (15 Third Round winners and 17 Division I [MLS] clubs). Fifteen MLS teams will be matched geographically to play the winner of a specific Third Round pairing, leaving two MLS teams to face each other.
- Fifth Round Draw: June 18. The 16 Fourth Round winners will be divided geographically (regardless of league affiliation) into groups of four. A random draw will determine the pairings within each group, resulting in a fixed bracket for the remainder of the tournament.
- Fifth Round: June 30-July 1
- Quarterfinals: July 21-22
- Semifinals: Aug. 11-12
- Final: Sept. 29 or 30
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is recognized as U.S. Soccer's National Club Championship and is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 101 consecutive years dating back to 1914 and Sporting Kansas City has twice claimed the tournament title (2004, 2012).
The 2015 winner will earn $250,000 and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports. The runner-up will take home $60,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will earn a $15,000 cash prize.
