The2011 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament proper features teams from four of the five tiers of theAmerican Soccer Pyramid. These four levels—Major League Soccer,United Soccer League'sPro League, the USL'sPremier Development League, theNational Premier Soccer League, and theUnited States Adult Soccer Association— each have their own separate qualification process to trim their ranks down to their final club delegations in the months leading up to the start of the tournament proper.
The event will feature 40 teams. Eight clubs from Major League Soccer will participate, six that automatically qualify based on last season's league position and two that qualify through a play-in tournament. In addition, 11 USL Pro League clubs, 9 clubs from the USL Premier Development League, 4 clubs from the National Premier Soccer League,[1] and 8 USASA clubs and will also qualify.[2]
The provisional second tier of the soccer pyramid, a reincarnation of theNorth American Soccer League, was disallowed by theUnited States Soccer Federation for the American-based clubs to participate into the tournament, mainly due to scheduling conflicts it would cause.[3]
The following MLS clubs have already qualified for the 2011 US Open Cup:
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The following MLS clubs are attempting to qualify for the tournament:
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The bracket is loosely based on geography, rather than seeding. This is the first time qualification is bracketed geographically. In the previous years, teams were bracketed strictly according to seeding. Seeds 7–10 play an extra round. All teams in the top bracket are the westernmost teams, except for Chicago. All teams in the bottom bracket are easternmost teams, except for Houston.
| Play-in Round | Qualification Semifinals | Qualification Finals | Qualifiers | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | San Jose Earthquakes (a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Chivas USA | 0 | 10 | Portland Timbers | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 10 | Portland Timbers | 2 | 2 | San Jose Earthquakes | 2 (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago Fire (a.e.t.) (p) | 2 (5) | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Colorado Rapids | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Chicago Fire | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Sporting Kansas City | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Sporting Kansas City (a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Philadelphia Union | 2 (2) | 5 | Houston Dynamo | 0 | ||||||||||||||
| 9 | D.C. United (a.e.t.) (p) | 2 (4) | 3 | Sporting Kansas City | 5 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | New England Revolution | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | New England Revolution | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | D.C. United | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
Note: Scorelines use the standard U.S. convention of placing the home team on the right-hand side of the score boxes.
| March 29, 2011 | Chivas USA | 0–2 | Portland Timbers | Portland, Oregon |
| 19:00PDT | Mondaini 14'Boyens 35'  43'Braun 49' | Report | Purdy 74' Jewsbury  84'Brunner 86'Hall 89' | Stadium:Merlo Field Attendance: 5,061 (SO) Referee: Juan Guzman |
| April 6, 2011 | Philadelphia Union | 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) (2–4p) | D.C. United | Boyds, Maryland |
| 19:30EDT | Ruiz 18' Ruiz 73'Valdes 39' 86'Nowak  118'Carroll 118' | Report | Fred 25' Wolff 45'Jaković 70'Woolard 111' | Stadium:Maryland SoccerPlex Attendance: 2,347 Referee: Andrew Chapin |
| Penalties | ||||
Le Toux McInerney  Torres Nakazawa | Pontius Barklage Najar Bošković | |||
| March 30, 2011 | Colorado Rapids | 1–2 | Chicago Fire | Peoria, Illinois |
| Akpan 46' | Report | 45'Puerari 61'Anibaba | Stadium:Shea Stadium Attendance: 2,029 |
| April 6, 2011 | Sporting Kansas City | 1 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Houston Dynamo | College Station, Texas |
| 19:00CDT | Bravo 46+' Sapong 92' | Report | Sarkodie 5' Palmer 43'Chabala 65'Boswell 73' | Stadium:Aggie Soccer Stadium Attendance: 2,383 |
| April 26, 2011 | New England Revolution | 3–2 | D.C. United | Boyds, Maryland |
| 19:30EDT | Dube 37',47' Koger 67' | Report | Bošković 73',83' | Stadium:Maryland SoccerPlex Referee: Juan Carlos Rivero |
| May 3, 2011 | San Jose Earthquakes | 1 – 0 (a.e.t.) | Portland Timbers | Portland, Oregon |
| 19:30PDT | Opara 120' | Report | Stadium:Jeld-Wen Field Attendance: 11,412 Referee: Alejandro Mariscal |
| May 24, 2011 | Chicago Fire | 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) (5–4p) | San Jose Earthquakes | Santa Clara, California |
| 19:30PDT | Barouch 61' Cuesta 76' | Report | McLoughlin 14' Morrow 43' | Stadium:Buck Shaw Stadium Attendance: 4,124 Referee: Daniel Radford |
| May 25, 2011 | New England Revolution | 0–5 | Sporting Kansas City | Overland Park, Kansas |
| Report | Myers 9',19' Sapong 24',88'Collin 81' | Stadium:Blue Valley District Athletic Center Attendance: 1,228 Referee: Sorin Stoica |
USSF President Sunil Gulati announced that NASL teams were being denied entry due to the lateness of their provisional sanctioning.[3]
All eleven U.S.-based clubs qualified for the tournament.
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The PDL received nine berths to the 2011 U.S. Open Cup. One entrant from each division will be determined based upon the results of four PDL divisional games also serving as U.S. Open Cup qualifiers. Canadian and Bermudan PDL sides are not eligible for U.S. Open Cup play.
As part of PDL qualification, the Northwest Division spot was completely deadlocked betweenPortland Timbers U23's andKitsap Pumas. Instead of going to a lottery, the two sides mutually agreed to hold an unprecedented "fifth game" tiebreaker, using their regular season game on June 3, 2011, to determine the slot.[4]
| Eastern Conference | |
|---|---|
| Mid Atlantic Division | Reading United |
| Northeast Division | Western Mass Pioneers |
| South Atlantic Division | Carolina Dynamo |
| Central Conference | |
| Great Lakes Division | Chicago Fire Premier |
| Heartland Division | Real Colorado Foxes |
| Southern Conference | |
| Mid South Division | Chivas El Paso Patriots |
| Southeast Division | Central Florida Kraze |
| Western Conference | |
| Northwest Division | Kitsap Pumas |
| Southwest Division | Ventura County Fusion |
For standings see2011 PDL season.
In contrast to prior years, where NPSL teams had to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup through the USASA Regional tournaments, the NPSL was awarded four entries to the 2011 U.S. Open Cup. The NPSL elected to give one berth to each of its four divisions.
The Northeast Division representative was determined by a three-team tournament played on May 7 and May 27, 2011.
| Semifinal | Final | ||||||||
| Brooklyn Italians | 2 | ||||||||
| FC Buffalo | 0 | FC Sonic Lehigh Valley | 1 | ||||||
| Brooklyn Italians | 1 | ||||||||
Brooklyn Italians qualify.
The Southeast Division's qualifier was determined in a six-team tournament held atFinley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on May 27–29, 2011.
| First round May 27, 2011 | Semifinals May 28, 2011 | Finals May 29, 2011 | |||||||||
| Jacksonville United | 1 | ||||||||||
| Knoxville Force | 0 | Jacksonville United | 1 | ||||||||
| Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves | 3 | ||||||||||
| Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves | 0 | ||||||||||
| FC Tulsa | 1 | Chattanooga FC (a.e.t.) | 1 | ||||||||
| Rocket City United | 7 | Rocket City United | 0 | ||||||||
| Chattanooga FC | 2 | ||||||||||
The Midwest Division slot was automatically awarded to theMadison 56ers. The 56ers earned the bid as 2010 U.S. Open Cup division qualifying champions, as well as the fact none of the other divisional rivals had expressed interest in a qualifying tournament.[5]
The West Division representative was awarded to the club with the highest point total after its first seven league matches. The berth was clinched by theHollywood United Hitmen after theSan Diego Flash had two games forfeited by the NPSL for the use of an illegal player.
| Team | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood United Hitmen* | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 3 | +31 | 21 |
| Santa Ana Winds | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 15 |
| San Diego Flash* | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 9 | +5 | 15 |
| Sonoma County Sol | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 10 | +6 | 10 |
| San Diego Boca | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 16 | −2 | 9 |
| Sacramento Gold | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | +2 | 8 |
| FC Hasental | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 17 | −4 | 7 |
| Bay Area Ambassadors* | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 22 | −13 | 4 |
| Lancaster Rattlers | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 3 |
| Real San Jose | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 32 | −28 | 3 |
Updated to games played May 19, 2011.
Tiebreakers: (1) Points; (2) Goal difference; (3) Goals scored
*-Includes 3–0 forfeitures imposed on San Diego Flash for using an illegal player
For qualification into the U.S. Open Cup, theUnited States Adult Soccer Association organizes a series of state and regional tournaments to determine its regional participants. Each individual region's National Cup doubles as the qualification process for the U.S. Open Cup.[6]
| Region I | |
|---|---|
| Bracket A | NY Pancyprian-Freedoms |
| Bracket B | Phoenix SC |
| Region II | |
| Bracket A | Iowa Menace |
| Bracket B | A.A.C. Eagles |
| Region III | |
| Bracket A | ASC New Stars |
| Bracket B | Regals FC |
| Region IV | |
| Bracket A | Doxa Italia |
| Bracket B | DV8 Defenders |
The USASA Region I Cup determines two qualifiers for the U.S. Open Cup. The first round of qualifying begins on May 1, 2011.[6] The national finals prior to the third round proper are scheduled between July 15–17, 2011.[6]
Each of the states in Region I conduct their own state qualification propers from February to March 2011 to send representatives to the regional tournament.Delaware,Maine,New Hampshire,Vermont, andWest Virginia did not enter a club into the 2011 Region I Tournament.[7]
| Qualification Semifinals | Qualification Finals | Qualified | ||||||||||||
 Danbury United | 0 | |||||||||||||
 NY Pancyprian-Freedoms | 4 | |||||||||||||
| NY Pancyprian-Freedoms | 4 | |||||||||||||
 MPS | 2 | |||||||||||||
 East Providence Sports | 1 | |||||||||||||
| MPS | 4 | |||||||||||||
| NY Pancyprian-Freedoms | ||||||||||||||
 Phoenix SC | ||||||||||||||
 Maryland Bays | 2 | |||||||||||||
| Phoenix SC (aet) | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Phoenix SC | 3 | |||||||||||||
 Go Soccer FC | 0 | |||||||||||||
 Atletico Virginia | 1 | |||||||||||||
| Go Soccer FC | 2 | |||||||||||||
Each of the states in Region II conduct their own state qualification propers from to send representatives to the regional tournament.Kentucky,Minnesota,Missouri,Nebraska,North Dakota,Ohio,South Dakota, andWisconsin did not enter a club into the 2011 Region II Tournament.[8]
| Round One | Round Two | |||||||
 | Iowa Menace | 7 | ||||||
 | KC Athletics | 1 | ||||||
 | RWB Adria | 6 | ||||||
 | Detroit United | 4 | ||||||
| RWB Adria | 1 | ||||||
| A.A.C. Eagles | 4 | ||||||
 | FC Indiana | 2 | ||||||
| A.A.C. Eagles | 7 | ||||||
Teams that qualify in Region III were invited to play in the Region III National Cup inTuscaloosa, Alabama on Memorial Day Weekend. The draw for the tournament took place on May 26, 2011, the night before play bega.Alabama,Arkansas,Georgia,Mississippi, andTennessee did not enter teams into the Region III Tournament.[9]
| Group A | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASC New Stars | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 9 |
| Greenville Eagles | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 6 |
| Florida Gators | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 3 |
| Boston Avenue ACR | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | −11 | 0 |
| Group B | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regals FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 |
| CASL Elite | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 |
| Royal Eagles | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 |
| Group A | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DV8 Defenders | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 7 |
| Albuquerque Metro SC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 8 | −1 | 4 |
| SF Italian AC | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | −14 | 0 |
| Group B | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doxa Italia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 1 | +24 | 7 |
| San Francisco Rosal FC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 3 | +13 | 7 |
| Tracy CV Eagles FC | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 35 | −34 | 0 |
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