U.S. MNT vs. China PR 4-1 W

CHICAGO (April 19, 2019) – The Second Round pairings and host scenarios, including confirmed dates and kickoff times, have been set for the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer's National Championship. On May 14 & 15, 25 professional teams from the USL Championship (Division II) will enter the tournament, with 19 of these clubs playing against winners from the First Round of games scheduled for May 7 & 8, while the remaining six pro clubs will face a fellow Division II squad.

The Third Round, set for May 29, will pit the 22 Second Round winners against one another in regionally determined action, with the opportunity on the line to face a Division I club in the Fourth Round on June 12 when Major League Soccer teams enter the competition. 

• READ: 2019 U.S. Open Cup Format Determined

Home teams for each round are determined by a random selection process among those clubs that have applied to host and whose venues meet the minimum tournament requirements.

Every game of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup from the First Round through the Final will be available for fans to watch on ESPN+.

2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Schedule

Second Round – May 14 & 15

Northeast Region

Southeast Region

Central Region

West Region

First Round – May 7 & 8

Northeast Region

* Date changed 4/11
^ Time changed 4/16

Southeast Region

Central Region

* Date changed 4/11

West Region

* Venue changed 4/19

Third Round – May 29*

Fourth Round – June 12*

Round of 16 – June 19* (also June 18-23 if home team chooses and visiting team has at least three non-game days on each side of chosen date, with any overlap of U.S. MNT Gold Cup games on June 18 and June 22 disallowed)

Quarterfinals – July 10*

Semifinals – August 7*

Final – August 27 or 28

* Any game from the Fourth Round through to the Semifinal Round where one of the participants has a league game the following Friday will be moved up a day (exception to this occurs when the team's opponent is scheduled for a league game the preceding Sunday; in this case, the provisions in the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Handbook to determine the match date will prevail). In addition, any game chosen by U.S. Soccer to be broadcast nationally in any round is subject to being moved up a day. The Commissioner has the authority to set outside of the confirmed schedule the date for any match if such a change is in the best interests of the tournament.

This year's winning team will receive $300,000, a berth in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports. 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.

The Houston Dynamo is the defending U.S. Open Cup champion, having earned the club’s first tournament title with a 3-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union on Sept. 26, 2018 at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer's National Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 105 consecutive years dating from 1914. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.

CHICAGO (April 18, 2019) –U.S. Soccer and Major League Soccer today announced a three-year partnership with Headspace, one of the world’s leading meditation and mindfulness apps.

Headspace will annually provide thousands of app subscriptions to ensure all U.S. Soccer and MLS athletes, coaches, and league and club staff have access to strengthen their mindfulness and meditation skills. This partnership illustrates U.S. Soccer and MLS’ commitment to being at the forefront of total wellness by providing athletes with the best mental skills training resources. The partnership also includes the National Women's Soccer League. Details of the partnership will be announced at a later date.

As part of the deal, Headspace will conduct in-person introductory training sessions with U.S. Soccer and MLS athletes and coaches, led by Headspace co-founder Andy Puddicombe, and the company’s Head of Sports and Fitness, Lindsay Shaffer. Training sessions will take place during U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Team training camps and at various MLS events.

“MLS is committed to leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance the overall total wellness of our athletes, coaches and staff members,” said Dr. Margot Putukian, MLS Chief Medical Officer. “The Headspace app provides top-line meditation training and is a wonderful supplement to the preexisting health and wellness resources the league and our clubs already provide. We look forward to members of the soccer community utilizing the Headspace app to advance their mindfulness skills to help them achieve their goals both on and off the field.”

Headspace is also creating a personalized training program for each individual athlete on the U.S. Women’s National Team to support their preparation on the journey to this summer’s tournament in France. The U.S. Women’s National Team is the defending World Champion and is currently ranked No. 1 in the world.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Headspace, the world leader in mindfulness and meditation,” said James Bunce, U.S. Soccer Director of High Performance. “Not only will this partnership help all of our players’ performance on-the-field, but it will also have significant impact on their wellness off-the-field. While the importance of soccer’s physical components are well-known and well-trained, the power of mental conditioning in soccer has often been underutilized. Through this partnership with Headspace, we now have the expertise and technology to ensure that all of our players’ needs are being supported as they work towards their goals.

“We are also extremely excited to work closely with the Headspace development team and the U.S. Women’s National Team to individually support every player on the road to France. With this project, each player will be provided an individually-tailored mindfulness and meditation program to help make sure that no stone is left unturned in these players’ preparation for this summer’s tournament.”

U.S. Soccer’s partnership with Headspace further demonstrates the Federation’s commitment to making soccer the preeminent sport in the United States, using innovation, science and technology to provide the best possible training environment for its athletes. In addition to partnering with Headspace, U.S. Soccer created the High Performance Department and hired full-time staff dedicated to the Men’s and Women’s National Teams. The organization also partnered with StatSports for comprehensive physical data collection, and has implemented initiatives such as bio-banding to support long term player development.

“We know that mental preparation is as important as physical preparation for elite athletes,” said U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Jill Ellis, “We are excited that Headspace has partnered with U.S. Soccer to provide the players another tool to help them perform at their highest levels heading into, and through the tournament this summer.”

MLS, U.S. Soccer and Headspace will also explore scientific research opportunities around the benefits of meditation and mindfulness related to key aspects of performance. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to co-create mental training content specific to soccer with leading physical and mental performance experts.

“While athletes go to great lengths to physically train their bodies, the mind is often neglected. Mental training is the future of sport, and meditation and mindfulness are proven techniques to improve mental fitness. We are thrilled to provide Headspace as the mental training tool to some of the world’s greatest athletes, helping them to achieve their performance goals, support their overall health and happiness, and work with U.S. Soccer and the MLS to create a future of sport in which athletes focus as much on training their minds as they do their bodies,” said Lindsay Shaffer, Head of Sports and Fitness at Headspace.

MLS and U.S. Soccer athletes and coaching staff will have access to Headspace’s comprehensive library of meditation content, including “Headspace for Sport,” which is designed to strengthen their mindfulness and meditation skills through a variety of 10-session “packs,” including Motivation, Concentration, Training, Competition, Communication, Analysis and Recovery.

Meditation and mindfulness are scientifically proven to support key aspects of preparation, performance, and recovery. When it comes to performance, mindfulness helps athletes stay focused, free from distraction, and ensure they are in the optimal flow state. In recovery, mindfulness can be used to induce the relaxation response, lowering the heart rate, relaxing the muscles, and counteracting the harmful effects of stress on the body. This ensures athletes have the ability to recover that much quicker, and often has the added benefit of improving sleep quality. Meditation also increases the grey matter in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for focus, and decreases grey matter in the amygdala, the area of the brain responsible for stress and fear.

Mindfulness training is an additional resource to a person’s overall total wellness regimen. For assessment and management of psychological issues, treatment from a licensed healthcare professional is advised. For more information on the Headspace app, visit www.headspace.com.

CHICAGO (April 18, 2019) – Making its first visit to Cincinnati, the U.S. Men’s National Team will face Venezuela on June 9 in its final preparation match for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. Kickoff at Nippert Stadium is set for 2 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast on FOX and UniMás. Fans can also follow along via U.S. Soccer’s official Facebook, Twitter (@USMNT) and Instagram (@USMNT) accounts.

The match against Venezuela comes at a critical time for the United States, just nine days before the opening of its Gold Cup title defense in the first major competition under new MNT head coach Gregg Berhalter. La Vinotinto is coming off a 3-1 upset victory against two-time World Cup champions Argentina in Madrid last month.

• TRIVIA: Test your knowledge of the USA-Venezuela series

“We are looking forward to having this opportunity heading into the Gold Cup,” U.S. MNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “Venezuela is in a period of emerging talent with their national teams. This generation of players reached the 2017 U-20 World Cup Final and has already produced an impressive result at the senior level by beating Argentina. Like us, they have been testing themselves against different types of opposition. When you add in the support that FC Cincinnati has developed and we expect to see, you couldn’t ask for a better preparation match.”

The U.S. Men’s National Team will begin its quest for a record-tying seventh confederation title when they face Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Panama in Group D of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup, taking place June 15-July 7 in the United States, Costa Rica and Jamaica. 

The MNT opens the 15th edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup with its first trip to Minnesota, taking on Guyana on Tuesday, June 18 at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minn., a venue that has already set the fastest record for a sell-out in tournament history.

Following that match, the U.S. moves east to face Trinidad & Tobago on Saturday, June 22 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland before closing group play against Panama on Wednesday, June 26 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.

Ticket Information

Tickets go on sale to the public Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m. ET through ussoccer.com. [Note: Tickets are not sold at Nippert Stadium except on the day of the event.]

Ultimate Fan Tickets (special VIP packages that include a premium ticket, a custom-made official U.S. National Team jersey with name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

Coaches Circle and Presidents Circle members supporting the U.S. Soccer Development Fund can receive individual customer support and concierge services for their ticketing needs. Click here or contact circles@ussoccer.org for more information.

Three Things on USA-Venezuela

The MNT plays for the first time at the home of MLS expansion club FC Cincinnati. Overall, the U.S. holds a 10-2-3 record in the state of Ohio. Seeking to win a record-tying seventh Gold Cup title, the United States will open group play on June 18 against Guyana at a sold-out Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minn. The MNT will play one other Gold Cup warmup prior to the June 9 match in Cincinnati.

Having first met at the 1993 Copa América, this will be the sixth contest between the United States and Venezuela, with the USA posting an unbeaten 3-0-2 mark in the series. Christian Pulisic had the goal while Tim Howard earned Budweiser Man of the Match honors in the last meeting, a 1-1 draw on June 3, 2017, in Sandy, Utah

Veteran U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley earned his first cap against Venezuela during the Send-Off Series for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Cleveland. Graham Zusi made his MNT debut six years later in the 1-0 win to open the USA’s 2012 campaign in Glendale, Ariz.

The U.S. Men's National Team will meet Venezuela in its final warmup for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup on Sunday, June 9 at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Test your knowledge around the MNT's history against La Vinotinto with this 20-question Sporcle quiz! 

DIRECTIONS:
1) Click "Play" below
2) Fill in as many answers as you can in the 10-minute time limit
3) Comment with your scores below.