NASL North Carolina FC

RailHawks Prepare for 2012 U.S. Open Cup

Published on May 7, 2012 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
North Carolina FC News Release


CARY, N.C. - U.S. Soccer announced Tuesday afternoon the match pairings for the 1st and 2nd round of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The RailHawks will enter into the second round of the tournament and host a match on Tuesday, May 22nd. Who the RailHawks face will be determined on May 15th when the Portland Timber U-23's and the USASA Region IV Champion, PSA Elite from Irvine, California, play in the first round of the US Open Cup. A tournament format change in 2012 means that with a victory in their first game, the RailHawks next opponent will be a Major League Soccer team.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup provides monetary rewards for the winner and the runner-up. The winner will receive $100,000 and the other finalist will receive $50,000. If the RailHawks are the last NASL team in the tournament they will receive $10,000. Along with the financial incentives, the winner also receives entry into the CONCACAF Champions League, which provides the winner with a spot in the coveted FIFA Club World Cup.

RailHawks President, Curt Johnson knows the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup well as he helped lead the Kansas City Wizards to the 2004 U.S. Open Cup title. Head coach Colin Clarke has enjoyed success in the CONCACAF Champions League during his time at Puerto Rico. In 2008-2009, his team made an impressive run into the semifinals facing Cruz Azul. After a 2-0 victory in Puerto Rico the Islanders fell in Mexico by the same score forcing extra time. After finishing tied, they had to go to a penalty shootout to determine the finalist. Cruz Azul won the shootout and advanced. In the 2010-2011 edition of the tournament the Islanders defeated MLS' L.A. Galaxy 4-1 in Los Angeles to move into the group stage after a final aggregate score of 5-3.

"As an organization we are thrilled to be back in the Cup and we hope to make a long run deep into the tournament," said RailHawks President Curt Johnson. "Getting a win at home on May 22nd is the goal and the support of our fans will be very important as we look to advance and face an MLS team in the third round."

The new format in 2012 has all professional soccer teams participating with NASL and USL teams joining in the 2nd round and MLS teams joining in the 3rd round. In years past second and third division professional teams began the tournament in the first round and MLS teams went through a qualifying process amongst all MLS team before entering the tournament in the 3rd round.

Another tournament change in 2012 says goodbye to the early round bidding process of Open Cup's past. Teams will go through a blind-draw process to determine the host site, giving each team a 50/50 chance of hosting the match. Teams must submit a home venue form prior to the tournament to determine if a team's home venue meets the Open Cup's minimum standards for hosting a tournament match. After the Quarterfinal matchup, the Semifinal and Final rounds will be determined by a bid process by the participating teams to determine the host site for the remaining rounds.

For more information on the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup visit www.opencup.com. To purchase tickets for the RailHawks US Open Cup match, visit www.CarolinaRailHawks.com. For questions or to purchase by phone or email, contact the Cruizers Box Office at 919-459-8144 or tickets@CarolinaRailHawks.com.

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