CHICAGO, IL–Last month, US Soccer announced a condensed US Open Cup for 2021 and in the event that a contingency plan has to be enacted due to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), the allocations of teams would be halved and the competition would start with the Round of 16. That contingency plan was enacted on Monday.
“After meeting with the Committee and listening to our members and our medical professionals, it became clear that the difficulties of staging the Opening Round given the current environment made the decision to not play the correct one, as we will always prioritize the health and safety of the players and staff first,” said U.S. Open Cup Commissioner Paul Marstaller. “We will continue to monitor the situation and hope for more positive news in three weeks as it relates to the Round of 16. Crowning a champion in the most history-filled soccer competition in the USA, something we missed doing in 2020 for the first time in 107 years, is an annual highlight in the U.S. Soccer calendar that we always look forward to.”
In order to narrow down from the 101 sides eligible for the tournament, the Open Cup Committee approved the methods for determining the 16 teams who will participate in the 2021 competition. The methods, by division, are as follows:
- Division I (8 slots) – Top eight USA-based Major League Soccer clubs from 2021 regular season play based on average standings points per game as of May 3 (after three weekends of action)
- Division II (4 slots) – USL Championship 2020 semifinal playoff teams: El Paso Locomotive FC, Louisville City FC, Phoenix Rising FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Division III (2 slots) – National Independent Soccer Association 2020 Fall Champion Detroit City FC, USL League One 2020 Regular Season Champion Greenville Triumph SC
- Open Division (2 slots) – Random draw to be conducted on April 7 to include the following:
- One Open Division Local Qualifier drawn randomly from among 12 eligible
- One National Premier Soccer League team drawn randomly from among 13 eligible
- One USL League Two team drawn randomly from among 10 eligible
- 2019 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup champion Newtown Pride FC (Conn.)
The 16 participating teams will be pooled on a geographic basis into groups of four, with each quartet consisting of two MLS teams and two lower division sides. If multiple options are available for creating the groups, the composition will be determined by random selection. A draw will be conducted within each group so that each MLS team is paired against a lower division club. Teams that apply to host having a venue that meets minimum requirements will have hosting priority. In the Round of 16, each MLS side will face a lower division side. All Open Cup matches will continue to be streamed on ESPN+.
The draw for the Open Division sides will take place on April 7th. There is also an April 19th deadline to confirm the conditions for a 16-team tournament. If they cannot be met, then the tournament will be cancelled for a second straight year. Should they be met, the draw for both the Round of 16 and quarterfinals will take place on May 4th with the former taking place on May 17th and 18th. The final is still set for June 29th or 30th.
The 2021 US Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy. Atlanta United are still the current holders winning the Cup in 2019.
