USL Monterey Bay FC

MBFC to Host Irvine Zeta FC in Third Round of U.S. Open Cup

Published on April 4, 2024 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Monterey Bay FC News Release


SEASIDE, California - Following this morning's draw, Monterey Bay F.C. announces that the Club's third round pairing against National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) side Irvine Zeta FC in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will take place on Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. PT at Cardinale Stadium in Seaside. Ticket information will be made available soon. A live broadcast of the match will be available on both usopencup.com and uslsoccer.com. This unparalleled access to the tournament ensures soccer fans across the country will have access to this and every action-packed match in the nation's oldest and most prestigious soccer competition.

Monterey Bay's opening fixture of this year's U.S. Open Cup will mark the second NISA opponent that the Union have faced in tournament competition since the Club's inaugural season in 2022. Irvine Zeta FC is one of two remaining NISA clubs left in the competition this season, while Monterey Bay enters the cup in the third round amongst 16 total USL Championship clubs. Eight additional Championship clubs will enter in the Round of 32 alongside eight Major League Soccer (MLS) sides.

Similar to England's famous FA Cup, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is U.S. Soccer's National Club Championship. Now in its 109th edition, it is a single-elimination tournament that has crowned a champion every year since 1914. The history-filled tournament is open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

Third Round pairings were created by placing equal numbers of USL Championship sides and Second Round winners into pools based on geography and drawing randomly from those groups. Home teams for each round were determined by random selection among those who applied to host. Clubs whose venues meet minimum tournament standards were given priority.

The winner of the 2024 U.S. Open Cup will receive $300,000 in prize money and an automatic berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, akin to Europe's well-known annual Champions League and Europa League tournaments. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize. Learn more about the U.S. Open Cup at usopencup.com, or on X and Instagram @opencup and Facebook @officialopencup.

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