City Stars To Host The First Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Match Ever Played In Cleveland
Published on May 29, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The City Stars will host the St. Louis Lions PDL club on Tuesday June 9th at 7 p.m. at Middlefield Cheese Stadium at Bedford City Schools. The match will be the first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match to be played in Cleveland in the 95 years of the tournament.
"Hosting an Open Cup game is a great honor for our club and we look forward to putting on a great event for our city," said City Stars General Manager Mark Geissbauer. "We participated in the past two Open Cups and after last year's memorable run we're happy to be rewarded with a home draw in the first round."
Tickets for the match are on sale now through clevelandcitystars.com or by calling 330-425-2003. All tickets for this history making match are $5.
The City Stars have won matches in each of its two appearances in the Open Cup tournament. As an expansion franchise in 2007 the City Stars defeated the Kansas City Brass (PDL) 4-0 before falling in the second round to the Richmond Kickers (USL-2). In 2008 the City Stars defeated the Michigan Bucks (PDL) 2-1 in the first round and the Minnesota Thunder (USL-1) 2-0 in the second round before advancing to face the MLS Chicago Fire. The City Stars were the last remaining USL-2 club before falling 4-1 to the Fire at Toyota Park in Chicago.
The St. Louis Lions currently hold a 3-0-1 record and are the only PDL club returning to the U.S. Open Cup after appearing in 2008. The Lions lost 4-1 to the Minnesota Thunder in the first round of the 2008 U.S. Open Cup.
Within the U.S. Open Cup framework, teams compete in one of the following four categories: professional outdoor Division I (Major League Soccer), Division II (USL First Division) or Division III (USL Second Division); or Amateur Division (USL Premier Development League & U.S. Adult Soccer Association).
The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament, with games tied after regulation being decided in two 15-minute overtime halves. The team that advances the furthest from each level will earn a $10,000 cash prize. The runner-up will take home $50,000, while the champion will collect $100,000. The winner also will have the team's name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, the oldest trophy in American team sports that is housed in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.
The winner from the first round will face off with the winner of the game between the Rochester Rhinos (USL-1) and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL-2) in the second round on June 16, with the winners then advancing to the third round to face the eight qualified Major League Soccer teams.
Last year, the USL First Division's Seattle Sounders and Charleston Battery met in the Semifinal Round with the Battery moving on to narrowly fall 2-1 in the U.S. Open Cup Final to DC United.
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