By virtue of their 3-0 win last night over the NASL's Jacksonville Armada FC in the Third Round of the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Richmond Kickers of the USL are set to host Columbus Crew SC in the Fourth Round of the historic tournament.
Crew SC's Fourth Round match will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at Richmond City Stadium. The match is scheduled to kick-off at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Columbus enters the tournament in the Fourth Round along with all other United States-based clubs in Major League Soccer. This year, the tournament began with 91 clubs, the highest-ever in the modern era (1995-present) and 11 more sides than the 80 that competed in 2014. The expansion from 80 to 91 teams includes both the largest number of amateur teams (44) in the tournament proper – exceeding the previous record of 42 from last year – as well as the largest contingent of professional clubs (47, surpassing last year’s record of 38).
Columbus was crowned 2002 U.S. Open Cup champion as the Black & Gold defeated the LA Galaxy 1-0 to win the club’s first-ever tournament title in front of its home fans at MAPFRE Stadium on October 24, 2002. The Black & Gold also reached the Open Cup Final in the club’s first appearance in the tournament in 1998 and most recently in 2010.
