US Open Cup: The Silent Semifinals

It is easy to imagine what it was like leading up to the final of the first US Open Cup in 1914. Not many people knew about the inaugural tournament and it received scant attention from the media. In other words, it was almost exactly like it is today.

The oldest cup competition in the United States, which happens to be one of the oldest cup competitions in the world, enters its semifinals stage on Tuesday and as is almost always the case it is being met with a collective yawn. This is a shame because this year’s tournament has featured a number of lower level teams knocking off MLS sides – the type of upsets that get everyone’s panties all aflutter during the NCAA basketball tournament, for example.

On one side of the bracket we see the New England Revolution hosting the Carolina RailHawks at the Revolution’s apparent home away from home, New Britain, Connecticut. Despite having to play with the albatross of an absurd nickname wrapped around their necks and despite the fact that they are in their first year of existence, the USL-1 RailHawks have made it this far. They face a New England club that made the US Open Cup final in 2001 but has otherwise faired poorly in the competition.

On the other side of the bracket and on the other side of the country, the Seattle Sounders will host FC Dallas. The USL-1 Sounders opened some eyes last round when they spanked the Colorado Rapids 5-0. They last made it to the US Open Cup semifinals in 1995, the last year before MLS teams joined the fray and essentially diminished the importance of the tournament. FC Dallas have made it to the semifinals five times and have advanced to the tournament final twice.

If you are one of the few, the proud, the brave who think the US Open Cup is a cool thing and that it is worth supporting, you will have to fire up your browsers because just like in 1914 the games will not be broadcast on television. What a pity.

Some Related Stories:

Category: MLS, World Football