The participating teams and format for the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup have been announced by U.S. Soccer, with 19 PDL clubs set to participate in the tournament this summer.
Details on locations of play will be featured on this site.
Considered the top developmental league in the United States, the PDL received the most berths of any league outside the professional ranks, as clubs with storied Open Cup histories such as 2014 PDL Champions the Michigan Bucks, Reading United AC and Des Moines Menace will be joined by first-time qualifiers AC Connecticut, Burlingame Dragons FC, Midland/Odessa Sockers FC and SW Florida Adrenaline.
All 19 PDL teams will enter the competition in the first round, set to be played on May 13. The winners will advance for a chance to face USL PRO opposition in the second round, to be played the follow week on May 20.
The 2015 tournament will feature 91 teams, an increase from the 80 that competed last year, marking the largest field in the modern era (1995-present) and the fourth consecutive year where a record has been set. Last season, the Laredo Heat and Orlando City U23 carried the PDL’s flag into the fourth round, where they performed strongly while being eliminated by MLS opposition.
Laredo is among the PDL teams to return to the competition, alongside 2014 conference champions the Jersey Express, Kitsap Pumas and Ocala Stampede. Other sides set to return from last season’s tournament are the Golden State Misioneros, Ventura County Fusion and Western Mass Pioneers.
2014 PDL Organization of the Year FC Tucson, which advanced to face the Houston Dynamo in the 2013 edition of the Open Cup, leads the remaining PDL teams set to compete, with the Seacoast United Phantoms, Long Island Rough Riders, West Virginia Chaos and BYU Cougars all set to return to the competition.
For more details on the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, visit www.ussoccer.com.
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