SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake learned on Wednesday that it will host a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third-round match at Rio Tinto Stadium at 7:30 p.m. MT on Tuesday, May 28.
RSL will play the winner of the second-round matchup between the North American Soccer League’s (NASL) Atlanta Silverbacks and the National Premier Soccer League’s (NPSL) Georgia Revolution. The fourth-tier Revolution will host the second-division Silverbacks next Tuesday, May 21 in suburban Atlanta.
The May 28 U.S. Open Cup match is included in the Real Salt Lake 2013 season ticket package as Bonus Game A. RSL “PRIDE” Season Ticket Holders can purchase additional seats for $10. Tickets to the general public will go on sale today and can be purchased at the Rio Tinto Stadium box office, online at www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets or over the phone at 801-727-2700. Visit www.RealSaltLake.com/Tickets for more details on the special pricing for tickets to the match.
RSL was bounced out of the Open Cup in the third-round last year, losing 3-1 to the NASL’s Minnesota Stars in front of a record-setting crowd of 17,212 at Rio Tinto Stadium on May 29, 2012. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s best Open Cup finishes came in 2006 and 2011, when the Utah side advanced to the Quarterfinals of the tournament.
Real Salt Lake is 5-8-0 all-time in U.S. Open Cup play, scoring 21 goals and conceding 27 in the tournament. RSL is 2-2-0 against lower division teams in Open Cup action, with both losses coming against Minnesota. Members of the Claret-and-Cobalt have had success in the Open Cup away from RSL, with two players and five members of the technical staff lifting the Dewar Cup a combined 10 times while with other teams.
The winner of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will be granted a berth in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League tournament. Real Salt Lake competed in the 2010-11 and the 2012-13 editions of the CCL, becoming the first – and still only – MLS club to reach the final in 2011 before falling out of the continental tournament in the Group Stage last October. Participation in MLS Cup 2013 and claiming the MLS Supporters’ Shield as the regular season points leader would provide alternate routes for qualification into the 2014-15 CCL.
Now in its 100th year of competition, the Lamar Hunt U.S Open Cup is an annual, single-elimination competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. This year’s tournament proper kicked off on Tuesday with 15 first-round matches contested across the country, with 11 of those games won by the home side. The tournament will continue next Tuesday, May 21 with the 32-team second-round, with the 16 winners set to meet the 16 American MLS sides in the third-round on May 28 and 29. The U.S. Open Cup fourth-round will be held on June 12, followed by the Quarterfinals on June 26, the Semifinals on Aug. 7 or 21 and the Final on Oct. 1 or 2.
Along with a berth into the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League, the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup winner will receive a $250,000 cash prize from U.S. Soccer. The runner-up will collect $60,000 and the team that advances the furthest from each lower division league will win $15,000.
For more information on the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, including a full list of all third-round possible pairings, visit www.USsoccer.com or www.TheCup.us.
Real Salt Lake will close out a three-game MLS road trip on Sunday, when it will take on Western Conference foe Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center. Sunday’s match will kickoff at 8:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast live on CW30, ESPN 700 AM, 102.3 La Gran D FM/1600 AM. CW30 will air the 30-minute Ford Postgame Show immediately following the match; ESPN 700 will air an hour-long pregame show starting at 7:30 p.m. MT and an hour-long postgame show after the final whistle.
Purchase tickets for the May 28th US Open Cup event HERE.
