U.S. Soccer announced on Friday the pairings and match locations for all fourth round scenarios in the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Sporting Kansas City will host the third round winner between the Des Moines Menace (USASA) and Minnesota United FC (NASL). The fourth round match will take place at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, June 18 at Sporting Park.
Tickets for the fourth round match will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. CT on Thursday, May 22 and will be available to purchase online at Ticketmaster.com. Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members will have access to an exclusive pre-sale to purchase their current seat location(s) beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Monday, May 19 and ending at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, May 21. The pre-sale is conducted via an online invoice through Account Manager and Season Ticket Member seat locations are only guaranteed during the pre-sale.
Sporting Kansas City's fourth round opponent will be determined when the Des Moines Menace hosts Minnesota United FC at 7:30 p.m. CT on May 28 at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, Iowa. The two sides met in last year's tournament with Des Moines Menace prevailing in a 1-0 upset.
Des Moines, who advanced to the third round of this year's competition with a 3-0 win over Real Colorado Foxes (PDL) earlier this week, has faced Sporting Kansas City three times in U.S. Open Cup history (2005, 2006, 2013). Minnesota United FC currently sit atop the NASL standings with a 4-1-0 record and were NASL champions in 2011.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer's National Club Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The oldest annual team tournament in American sports history, the U.S. Open Cup has origins in 1914 and is named after Lamar Hunt, the original founder of Sporting Kansas City.
This year's competition began on May 7 with the largest field in the modern era (1995-present) featuring 80 teams. The single-elimination tournament will continue through the championship match on Sept. 30 or Oct. 1 with the winner receiving $250,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League and their name on the Dewar Challenge Trophy.
Sporting Kansas City are two-time champions in the competition, winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2004 and 2012.
