2018 U.S. Open Cup Play-In Round Opponents Determined for Jacksonville Armada, Miami FC 2 and New York Cosmos B
April 2, 2018 - North American Soccer League (NASL) News Release
CHICAGO - Jacksonville Armada, Miami FC 2 and New York Cosmos B confirmed their participation in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before today's 4 p.m. ET deadline. Their inclusion requires a Play-In Round be played on May 5-6.
Play-In Round Draw
The one-off Play-In Round also required a draw, which was conducted at U.S. Soccer headquarters in Chicago on this afternoon. As decided by the Open Cup Committee, the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) provided one of the opponents for the invited trio of teams in the Play-In Round, while the Premier Development League (PDL) provided two. All three sides were selected from teams that had already qualified for the 2018 tournament.
PDL side The Villages SC, located northwest of Orlando, was confirmed for the Play-In Round based on its close geographical proximity to Jacksonville and will face the Armada. The list of already-qualified teams from which the Play-In Round opponents for Miami FC 2 and New York Cosmos B were drawn, based on a geographic proximity range, were determined to be:
New York/New Jersey Pool
South Florida Pool
Brooklyn Italians (NPSL)
FC Miami City (PDL)
FC Motown (NPSL)
Miami United FC (NPSL)
Long Island Rough Riders (PDL)
New York Red Bulls U-23
Results of the Play-In Round Draw:
The Villages SC vs. Jacksonville Armada
FC Miami City vs. Miami FC 2
Brooklyn Italians vs. New York Cosmos B
Play-In Round Draw Procedure
The first phase of the Play-In Round Draw consisted of four envelopes (one each for Miami FC 2, New York Cosmos B, NPSL, and PDL). The city envelopes were drawn first and their order noted. The league envelopes were drawn next and matched with the city envelopes in the same order drawn.
A second draw was conducted between the New York/New Jersey Pool teams from the league that was paired with New York Cosmos B in the earlier draw.
The exact date and times of the three Play-In Round games will be confirmed by the home team. The already-qualified team in each matchup will have the first option to host the single-elimination game and must provide specific venue, date and kick-off time details by 4 p.m. ET on Friday, April 6, in order to do so. Otherwise, the invited team will host the matchup.
Miami FC reached the quarterfinals of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The New York Cosmos reached the Round of 16 three years in a row (2014, 2015 and 2016), while the Jacksonville Armada reached the Fourth Round in 2016.
• Discuss this story on the North American Soccer League message board...
North American Soccer League Stories from April 2, 2018
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
