Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
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| Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup | |
 2008 U.S. Open Cup |
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| Founded | 1914 |
| Number of teams | 40 |
| Leagues competing | MLS USL USASA |
| Holders | New England Revolution (2007) |
| Most titles | Bethlehem Steel F.C. & Maccabi Los Angeles (5) |
| Website | USOpenCup.com |
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation (USSF) affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams all the way up to the top professional clubs of Major League Soccer.
The competition dates back to 1914, when it was known as the National Challenge Cup. At some point, the competition became known as the U.S. Open Cup though the date and reasons for the name change are unknown. In 1999, USSF honored one of American soccer's most important patrons, Lamar Hunt, by changing the official title of the tournament to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The winners of the Cup are currently awarded the Dewar Cup, donated by Sir Thomas Dewar for the promotion of soccer in America in 1912. The Cup was retired in 1979, but brought back into use by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) in 1997, and is on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York.
The National Challenge Cup was the first truly national cup competition in the United States, as previous cups had been effectively relegated to regional status by the difficulties in coordination and travel caused by the size of the United States in the early 1900s. While USSF had initially administered the competition, at some point they handed over management to USASA. In 1995, USSF resumed its administration of the competition.[1]
Maccabi Los Angeles and Bethlehem Steel F.C. of Pennsylvania have both won the cup a record five times, while Greek American AA of New York hold the record for most consecutive cup victories at three. Most of these records are likely to fall over time, now that Major League Soccer offers a fully-professional league, and its teams typically dominate the competition. The old NASL did not participate in the Open Cup.
Since MLS' debut in 1996, MLS clubs have won the cup in all but one of those years. The Rochester Raging Rhinos of the 2nd division A-League (now the USL First Division) were surprise winners in 1999, defeating four MLS clubs, including the Colorado Rapids 2-0 in the championship match. The first professional team to win in the modern era were the Richmond Kickers of the USISL (the current USL First Division) in 1995, one year before the start of MLS. D.C. United were the first MLS team to win in 1996.
Currently, eight teams from each level of the American Soccer Pyramid take part in the competition proper, with each league narrowing its delegation separately in the spring before the competition officially begins in the summer. In some cases, additional teams play in qualifying rounds to gain entry. One example is found with MLS clubs, as only the top six from the previous regular season get an automatic bid, while the bottom six US-based MLS teams face each other to qualify for the remaining two MLS slots.
Contents |
[edit] Winners
[edit] Finalists
[edit] References
- ^ USASA
- ^ New York Yankees playing as Fall River Marksmen due to registrstion issue
[edit] MLS team results
| Championships | Finals | Appearances | MLS team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 times | 5 times | 10 times | Chicago Fire |
| 2 times | 4 times | 9 times | Los Angeles Galaxy |
| 1 time | 3 times | 12 times | FC Dallas |
| 1 time | 2 times | 10 times | D.C. United |
| 1 time | 2 times | 9 times | Columbus Crew |
| 1 time | 2 times | 8 times | New England Revolution |
| 1 time | 1 time | 10 times | Kansas City Wizards |
| 0 times | 1 time | 11 times | Colorado Rapids |
| 0 times | 1 time | 10 times | New York Red Bulls/Metrostars |
| 0 times | 1 time | 3 times | Miami Fusion (folded) |
| 0 times | 0 times | 8 times | San Jose Earthquakes |
| 0 times | 0 times | 3 times | Chivas USA |
| 0 times | 0 times | 2 times | Houston Dynamo |
| 0 times | 0 times | 2 times | Real Salt Lake |
| 0 times | 0 times | 6 times | Tampa Bay Mutiny (folded) |
Being a Canadian team, Toronto FC is ineligible for entry.
[edit] External links
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | ||||
| 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 |
| 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 |
| 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 |
| 1950 | 1951 | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
| 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
| 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
