3 reasons you need to watch the U.S. Open Cup matchups in person

The U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer competition in the United States. It’s also a tournament loaded with potential upsets. Attending a game is a real chance to see history. 

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the most exciting soccer tournament this country has to offer and there are myriad reasons why you should attend a game in person.

The tournament is named in honor of U.S. Soccer Hall of Famer Lamar Hunt, a long-time football and soccer team owner who was part of the sport dating back to the 1960s.

The last team to lift the trophy was Atlanta United in 2019. The tournament was not contested for two years because of the pandemic. Since 2008, the USOC champion has qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League, the region’s top soccer tournament.

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There are three MLS teams and one USL Championship club (Sacramento Republic) left in the final four. Sporting Kansas City and Sacramento Republic will play in one semifinal, while the New York Red Bulls face off against Orlando City SC.

Here are three reasons you need to attend a U.S. Open Cup match in person.

There could be an upset at any U.S. Open Cup match

The American version of England’s FA Cup has all the ingredients of basketball’s March Madness. That is, there’s a real chance for an upset. MLS teams are pitted against lower division clubs in the early rounds. And that is where upsets can happen.

This year’s 103-team edition has already seen a few “cupsets.” For example, four MLS teams (Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, Austin FC and Real Salt Lake) crashed out of the third round of the single-game elimination brackets back in April.  In other words, you could witness history.

It’s win or go home 

The beauty of the U.S. Open Cup is that it is a one-and-done competition. That makes the tournament ripe for upsets, but also the excitement that comes with the possibility of overtime heroics or the drama of a penalty-kick shootout.

It also forces MLS teams to play on the road in smaller venues where winning isn’t easy. Games that end in a draw feature a 30-minute overtime. If the teams are still tied, the game will be decided via a penalty-kick shootout.

COVID-19 rules changes now allow for five substitutions. A sixth is allowed if the match goes to extra time.

You could see your favorite team win silverware 

Like any sports event, the U.S. Open Cup is all about winning it. The tournament has been dominated by MLS teams since the Fire won it in the year 2000. It could also be a chance for an MLS team to capture the “double” — winning both the league title and the USOC.

The Fire, Seattle Sounders FC and Sporting Kansas City have each won four U.S. Open Cups, the most of any MLS teams.

Five MLS teams have won the “double.” The first was DC United back in 1996. The most recent team to do it? It was FC Dallas in 2016.