Qualifying for the 1998 U.S. Open Cup is now underway. This year’s tournament will have a similar format to the 1997 tournament, which was captured by the Dallas Burn of MLS. In the first round, four USASA regional winners and four teams from the USISL Premier League will play against eight teams from the USISL D3 Pro League. The eight winners will meet eight teams from the A-League in the second round. The eight survivors then square off against eight MLS squads in the third round, with the competition continuing on to quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship match, to be played in late August at a site to be determined. Here is an update on qualifying:
MLS
Defending champion Dallas received a bye, and a blind draw granted byes to San Jose, Columbus, Chicago and D.C. United. The remaining three MLS spots were to be determined via MLS matches that would have doubled as qualifiers, but the situation has changed. New England has declined to participate in the Open Cup, as have D.C. United and Los Angeles. (The latter two teams have been invited to participate in the 1998 Copa Merconorte and are choosing to focus on that competition.). Thus, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and the MetroStars have all been given byes, leaving Colorado and Miami vying for the final spot, which will be determined by the result of their match in May.
A-League
The first six regular-season games for each team will count in the Open Cup qualifying process. Monday June 8 will be the cutoff date to determine the eight A-League teams, with the top four teams from each conference qualifying for the competition. The A-League’s Canadian teams are not eligible for U.S. Open Cup play. The tiebreakers for A-League qualifying include the following: 1) Points in A-League games. 2) Points earned head-to-head. 3) Record against conference opponents. 4) Goals scored. 5) Goal differential. 6) Outright wins (including shootouts). 7) Record (or percentage) against all common non-conference opponents. 8) Lottery draw.
D3 Pro League
The 39 D3 Pro League teams have been divided into eight groups according to geographical proximity, with the eight group winners advancing to the U.S. Open Cup. The groups are as follows:
North — Cape Cod Crusaders, New Hampshire Phantoms, Rhode Island Stingrays, Vermont Voltage, Western Mass. Pioneers.
Mid-Atlantic — Central Jersey Riptide, New Jersey Stallions, N.Y. Capital District Alleycats, Reading Rage, South Jersey Barons.
Atlantic — Roanoke Wrath, Northern Virginia Royals, Eastern Shore Sharks, Delaware Wizards.
South Atlantic — Charlotte Eagles, Myrtle Beach SeaDawgs, South Carolina Shamrocks, Wilmington Hammerheads.
Southeast — Miami Breakers, Orlando Nighthawks, Pensacola Barracudas, SW Florida Manatees, Tallahassee Tempest.
North Central — Chicago Stingers, Cleveland Caps, Indiana Blast, Rockford Raptors.
South Central — Austin Lone Stars, Houston Hurricanes, San Antonio Pumas, Shreveport-Bossier Lions, Texas Toros.
West — Arizona Sahuaros, Chico Rooks, Los Angeles Fireballs, Reno Rattlers, Stanislaus County Cruisers, Valley Golden Eagles. The point system will vary from normal D3 League play, with four points awarded for a win in regulation, three for an overtime win, two for a shootout win and one point awarded for each goal up to three scored in regulation or overtime. The tiebreakers for D3 Pro League qualifying will be determined in the following order: 1) Win-loss record. 2) Total points. 3) Head-to-head points. 4) Goals scored. 5) Goals against. 6) Goal differential (up to three per game). 7) Aggregate goals (away goals count double). 8) Coin toss.
Premier League
29 PDSL teams have been placed into five qualifying groups. Regional finals will determine the four teams advancing to the Open Cup — here’s how this will work. The Group 1 winner will play the Group 2 winner The Group 3 winner will play the Group 3 runner-up The Group 4 winner will play the Group 5 winner. The three winners move on to the Open Cup, and the fourth team to advance will be a wild card — the best second-place team from the above games. If there is a tie for the wild card spot, it will be decided by the Open Cup standings and tie-breaker system (the same tie-breaker system as the D3 League will use.) Here are the five groups:
Group 1 — Colorado Comets, Colorado Springs Stampede, Des Moines Menace, Finger Lakes Desperadoes, Kansas City Brass, Sioux City Breeze.
Group 2 — Detroit Dynamite, Fox River Rebels, Grand Rapids Explosion, Indiana Invaders, Kalamazoo Kingdom, Lansing Locomotive, Mid Michigan Bucks.
Group 3 — Alabama Saints, Bradenton Academics, Central Florida Lionhearts, Cocoa Expos, Jackson Chargers, South Florida Future.
Group 4 — Cascade Surge, Seattle Bigfoot, Spokane Shadow, Yakima Reds.
Group 5 — Central Coast Roadrunners, Northern Arizona Prospectors, San Gabriel Valley Highlanders, Silicon Valley Ambassadors, Southern California Chivas.
FOLLOW THE U.S. OPEN CUP ON WWW.SOCCERAMERICA.COM We will be posting updated standings and results throughout the qualifying competition.
