SANDY, Utah (Thursday, June 1, 2017) – Real Salt Lake’s entry into 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup begins with a fourth-round match on Wednesday, June 14 at Papa Murphy’s Park in Sacramento, Calif., against the USL Republic, which won 2-0 last night over Reno 1868 to earn the right to host RSL.
Real Salt Lake – one of 19 Major League Soccer clubs to enter this year’s LHUSOC at the fourth round stage – has seen recent success in the Open Cup, reaching the tournament final in 2013 and the semifinal in 2015, but has yet to lift the trophy. Including MLS “qualifiers” or “play-in” games from 2007-10, RSL’s all-time record in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup contests is 11-11-3. All-time, RSL has outscored opponents 44-42 in LHUSOC competition.
Major League Soccer sides have won each of the last 17 Open Cup titles, each earning a berth into the subsequent year’s CONCACAF Champions League. Last year, RSL defeated the Wilmington Hammerheads in a shootout at Rio Tinto Stadium in the fourth round before falling to Seattle Sounders FC in a fifth-round shootout.
Two years ago, RSL was eliminated from contention at the Semifinal stage by eventual champion Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park. RSL won three consecutive home matches prior to the semifinal trip to Kansas, downing the Seattle Sounders’ USL affiliate prior to eliminating two long-time Western Conference rivals, Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy.
The 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup began with a modern-era record 99 teams in a single-elimination, bracket-style format. Upon completion of the fourth round, the 16 remaining clubs will be placed in a fixed bracket and divided geographically (regardless of league affiliation) into groups of four. A random draw on June 15 will then determine the fifth-round pairings within each group.
2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule
- Fourth Round: June 13/14
- Round of 16: June 27/28
- Quarterfinals: July 10/11
- Semifinals: Aug. 9
- Final: Sept. 20
The 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion will receive $250,000 as well as a spot in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. The winner will also hoist the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in U.S. team sports. This year's runner-up will take $60,000, and the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will receive $15,000.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup serves as U.S. Soccer's national club championship and is open to all amateur and professional teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 103 straight years dating back to 1914.
