102 years ago, the Brooklyn Field Club defeated Brooklyn Celtic 2-1 in our nation’s first national cup tournament.
Back then, the tournament was known as the National Challenge Cup. One century and a several names changes later, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has given clubs a chance to participate in interleague play, compete for domestic bragging rights, and earn a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League.
As soccer has grown in the United States, so has the tournament. This year, a record 91 teams from seven different leagues entered into the race for the Dewar Challenge Trophy, including 47 from the nation’s top three professional leagues (Major League Soccer, North American Soccer League and United Soccer League) and 44 from amateur leagues throughout the country.
Clubs from 15 different states and Washington D.C. have won the tournament, with New York State leading the way with a whopping 26 titles. Currently, defunct clubs Bethlehem Steel and Maccabi Los Angeles share the record for most U.S. Open Cup titles with five apiece. The clubs dissolved in 1930 and 1982 respectively, and with the Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders having won the competition four times as well as a host of MLS clubs with three titles, that record will change sooner or later.
Since MLS teams joined the competition in 1996, the League has dominated U.S. Open Cup play, winning the title every year. The only exception was 1999 when USL side Rochester Rhinos claimed the trophy. Over that same time period, non-MLS teams have reached the final on only three occasions, and there has never been an all non-MLS final over the last 19 years. This year, 14 of the final 16 teams in the tournament hail from MLS.
Columbus Crew SC has made three appearances in the U.S. Open Cup final (1998, 2002 and 2010), winning the tournament once defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 in 2002. Freddy Garcia, who had not registered a single goal for Crew SC that season, picked up the title-clinching goal in the 30th minute.
The Black & Gold entered this year's competition in the Fourth Round, defeating the Richmond Kickers, 3-1, on June 17. Crew SC’s quest for title number two continues Tuesday night when it takes on Orlando City SC at the Citrus Bowl. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Should the Black & Gold defeat the Lions, they would visit either the Chicago Fire or Charlotte Independence in the Quarterfinals.
