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NASL Minnesota United FC

Loons Begin Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Play on the Road

May 12, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Minnesota United FC News Release


Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Trophy
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Trophy
(Minnesota United FC)

SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The U.S. Open Cup third round draw took place Thursday morning, pitting Minnesota United against the winner of a May 18th match between AFC Cleveland (NPSL) and Saint Louis FC (USL). The draw also revealed that United will once again be playing its first U.S. Open Cup match on the road.

Last year, Minnesota United travelled to Saint Louis FC where the Loons were upset in penalty kicks after the match finished 1-1 in regular time. The Minnesota Thunder had the most successful run at the U.S. Open Cup from a Minnesota team, making it to the semi-finals in 2005.

Saint Louis FC hosts AFC Cleveland in the second round match that will decide United's third round opponent on May 18th at 7 p.m. CDT-streamable on the Saint Louis FC YouTube page. United will enter the U.S. Open Cup on June 1st before traveling to Rayo OKC for its second to last Spring Season match on June 4th.

A win in the third round would allow United to move on to face an MLS team. United last faced and MLS side in the 2014 edition of the Open Cup, when it traveled to Sporting Kansas City. Minnesota kept Sporting at bay for much of the game, but a second half red card opened the door for the hosts to win 2-0.

About The U.S. Open Cup

The U.S. Open Cup is a knockout-style tournament contested by all amateur and professional soccer clubs affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The tournament began in 1914 making this its 103rd iteration. It was named after MLS pioneer Lamar Hunt in 1999. Qualifiers for the 2016 Cup began last fall and the first round was played on May 11th. NASL teams enter the competition in the third round.

At present, Sporting Kansas City are the reigning U.S. Open Cup champion after defeating the Philadelphia Union in a penalty kick shootout to claim the 2015 title. The last lower division team to win the Cup was the then-second division Rochester Rhinos in 1999.

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Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Trophy
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Trophy
   



North American Soccer League Stories from May 12, 2016


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