The Chicago Sockers were an American soccer team that were founded in 1995 as the Chicago Stingers . The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and played at the professional level in the USISL Pro League , USISL Select League and USISL D-3 Pro League until 1999. The club was renamed Sockers and choose to be relegated to the amateur USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid , for the 1999 season.
83-504: The Sockers were one of the most successful amateur teams in the late 1990s, winning three national titles including back-to-back PDL Championships in 1999 and 2000, reaching two divisional playoffs, and getting to both the quarterfinal and semifinal of the US Open Cup prior to 2000. Following the 2000 season, despite being reigning PDL Champions, the Sockers folded. However, the club survives as
166-567: A 1–0 win over heavily favored England , who were amongst the world's best sides at the time. The United States did not reach another World Cup until an upstart team qualified for the 1990 World Cup with the "goal heard around the world" scored by Paul Caligiuri against Trinidad and Tobago , which started the modern era of soccer in the United States. The United States hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup , setting total and average attendance records that still stand, including drawing 94,194 fans to
249-461: A World Cup record. Klinsmann was retained as head coach for the 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle, but was fired in November 2016 after the team had lost the opening two matches of the final qualifying round . Bruce Arena was hired to replace Klinsmann, but the United States finished fifth and were unable to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup . It was the first time the U.S. had failed to qualify for
332-564: A broadcast agreement with ESPN that sees 20 regular season games televised nationally on ESPN2, ESPNews and ESPN Deportes in addition to national broadcast of the USL Championship Final, which in 2019 was aired on both ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes. The league's remaining regular season games are broadcast nationally on ESPN+, with 22 of the Championship's clubs also holding local broadcast agreements. The USL Championship's broadcast agreement
415-500: A hard-fought penalty shootout after a 0 - 0 overtime score. The Sockers came close to a similar upset of an MLS team in the third round but fell short, 1 - 0 to the eventual U.S. Open Cup champion, Chicago Fire. The Chicago Sockers is now a prominent youth soccer program, stationed in Palatine, Illinois. The program is ranked as the fifth best boys youth soccer program by both nationalsoccerranking.com and Soccer America. The Sockers play in
498-510: A qualifying tournament or were selected based on league standings. A rule change enacted in 2016 removed U.S. Open Cup entries for teams that were majority-owned by another team in a higher tier, which mostly affected USL Championship teams operated by MLS as reserve or developmental squads. The first round of the 2020 edition was suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The tournament
581-479: A quarterfinal appearance in the 2002 World Cup , defeating rivals Mexico in the Round of 16 before losing to eventual runners-up Germany . At the 2006 edition of the tournament, the U.S. failed to qualify for a knockout round with two losses and a draw in the group stage. Arena's contract was not renewed following the tournament; former assistant Bob Bradley was hired as head coach in 2007. The U.S. qualified for
664-437: A simple coin toss to decide which team hosts each match for most rounds. When the draw has more than two teams involved, such as the fourth round, U.S. Soccer uses a sealed envelope system. Four envelopes are opened, the first and second are home one and two followed by away one and two. This can be modified due to teams not applying to host and previous round winners not being able to be paired against each other. The following
747-532: A women's sports event, to a sold-out Rose Bowl . After neither team scored in regulation or extra time, the final went to a penalty shootout , which the United States won 5–4. The celebration by Brandi Chastain after she converted the winning penalty, in which she took off her shirt, is one of the more famous images in U.S. women's sports. U.S. Soccer Federation oversees and promotes the development of 14 youth national teams: U.S. Soccer Federation had ceased operations on its youth national team programming with
830-565: A youth soccer organization under the same name. The Sockers played their home games at Olympic Park in the village of Schaumburg, Illinois , a suburb of Chicago . The team's colors were blue and white. The Chicago Stingers were founded in 1995 as a professional club to play in the USL. The club played in various transitional professional leagues in the USL, including the USISL Pro League , USISL Select League and USISL D-3 Pro League , which at
913-606: Is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States . Headquartered in Chicago , the federation is a full member of FIFA and governs American soccer at the international, professional, and amateur levels, including: the men's and women's national teams, Major League Soccer , National Women's Soccer League , youth organizations, beach soccer , futsal , Paralympic , and deaf national teams. U.S. Soccer sanctions referees and soccer tournaments for most soccer leagues in
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#1732841738221996-588: Is a member of the worldwide soccer body FIFA and the North American soccer body CONCACAF , and also has a relationship with the U.S. Olympic Committee and the International Olympic Committee . The federation convenes an annual meeting, usually held in February. Every four years, the annual meeting's attendees hold an election for the federation's president and vice president. USSF recognizes
1079-545: Is a table of the leading career goal scorers in the U.S Open Cup during the modern professional era (1995–present). ESPN+ had exclusive broadcast rights for the 2019 and 2022 Open Cups. Prior to 2019, the tournament had little broadcast exposure, with the final and select matches being broadcast on ESPN networks and all other matches streamed through the USSF's YouTube channel. On March 1, 2022, U.S. Soccer and Turner Sports announced an 8-year exclusive multimedia rights deal for
1162-633: Is composed of 14 teams based in the U.S. Two professional, top-division leagues preceded the NWSL: the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), which featured many players from the 1999 FIFA Women's Cup-winning team (as well as other national teams), ran from 2001 to 2003 and Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) ran from 2009 to 2011. Two second-division leagues currently exist: United Women's Soccer began play in May 2016 and as of 2020 features 30 teams in five conferences and
1245-595: Is considered the most successful in international women's soccer. The team finished second in 2011 and third in 1995 , 2003 , and 2007 . It has won Olympic gold medals at the 1996, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics. In addition, it has won ten titles at the Algarve Cup and nine at the CONCACAF Women's Championship , the qualifying tournament for the FIFA Women's World Cup. The inaugural FIFA Women's World Cup
1328-648: The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa by winning the CONCACAF qualifying tournament . At the World Cup, the Americans were undefeated in the group stage but were eliminated in the round of 16 by a loss to Ghana . Bradley was dismissed following the 2011 Gold Cup , which the United States lost 4–2 to Mexico in the final. The U.S. entered the 2014 FIFA World Cup under Jürgen Klinsmann , who had led Germany to third place in
1411-447: The 2022 FIFA World Cup , the United States had rosters with an average age of under 24 years old; the team finished 7–3–4 during the final round and qualified for the World Cup. Berhalter used the second-youngest roster at the World Cup with only DeAndre Yedlin retained from a previous World Cup team. The United States finished second in their group with a win against Iran and ties with England and Wales . The team were eliminated in
1494-514: The American Soccer Pyramid took part in the competition proper, with each league narrowing its delegation separately in the spring before the competition officially began in the summer. In some cases, additional teams played in qualifying rounds to gain entry. One example was found with MLS clubs, as only the top six from the previous regular season received automatic bids, while the bottom U.S.-based MLS teams faced each other to qualify for
1577-749: The Kansas City , Portland , Seattle , and Washington, D.C. markets with the Portland team run by the Portland Timbers of MLS. The NWSL expanded to nine teams for 2014 by adding the Houston Dash , run by the Houston Dynamo of MLS. In 2016, it expanded to 10 with the addition of another MLS-backed team, the Orlando Pride . Ahead of the 2017 season, A&E Networks announced it had taken an equity stake in
1660-561: The U.S. Open Cup ( USOC ), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held during the 1913–1914 season as the National Challenge Cup , with Brooklyn Field Club winning a trophy donated by Thomas Dewar for the promotion of American soccer. It was renamed and dedicated to North American Soccer League (NASL) and Major League Soccer (MLS) executive Lamar Hunt by
1743-540: The U.S. Open Cup , the oldest continuous national soccer competition in the United States. Since 1914, the competition has been open to all U.S. Soccer affiliated clubs, and currently pits teams from all five levels of the American soccer pyramid against each other each year, similarly to England's FA Cup . The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is the professional, top-division league in North America and as of 2024,
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#17328417382211826-484: The United States Adult Soccer Association , and US Club Soccer . The qualifying rounds have evolved over the years. Amateur and lower-league teams play in months leading up to the formal tournament rounds, with qualifying winners advancing to face USL clubs in geographical pairings in what most recently has been termed the "second round". The winner of each match progresses to the next round and
1909-635: The United States Soccer Federation in 1999 . In its current format, the U.S Open Cup is contested by approximately 100 clubs from the professional leagues sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation – Major League Soccer (MLS), the United Soccer League's Championship and League One divisions, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), and MLS Next Pro – as well as amateur clubs in
1992-609: The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), started in 1997, features over 115 teams across the United States and Canada (the largest women's soccer league in the world as of 2020). Previously, the USL W-League was a semi-professional league that ran from 1995 to 2015 and featured a mix of college students and international players. On November 21, 2012, U.S. Soccer, in conjunction with the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and Mexican Football Federation (FMF), announced
2075-404: The final . The United States made a surprising run to the second round in 1994, but finished last among the 32 teams in the 1998 World Cup . The tournament was marred by poor team chemistry and leadership, which led head coach Steve Sampson to resign. Sampson was replaced by Bruce Arena , a two-time MLS Cup winner with D.C. United , in 1998. Arena led a mix of veterans and youth players to
2158-495: The 2006 World Cup and had lived in the United States for several years. Klinsmann recruited dual national players, particularly Germans with American heritage, and favored youth in his rosters; this included his exclusion of Landon Donovan from the World Cup roster. The U.S. finished second in the " Group of Death " (eventual champion Germany, Ghana , and Portugal ) and advanced to the round of 16, where they lost to Belgium in extra time after goalkeeper Tim Howard 's 16 saves set
2241-425: The 2020 season, with the league divided into two conferences, Eastern and Western. The USLC is the world's largest Division II professional league by number of teams. Since 2014, valuation of USL Championship clubs have increased five-fold. In revenue, 2018 Championship clubs saw a 28% increase over 2017 numbers on an average of ticketing, sponsorship, merchandise, and ancillary revenue generation. The USLC also holds
2324-633: The CSA committing to paying 16 players and FMF pledging support for at least 12 and possibly as many as 16. In addition, U.S. Soccer housed the league's front office for the first four years, and scheduled matches to avoid any possible conflict with international tournaments. Four of the league's charter teams had WPS ties—the Boston Breakers , Chicago Red Stars , Sky Blue FC , and the Western New York Flash . The other four initial teams were located in
2407-482: The Development Center received final approval from the local governments. U.S. Soccer agreed to a 20-year lease, with the project set to break ground in 2016 and finishing some time in 2017. In September 2023, U.S. Soccer announced they were moving from Chicago to a new headquarters and training center south of Atlanta , which will be partially funded by Arthur Blank , cofounder of The Home Depot and owner of
2490-549: The MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy . Additionally, four grass soccer fields, a FieldTurf soccer field and a general training area are specifically dedicated to U.S. Soccer. Both the senior and youth men's and women's U.S. national teams hold regular camps at Dignity Health Sports Park. U.S. Soccer was also exploring a possibility of building the National Training and Coaching Development Center in Kansas City, Kansas . On April 9, 2015,
2573-625: The NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’s Atlanta United . In December 2023, U.S. Soccer announced they had chosen a site for the new national training center in Fayette County, Georgia . The 200-acre (81 ha) site is scheduled to be developed and opened prior to the 2026 FIFA World Cup ; it is in the same metropolitan area as the headquarters of Coca-Cola , one of the founding partners for the training center. The new training center will be named after Arthur Blank to honor his involvement in
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2656-772: The Northern Illinois Soccer League (NISL), U.S. Soccer Development Academy and the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL). The program has won several national championships and has sent several players to the US Men's National Team and top professional clubs in Major League Soccer and abroad. These players include Jonathan Spector , Michael Bradley , Jay DeMerit , Mike Magee , Will Johnson , Michael Stephens and Bryan Namoff . US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup , commonly known as
2739-517: The Open Cup since the Rochester Rhinos in 1999, and the most recent lower division team to reach the final was Sacramento Republic FC in 2022 . The most recent champions of the competition, Los Angeles FC , won their first title after defeating Sporting Kansas City in the 2024 final . From 1996 to 2023, MLS teams had participated in every Open Cup competition. The 2022 U.S. Open Cup marked
2822-799: The PDL, finishing second in the Great Lakes Division and defeating the Spokane Shadow 3–1 in the PDL Championship. The Sockers were Champions again in 2000 after a move to the Heartland Division, finishing first in the regular season and defeating the Mid-Michigan Bucks 1–0 in the Championship final. In 2000, the Sockers, also made an impressive run in the 2000 U.S. Open Cup . The PDL amateur club defeated an MLS side, Kansas City Wizards, in
2905-629: The U.S. It dropped the word football from its name in 1974 to become known as the United States Soccer Federation. U.S. Soccer has hosted several global soccer tournaments, including the 1994 FIFA World Cup , the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup , and the Summer Olympic football tournaments in 1984 and 1996 . Originally based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. Soccer headquarters were moved to Chicago in 1991 under
2988-418: The U.S. Open Cup starting in the 2024 edition , instead opting to send their MLS Next Pro teams. However, on December 20, 2023, U.S. Soccer announced that they had denied MLS the necessary waiver to allow affiliated MLS Next Pro teams to play in the tournament. A compromise announced on March 1, 2024, allowed eight MLS teams to participate with senior squads and eleven to be represented by MLS Next Pro teams;
3071-657: The U.S. Open Cup. The competition is a single-elimination tournament that has been contested by at least 80 teams since the 2014 edition . This pool consists of the American clubs in the professional leagues , which are Major League Soccer , the league now known as the USL Championship , USL League One and National Independent Soccer Association as well as amateur teams from the Premier Development League (now USL League Two ), National Premier Soccer League ,
3154-417: The U.S. as Open Cup champion was 2007's winner, New England Revolution . Starting in 2016, lower-division professional clubs owned by higher-division professional clubs are no longer eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup. This removed the MLS reserve clubs in USL from the 2016 competition, after issues of clubs holding back players from their USL sides in 2015 in order to keep them eligible to play for
3237-591: The USL Championship as a Division II league it would start a new tier in its professional structure , which became USL League One , and seek Division III certification for the 2019 season. The league received sanctioning in December 2018 and conducted a successful first season in 2019 that saw 10 teams compete in a single-table format and North Texas SC claim its inaugural league title. The seven independent clubs averaged 2,496 fans per match in 2019, placing League One in
3320-570: The United States men's and women's national teams. Cindy Parlow Cone, president of U.S. Soccer, confirmed in a separate interview that the new deal would include the Open Cup. Early round U.S. Open Cup matches will air on the Bleacher Report app and the Bleacher Report Football YouTube channel. United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation ( USSF ), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer ,
3403-479: The United States are the United Premier Soccer League , National Premier Soccer League and Ligas Unidas . In addition to MLS and the USL, the United States Adult Soccer Association governs amateur soccer competition for adults throughout the United States, which is effectively the amateur fifth-division of soccer in the United States. The USASA sanctions regional tournaments that allow entry into
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3486-458: The United States in the early 1900s. While U.S. Soccer had initially administered the competition, in 1985 they handed over management to the USASA. In 1995, U.S. Soccer resumed its administration of the competition. Maccabee Los Angeles of California and Bethlehem Steel of Pennsylvania both won the cup a record five times, while Greek American AA of New York and Seattle Sounders FC are tied for
3569-517: The United States is the USL League Two, which as of 2015 is expected to have 58 U.S. teams, and six Canadian teams. Though League Two does have some paid players, it also has many teams that are made up entirely or almost entirely of college soccer players who use the league as an opportunity to play competitive soccer in front of professional scouts during the summer, while retaining amateur status and NCAA eligibility. Other fourth-division leagues in
3652-686: The United States. The U.S. Soccer Federation also administers and operates the U.S. Open Cup and the SheBelieves Cup . U.S. Soccer was originally known as the United States Football Association . It formed on April 5, 1913, at the Astor House Hotel in Lower Manhattan , and on August 15 of that year was accepted as one of the earliest member organizations of FIFA and the first from North and Central America. The affiliation
3735-626: The World Cup since 1986 . Arena resigned following the qualification campaign and was replaced by Dave Sarachan , who was interim coach during the search for a permanent head coach. Sarachan's year-long tenure included the introduction of several young players to replace veterans who had resigned following the 2018 qualification cycle. Columbus Crew coach Gregg Berhalter was selected and hired as head coach in December 2018; his rosters rely mostly on younger players who had played in MLS academies or were developed by teams in Europe. During qualification for
3818-471: The ages of five and 19, while American Youth Soccer Organization has more than 300,000 players between the ages of four and 19. This makes soccer one of the most played sports by children in the United States. The professional first-division league in North America is Major League Soccer , which as of the 2023 season has 26 teams in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The league began an aggressive expansion in 2017, with
3901-504: The creation of the NASL which applied for and was awarded by USSF second division status. The 2010 season was played as a combined USL/NASL league format before NASL officially separated in 2011. USL League One is sanctioned at the Men's Division III level. In March 2017, United Soccer League , administrator of the USL Championship and USL League Two , announced following the successful sanctioning of
3984-485: The earlier rounds of the tournament that qualify through their respective leagues. The overall champion is awarded $ 300,000 in prize money and a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup , while the runner-up receives $ 100,000, and the furthest-advancing team from each lower-division league receives $ 25,000. MLS teams have dominated the competition since the league began play in 1996. No lower division team has won
4067-666: The exception of the U-23, U-20, and U-17 teams on the men's side and the U-20 and U-17 teams on the women's side due to the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020. As of March 2023, U.S. Soccer Federation supervises nine extended national teams across the disciplines of beach soccer , CP soccer , deaf soccer , futsal , and power soccer . Men's coaches Women's coaches Extended teams' coaches Technical staff Referee programs staff Referee development staff Despite
4150-587: The final of the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup . Berhalter was fired in July 2024 following the team's group-stage exit at the 2024 Copa América and replaced in September 2024 by Mauricio Pochettino , an Argentinian manager with experience in European leagues. The United States will co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico after their joint bid was selected over Morocco by FIFA in 2018. The tournament will be
4233-579: The first World Cup to feature 48 teams. The United States will also host the 2024 Copa América , the championship of South American teams; it will be the second Copa América to be played in the United States following the Copa América Centenario in 2016. The United States did not automatically qualify as hosts, but earned a spot through their performance in the 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League . Having won four FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments— 1991 , 1999 , 2015 , and 2019 —the United States
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#17328417382214316-529: The first round of the Cup, with the winners meeting all 16 USL Pro and NASL teams in the second round. The 16 U.S.-based MLS teams entered in the third round. In 2013 the competition was expanded to 68 teams. All U.S.-based Division I, II and III teams participated in the tournament proper: 16 from Major League Soccer, six from the North American Soccer League and 12 from USL PRO. The remaining 34 spots in
4399-483: The following members: The United States men's national team was assembled in 1885 to play Canada in the first international match held outside the United Kingdom. The team was invited to the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 and qualified for the World Cup in 1934 , finishing third place (semifinals) in 1930 out of 13 teams participating. In 1950 the United States scored one of its most surprising victories with
4482-568: The formation of a new professional league for the 2013 season. The league, unnamed at the time of the initial announcement but later unveiled as the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), launched in April 2013 with eight teams. Like WUSA and WPS, NWSL teams are privately owned with some owned by existing MLS teams. The American and Canadian federations pay the salaries for many of their respective national team members. U.S. Soccer initially committed to funding up to 24 national team members, with
4565-457: The goal of adding at least eight clubs. That effort has resulted in the addition of the following nine clubs: Atlanta United FC (2017), Minnesota United FC (2017), Los Angeles FC (2018), FC Cincinnati (2019), Inter Miami CF (2020), Nashville SC (2020), Austin FC (2021), Charlotte FC (2022), and St. Louis City SC (2023). The league operates as a single-entity league, which means MLS, and not
4648-472: The growth of men's and women's professional soccer in the United States in the last few decades, by far the largest category of soccer in the United States, at least in terms of participation, is youth soccer. Though organized locally by organizations all over the United States, there are two main youth soccer organizations working nationwide through affiliated local associations. The United States Youth Soccer Association boasts over three million players between
4731-443: The individual teams, holds the contracts on players. The one sanctioned second-division men's outdoor soccer league is the USL Championship (USLC). Previously, the second North American Soccer League had second-division status, sharing it with the USL in the 2017 season, but the NASL was denied second-division sanctioning for 2018 due to considerable instability in the league; the league effectively folded at that time. The USLC
4814-509: The leadership of former Secretary General, Hank Steinbrecher Called U.S. Soccer House, it is currently located in two refurbished mansions at 1801 South Prairie Avenue in Chicago. In 2003, U.S. Soccer opened their National Training Center at Dignity Health Sports Park (then named Home Depot Center) in Carson, California . The $ 130 million facility includes a soccer-specific stadium , home to
4897-579: The league and Lifetime would begin broadcasting games to a national television audience. As of 2017 , additional expansion teams were being discussed by Los Angeles FC , Vancouver Whitecaps FC , and FC Barcelona , but none of these have yet materialized. Several league changes occurred in advance of the 2017 season. First, FMF and U.S. Soccer amicably ended their partnership following FMF's establishment of its own women's professional league, Liga MX Femenil . The Western New York Flash ceased fully professional operations (though retaining its youth and, for
4980-521: The loser is eliminated from the tournament. Most MLS clubs now enter play in the third round, played in April, matched geographically with the winners of the second round. The highest eight ranked MLS teams enter in the Round of 32 in May. Pairings in each round are done by draw within geographic areas, until a final bracket of 4 teams each in 4 geographic regions is established. After the fourth round, no new teams are introduced, leading to quarterfinals in June,
5063-467: The modern era were the Richmond Kickers of the USISL (the predecessor to the A-League, later known as the USL First Division , USL Pro, United Soccer League, and now as the USL Championship ) in 1995, one year before the start of MLS. D.C. United were the first MLS team to win in 1996. The tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 2012 with all MLS teams in the United States receiving an automatic berth; previously, MLS participants were determined through
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#17328417382215146-425: The move. There are currently temporary offices for U.S. Soccer in Fayette County at Town Trilith where Trilith Studios is located. U.S. Soccer is governed by a board of directors that administers the affairs of U.S. Soccer. Cindy Parlow Cone , former 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup champion and long-time U.S. Soccer administrator, became president in March 2020 following the resignation of Carlos Cordeiro . JT Batson
5229-476: The official title of the tournament to the "Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup". The winners of the tournament were awarded the Dewar Cup , donated by Sir Thomas Dewar for the promotion of soccer in the United States in 1912, until it was retired due to poor condition in 1979. It was brought back into use by the United States Adult Soccer Association in 1997, but is now back on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas , and
5312-437: The old NASL, had no salary cap and players were contracted by the individual teams. The season was a split format (similar to that of many leagues in Latin America ) that features seven teams, including one Puerto Rican team. Previous to the reorganization of the NASL in 2009, the USL First Division operated as the professional second-division league in the United States. However, a dispute among its teams and ownership led to
5395-425: The parent MLS club. Players are only allowed to play for one club in any US Open Cup season. Amateur clubs remain eligible to enter even if they are owned by professional clubs. Initially, "hybrid affiliate" clubs—i.e., lower-division professional clubs that are staffed but not owned by higher-division clubs—also remained eligible, but those clubs were also banned effective with the 2016 competition. This last change
5478-409: The recent winners of the tournament have been awarded a new, different trophy. Despite this, the name of each winning club is still added to the base of the original Dewar Cup. 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
5561-406: The record for most consecutive cup victories at three. 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 Rhinos of the 2nd division A-League 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
5644-526: The remaining two MLS slots. Beginning in 2012, the competition was expanded from its previous 40 teams to 64, with the qualifying process radically changed. The National Premier Soccer League received six places, plus the possibility of a seventh in a playoff against a team from the amateur US Club Soccer setup. Nine clubs from the USASA earned places, as did 16 USL Premier Development League teams. Each of these organizations has its own qualifying process to determine its entrants. These 32 teams competed in
5727-400: The return of the competition after the 2020 and 2021 tournaments were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic , ending 106 years of consecutive play. On December 15, 2023, MLS announced that affiliated reserve teams from MLS Next Pro would be sent in place of MLS teams for the 2024 edition. U.S. Soccer subsequently denied the request, ruling that MLS teams must compete in the 2024 edition of
5810-400: The round of 16 by the Netherlands . Berhalter's contract was renewed in June 2023 following an investigation by U.S. Soccer into allegations of domestic abuse from a 1991 incident. During his absence from the team, two assistant coaches served as interim coaches. B.J. Callaghan , the second interim coach, led the United States to a second CONCACAF Nations League title but failed to reach
5893-444: The semifinal round in August, and a final match to determine the champion in September. Every match, including the final, lasts 90 minutes plus any additional stoppage time . If no clear winner has been determined after 90 minutes of normal time, 30 minutes of extra time is played. If the score is still level after extra time then the winner is decided by a penalty shoot-out . Through the 2011 edition, eight teams from each level of
5976-554: The teams participating in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup will not send teams to the Open Cup. The eight MLS participants are defending Open Cup champions Houston Dynamo and the seven highest-ranked teams in the 2023 regular season standings who did not qualify for the Champions Cup. D.C. United will not send a representative due to their lack of a MLS Next Pro affiliate. Through the 2010 U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer used sealed bids to award home matches. From 2011, U.S. Soccer uses
6059-431: The time represented the second or third tier of professional soccer in the American soccer pyramid under Major League Soccer (MLS). For the 1999 season , the club was renamed Chicago FC Sockers (or Chicago Sockers ) and relegated itself to the amateur USL Premier Development League (PDL), considered the top national amateur league and the fourth tier in the pyramid. The Sockers had a very successful first season in
6142-422: The top three of Division III leagues globally, and the league has expanded to include 12 teams for its second season in 2020, with further expansion expected prior to the 2021 season. National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) led by former Chicago Fire general manager Peter Wilt plans on fielding 8–10 teams in 2018 and has stated that it will seek third-division certification. A fourth-division league in
6225-618: The tournament field were filled by amateur teams from the Adult Council category–16 from the Premier Development League, eight from U.S. Adult Soccer Association regional qualifying, eight from the National Premier Soccer League, one from US Club Soccer and one from the United States Specialty Sports Association . The process for determining the site for the Open Cup tournament semifinals and final
6308-480: Was canceled entirely in August 2020, with all qualified teams automatically qualified for the following year ; however, the 2021 Open Cup was canceled as well, due to schedule congestion as an effect of the pandemic. The tournament resumed in 2022 with 71 professional clubs out of a total field of 103, both modern-era records. On December 15, 2023, Major League Soccer announced that its teams would no longer enter in
6391-430: Was changed in 2013. In past years, the sites for the final three matches of the tournament had been determined through a sealed-bid process, but in 2013 the hosts of those games were determined by a coin flip. Home teams throughout the entire tournament were determined by random selection. Since 2008, the champion of the U.S. Open Cup has earned the right to play in the CONCACAF Champions Cup . The first team to represent
6474-529: Was held in 1991 in China. The U.S. women's national team was the first team to win the prize after beating Norway in the final. In 1999, the United States hosted the FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time. During their tournament run, the women's national team established a new level of popularity for the women's game, culminating in a final against China that drew 90,185 fans, an all-time attendance record for
6557-408: Was made possible in large part by a major investment by USL with league technology partner Vista Worldlink to establish a USL Broadcast Center out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The second NASL had no official tie to the former NASL that operated from 1968 to 1984, although some of the teams shared names with their historic counterparts. Unlike MLS that is a single-entity operation, the second NASL, like
6640-458: Was named chief executive officer and secretary general in September 2022. U.S. Soccer members are individuals and affiliate organizations. The national council is the representative membership body of the federation. It elects the president and vice president, amends the bylaws, approves the budgets, decides on policies adopted by the board, and affirms actions of the Board. The non-profit organization
6723-604: Was originally provisional but during FIFA Congress in Oslo, Norway on June 24, 1914, the USFA, as it was abbreviated at the time, was accepted as a full FIFA member. The governing body of the sport in the United States added the word soccer to its name in 1945, when it became the United States Soccer Football Association ; by this point, football as a standalone word had come to define a totally different sport in
6806-409: Was proposed by the Houston Dynamo , which were the senior club to Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in the first such arrangement in the U.S. game; that arrangement ended after the 2021 season, and those two teams would be drawn against each other in 2022. The competition dates back to 1913–1914, when it was known as the "National Challenge Cup". In 1999, U.S. Soccer honored patron Lamar Hunt by changing
6889-507: Was sanctioned as the United States' lone Division II men's outdoor soccer league in 2018. Formed in 2010 as a result of the merger of the former USL First Division and USL Second Division , the USL Championship was sanctioned as Division III league from 2011 to 2016 before becoming provisionally sanctioned as a Division II league for 2017, and receiving full Division II sanctioning in 2018. The USL Championship has expanded almost three-fold since its first season in 2011 to include 35 teams in
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