BRIDGEVIEW, IL (June 22) - U.S. Soccer announced Wednesday the third round possible pairings for the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The nine-time participant and current 2006 defending champion Chicago Fire join the third round on July 15. The “Men in Red” could travel to Cary, N.C. to face the USL First Division Carolina RailHawks at 4:00 p.m. CT, or host the Milwaukee Bavarians of the United States Adult Soccer Association at 3:00 p.m. CT, both for the first time in Open Cup play. The Fire have lifted the Dewar Trophy four times, their latest with a 3-1 Final victory over Los Angeles Galaxy at home in 2006. Geographical pairings and host proposals received from each club determined third round Open Cup match-ups, as they will through the quarterfinals of the tournament.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt. At stake in the tournament is $180,000 in prize money broken down as follows: $100,000 to the champion, $50,000 to the runner up and $10,000 to the team which advances deepest in the tournament from each of the Division II, Division III and amateur levels.
Possible Fire Open Cup Third Round Match-Ups
July 15 :: Chicago Fire (MLS) at Carolina RailHawks (USL-1)
SAS Soccer Park; Cary, N.C. 4:00 p.m. CT
or
July 15 :: Milwaukee Bavarians (USASA) at Chicago Fire (MLS)
TOYOTA PARK; Bridgeview, Ill. 3:00 p.m. CT
For a complete listing of the possible match-ups, visit http://www.usopencup.com/home/189314.html
June 26 Second Round 16 Round 1 winners face off
July 10 Third Round Round 2 winners face eight MLS teams
Aug. 7 Quarterfinals Round 3 winners
Sept. 4 Semifinals Quarterfinal winners
Oct. 2 Final Semifinal winners
Composition of Participating Teams
8 Major League Soccer
9 United Soccer Leagues First Division
7 United Soccer Leagues Second Division
16 Amateur (8 USL Premier Development League, 8 USASA regional qualifiers)
Total Number of Teams: 40
Total Number of Games: 39