1999 U.S. Open Cup First Round Continues
CHICAGO (Wednesday, June 9, 1999) - The 1999 U.S. Open Cup recorded its first upset of the tournament last night when the amateur Mid Michigan Bucks surprised the Austin Lone Stars with a 3-2 victory at White Pine Stadium in Saginaw, Michigan. The Bucks came from behind twice in the victor
June 9, 1999
For Mid Michigan, the top-ranked Open Cup team from the Premier Development League in the USL at No. 25, the victory marked their second first round upset in the last three years. In the team's first Open Cup appearance back in 1997, Mid Michigan upset the D3 Wilmington Hammerheads, 3-2. For Austin, which was ranked 22nd in the Open Cup prior to the start of play, their third straight appearance in the tournament ends in their first first-round loss.
The U.S. Open Cup first round continues this week with four more first round games, including a double-header tomorrow night with the Cocoa Expos (PDL) and Northern Virginia Royals (D3) kicking off at 4:15 p.m. ET at RFK Stadium, a couple of hours before the nationally televised MLS match between D.C. United and the Miami Fusion on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET.
The 1999 U.S. Open Cup first round, which matches up eight qualifiers from the D3 Pro League against four PDL and four USASA qualifiers, is scheduled through June 20. The first round winners will then be drawn against eight A-League qualifiers, who join the U.S. Open Cup in the second round. The eight MLS competitors will enter the tournament in the third round.
The final 32-team U.S. Open Cup field is comprised of eight teams each from Major League Soccer, the A-League and the D3 Pro League, as well as four teams each from the PDL and the U.S. Amateur Soccer Association.
Dating back to 1914, the U.S. Open Cup is the oldest cup competition in United States soccer and is among the oldest in the world. Open to all affiliated amateur and professional teams in the United States, the annual U.S. Open Cup is an 86-year-old single-elimination tournament based on similar competitions played across the world concurrent with domestic league action.
The brackets for the first three rounds of the tournament have been solidified, helping each team chart their course into the quarterfinals, at which time a draw will be conducted to determine the pairings among the Open Cup's final eight competitors. Played under FIFA rules, each Open Cup match will finish with a winner, with tie games going into 30 minutes of sudden death overtime, and then to penalty kicks.
The 1999 U.S. Open Cup final is scheduled for the newly-constructed Columbus Crew Stadium on September 14 and will be televised live at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN for the first time in the annual tournament's history. For ticket information, contact the Columbus Crew at 614/221-2739.
First Round | ||
| Date | The Match-Ups | Kickoff/Result |
| June 5 | Los Lobos (USASA III) at Wilmington Hammerheads(D3) | 8-1, Wilmington |
| June 8 | Austin Lone Stars (D3) at Mid-Michigan Bucks (PDL) | 3-2, Mid-Michigan |
| June 9 | New York Freedom (PDL) at Cape Cod Crusaders (D3) | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| June 9 | United German Hungarians (USASA I) at New Jersey Stallions(D3) | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| June 10 | Cocoa Express (PDL) at N. Virginia Royals (D3) | 4:15 p.m. ET |
| June 11 | Mexico SC (USASA IV) at Arizona Sahuaros (D3) | 8:00 p.m. PT |
| June 16 | Spokane Shadow (PDL) at Chico Rooks (D3) | 8:00 p.m. PT |
| June 20 | Bavarian Leinenkugel (USASA II) at Carolina Dynamo (D3) | 1:00 p.m. PT |
TEAMS ASSIGNED OPEN CUP RANKINGS FOR FIRST TIME: For the first time in the tournament's 86-year history, qualified teams for the 1999 U.S. Open Cup have been ranked from 1 to 32 to assist fans and media in gauging a team's success. The rankings are based on each team's regular season standing at the conclusion of their respective leagues qualifying play (approximately June 1, 1999). Each team is also ranked according to the league in which they play, meaning Major League Soccer teams are ranked from 1 to 8 as the top division in the competition. The Division II A-League's clubs are ranked 9 to 16, with the D3 Pro League teams following them from 17 to 24. The amateur teams in the competition round out the rankings from 25 to 32. Team rankings do not affect team pairings or home field advantage, they are only meant to serve the media and fans in comparing team strengths.
| Seed | Team | League | How Qualified | Enter Tournament |
| 1 | Colorado Rapids | MLS | Defeated Kansas City 2-1 (so) on April 17, 1999 | 3rd round |
| 2 | Chicago Fire | MLS | 1998 U.S. Open Cup champion | 3rd round |
| 3 | D.C. United | MLS | 1996 U.S. Open Cup champion | 3rd round |
| 4 | Columbus Crew | MLS | 1998 U.S. Open Cup finalist | 3rd round |
| 5 | Dallas Burn | MLS | 1997 U.S. Open Cup champion | 3rd round |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Mutiny | MLS | Defeated L.A. Galaxy 1-0 (so) on May 15, 1999 | 3rd round |
| 7 | Los Angeles Galaxy | MLS | Best record of three "play-in game" losers on June 1, 1999 | 3rd round |
| 8 | NY/NJ MetroStars | MLS | Defeated Miami Fusion 3-2 on May 15, 1999 | 3rd round |
| 9 | Rochester Raging Rhinos | A-League | Earned one of four Eastern Conf. spots with 18 points | 2nd round |
| 10 | San Diego Flash | A-League | Clinched top six spot w/21 points after six games | 2nd round |
| 11 | Staten Island Vipers | A-League | Earned one of four Eastern Conf. spots with 18 points | 2nd round |
| 12 | Minnesota Thunder | A-League | Earned second of four Western Conf. spots with 18 points | 2nd round |
| 13 | Charleston Battery | A-League | Earned top Eastern Conference spot with 23 points | 2nd round |
| 14 | Seattle Sounders | A-League | Earned one of four Western Conf. spots | 2nd round |
| 15 | Jacksonville Cyclones | A-League | Earned one of four Eastern Conf. spots with 18 points | 2nd round |
| 16 | Orange County Zodiac | A-League | Earned final Eastern Conference spot with 16 points | 2nd round |
| 17 | Wilmington Hammerheads | D3 Pro | Won Atlantic Group with 13 points | 1st round |
| 18 | Northern Virginia Royals | D3 Pro | Won Mid-Atlantic Group with 13 points | 1st round |
| 19 | Arizona Sahuaros | D3 Pro | Earned one of two wild card spots with 13 points | 1st round |
| 20 | Chico Rooks | D3 Pro | Won Pacific West Group with 17 points | 1st round |
| 21 | Cape Cod Crusaders | D3 Pro | Won New England Group with 11 points | 1st round |
| 22 | Austin Lone Stars | D3 Pro | Won South Central Group with 13 points | 1st round |
| 23 | New Jersey Stallions | D3 Pro | Won Northeast Group with 18 points | 1st round |
| 24 | Carolina Dynamo | D3 Pro | Earned second of two wild card spots with 13 points | 1st round |
| 25 | Mid Michigan Bucks | PDL | Won Central Conference with 19 points | 1st round |
| 26 | Spokane Shadow | PDL | Won the Western Conference with 14 points | 1st round |
| 27 | Cocoa Expos | PDL | Won Eastern Conference with 19 points | 1st round |
| 28 | New York Freedoms | PDL | Earned only wild card spot with 18 points | 1st round |
| 29 | United German-Hungarians | USASA | Won Region I qualifying; team is from Horsham, Pa. | 1st round |
| 30 | Los Lobos | USASA | Won Region III qualifying; team is from Tusla, Okla. | 1st round |
| 31 | Mexico S.C. | USASA | Won Region IV qualifying; team is from Fresno, Calif. | 1st round |
| 32 | Bavarian Leinenkugel | USASA | Won Region II qualifying; team is from Milwaukee, Wisc. | 1st round |
www.us-soccer.com FOR U.S. OPEN CUP UPDATES: U.S. Soccer has redesigned their web page for the 1999 U.S. Open Cup. New features on the site include final recaps on qualifying procedures and standings for each division in the competition; a "Match of the Week" preview, tuning you into key games during the tournament; and a list of the 10 best Open Cup games since the participation of MLS. In addition, U.S. Soccer have match reports and/or live on-line updates for all non-televised matches. For the latest on the tournament, go to www.us-soccer.com and click on the U.S. Open Cup icon.
