NASL Miami FC

Miami FC 2 to Compete in 2018 U.S. Open Cup

Published on March 30, 2018 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Miami FC News Release


MIAMI - Earlier today, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) announced that the Miami FC 2, Jacksonville Armada and New York Cosmos B, all squads in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), have been invited to participate in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The decision was taken by U.S. Soccer's Open Cup Committee earlier this week.

For fans of The Miami FC, Jacksonville Armada and New York Cosmos, it was finally cause to rejoice, following a tumultuous offseason that saw the NASL cancel its 2018 season after failing to receive an injunction preventing the USSF from revoking the league's Division II status. The announcement could only be described as a welcomed surprise for the three clubs, who all made recent appeals to the USSF and U.S. Open Cup Committee to be allowed entry into the Open Cup, based on playing in the NASL last season and all three having affiliate teams in the NPSL this season.

A statement on the decision from the Open Cup Committee: "The Committee carefully considered the teams' exceptional situation which involved all three moving from Professional Division II status in 2017 to solely Open Division league participation earlier this year. Since the move occurred after the Open Division league's 2018 Open Cup entry deadline in mid-2017, the Committee decided to allow the three teams the opportunity to compete in the 2018 edition of the U.S. Open Cup."

On the heels of the decision, Miami FC CEO Sean Flynn responded, "First off, I'd like to thank Commissioner Paul Marstaller and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Committee for taking a thorough and objective review of these three teams and ultimately allowing them entry into this year's competition. The spirit of this tournament is based on inclusion, to determine the champion of soccer in the United States. It's a tournament that enabled Miami FC to jump into the spotlight of the national soccer stage in 2017 by beating two quality MLS clubs en route to the Quarterfinals."

Flynn continued, "We believed that we had a very strong argument for Miami FC 2 to join the competition representing the NPSL, and we are thrilled at the prospect of building on last year's achievements. This is a great day for our fans, coaches and players, who have worked so hard this offseason to prepare our club for this opportunity."

In addition to The Miami FC reaching the 2017 Quarterfinals, the New York Cosmos reached the Round of 16 three years in a row (2014, 2015 and 2016) and the Jacksonville Armada reached the Fourth Round in 2016.

Upon confirming their participation, the three teams will enter the competition via a Play-In Round scheduled for the weekend of May 5-6. The winners of these play-in games will advance to the First Round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on May 9. The opponents in the Play-In Round will be one team drawn from the NPSL and two from the Premier Development League (PDL) who have already qualified for the competition and are in close geographical proximity to the three invited teams. After identifying the list of possible opponents meeting these criteria, the exact opponents will be selected by random draw in cases where multiple options exist.

Follow @TheMiamiFC for breaking news and information on The Miami FC 2 and its participation in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

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North American Soccer League Stories from March 30, 2018


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