2018 U.S. Open Cup
The 103rd edition of America's oldest ongoing soccer competition.
The 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 103rd edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. It is the oldest ongoing competition in the United States and was contested by 97 teams from leagues in the U.S. system.
Quick Facts
- Trophy count
- 0 U.S. Open Cup titles
Lore & Background
The 97 entrants included the 20 American clubs from Major League Soccer and 22 American clubs from the United Soccer League. The qualification tournament, held in 2017, determined the 13 teams from local amateur leagues. The 21 entrants from the Premier Development League and 19 of the 22 from the National Premier Soccer League were determined based on results achieved in those leagues in 2017, with the remaining 3 NPSL spots awarded later via a play-in round. Cash prizes and travel reimbursement costs were also increased for the 2018 edition. Sporting Kansas City was the defending champion but were not able to successfully defend the title, losing in the quarterfinals to FC Dallas. The 2018 tournament initially excluded clubs from the North American Soccer League, which suspended operations for the year, but a decision by the Open Cup Committee in March 2018 allowed for the entry of former NASL clubs Jacksonville Armada FC, Miami FC 2, and New York Cosmos B—which had joined the NPSL for 2018—as part of an added play-in round, which brought the total number of NPSL teams participating in the tournament to 22.
Reader's Guide
The tournament featured a play-in round, first round, second round, third round, fourth round, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. Draws were announced on various dates: play-in round and first round on April 4, second round on April 11, third round on May 14, fourth round on May 24, round of 16 and quarterfinals on June 7, semifinals on July 23. All match times were local to the game site. Cash prizes included $25,000 for advancing furthest from respective divisions, $100,000 for runner-up, and $300,000 for winning the competition.
More in Honours & Records
Elsewhere in LA Galaxy
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced