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Louisville Lightning Partner with Evansville Crush to Host First Round of US Open Tournament

September 27, 2011 - Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL)
Louisville Lightning News Release


The Louisville Lightning is partnering with the Evansville Crush for the second straight year to host the first round of the 2011-2012 United States Open Cup for Arena Soccer. The round-robin style tournament will be played in Evansville, IN on October 22 and 23. It is open to any competitive men's team interested in entering the national tournament. Each year, the champion of this event will face the Lightning Professional team during the regular season as part of the tournament's elimination rounds. Winning teams advance through the phases to a championship match against the Western Conference finalist.

Every team in the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) is required to host an open event for the tournament. The partnership promotes the event which will be hosted at Evansville's home arena. Last season, the Evansville Crush (a member of the PASL's Premier League) defeated the Lightning's Reserve team in the finals of the tournament. This season may present more of a challenge for the host team to advance. Teams from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Illinois have already signed up for the third year of this nationally known event.

Last year, the underdog story of the tournament came out of Detroit. A local men's amateur team known as AAFC, defeated the Detroit Waza, a professional team in the PASL, in a close 7-6 contest. This led to a quarterfinal matchup against the Louisville Lightning. The Lightning won this game and advanced to the semi-finals. During the previous season, the Kansas City Kings of PASL's Premier League, also upset the St. Louis Illusion, of the PASL Pro League. Kansas City's run to glory was short-lived as Cincinnati 1790 Express (now known as the Cincinnati Kings) won the next round match. Eventually, the Louisville Lightning hosted the storied San Diego Sockers franchise in the championship match of the tournament. San Diego won this game 8-5.

"The Open Cup Tournament is an exciting concept. It provides an opportunity for any team in the country to reach the championship," says Evansville's GM, Andy Hines.

Teams interested in participating in this year's tournament should contact Andy Hines at evansvillecrush@gmail.com. The Louisville Lightning professional team will begin regular season play in the PASL Pro League on November 4, 2011. Information about the team and season tickets can be found online at www.louisvillelightning.com.

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