CHICAGO – FC Tulsa will be back in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2022. The official National Championship of U.S. Soccer will return next year after two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday morning, the federation released the official 2022 schedule for the tournament, which will start on March 22 and conclude with the U.S. Open Cup Final in mid-September.
Running concurrent to the USL Championship season, the U.S. Open Cup combines all four divisions of U.S. soccer to decide an annual National Champion. Teams from USL League Two in the fourth division all the way up to MLS at the top of the country’s soccer pyramid. It is unconfirmed in which round of the tournament FC Tulsa and the rest of the USL Championship teams will enter, but in past seasons, teams in the second division entered the tournament in the Second Round, which is slated to be held April 5-7 in 2022.
“After calling off the 2021 edition of the Open Cup due to the remnant effects of COVID-19, we’re excited that we can put next year’s match dates on everyone’s calendar so early,” said Open Cup Commissioner Paul Marstaller. “The 2022 tournament will be the first in memory when all the top players will be available for selection for every round as none of the games involving Division I Major League Soccer or Division II USL Championship clubs will be played during an international call-up period, a necessary feature for building a credible national championship.”
In a twist to next year’s format, some MLS teams will enter the tournament in the Third Round, earlier than in past seasons, meaning that FC Tulsa might have to only win one match to face off against MLS competition. FC Tulsa’s previous best finish in the Open Cup occurred in 2017 when the club advanced to the Fourth Round before falling to FC Dallas, the first and only competitive match in club history against an MLS club.
All 2022 U.S. Open Cup matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ with no matches interfering with international windows to ensure the top international players at clubs around the country will be able to compete in the tournament.
CHICAGO – FC Tulsa will be back in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2022. The official National Championship of U.S. Soccer will return next year after two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday morning, the federation released the official 2022 schedule for the tournament, which will start on March 22 and conclude with the U.S. Open Cup Final in mid-September.
Running concurrent to the USL Championship season, the U.S. Open Cup combines all four divisions of U.S. soccer to decide an annual National Champion. Teams from USL League Two in the fourth division all the way up to MLS at the top of the country’s soccer pyramid. It is unconfirmed in which round of the tournament FC Tulsa and the rest of the USL Championship teams will enter, but in past seasons, teams in the second division entered the tournament in the Second Round, which is slated to be held April 5-7 in 2022.
“After calling off the 2021 edition of the Open Cup due to the remnant effects of COVID-19, we’re excited that we can put next year’s match dates on everyone’s calendar so early,” said Open Cup Commissioner Paul Marstaller. “The 2022 tournament will be the first in memory when all the top players will be available for selection for every round as none of the games involving Division I Major League Soccer or Division II USL Championship clubs will be played during an international call-up period, a necessary feature for building a credible national championship.”
In a twist to next year’s format, some MLS teams will enter the tournament in the Third Round, earlier than in past seasons, meaning that FC Tulsa might have to only win one match to face off against MLS competition. FC Tulsa’s previous best finish in the Open Cup occurred in 2017 when the club advanced to the Fourth Round before falling to FC Dallas, the first and only competitive match in club history against an MLS club.
All 2022 U.S. Open Cup matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ with no matches interfering with international windows to ensure the top international players at clubs around the country will be able to compete in the tournament.
