PORTLAND, Ore.
- Potential fourth-round pairings for the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup were announced by U.S. Soccer on Monday, and the Portland Timbers learned who their potential next opponent would be should they advance past the third round.
With a win over the Utah Blitzz in third-round play on June 30, the Timbers would play host to Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, July 14 at PGE Park (7 p.m.).
It was announced last week that the Timbers, who received a bye in the first two rounds of the tournament, would travel to Rice-Eccles Stadium to take on the Blitzz, a member of USL’s Pro Soccer League, in third-round play. With a victory over the Timbers, the Blitzz would get to host the Earthquakes in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 20.
The Timbers squared off against San Jose at PGE Park in 2001, defeating the eventual MLS champion, 2-1.
Portland qualified for the U.S. Open Cup for the first time this season by defeating Seattle 3-1 on aggregate goals over two matches in early May. The tournament, which runs concurrent to the Timbers season, features 40 teams from three professional leagues and two amateur leagues in a bid to determine the top team in American soccer.
Ticket information for the potential fourth-round match at PGE Park will be made available following the result of the Timbers' match at Utah.
ABOUT THE LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP
The U.S. Open Cup, which is 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. Within the U.S. Open Cup framework, teams compete in one of the following four categories: professional outdoor Division I (Major League Soccer), Division II (A-League) or Division III (USL Professional Soccer League); or Amateur Division (USL Premier Development League & U.S. Adult Soccer Association).
The U.S. Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament, with drawn games being decided by two 15-minute sudden death (“Golden Goal”) overtime sessions. If neither team scores during the two overtimes, the winner is decided on penalty kicks. The team that advances the furthest from each level except Division I earns a $10,000 cash prize. The runner-up takes home $50,000, while the champion collects $100,000.
Composition of participating teams:
10 Major League Soccer (10 remaining)
8 A-League (8 remaining)
6 USL-PSL (2 remaining)
8 PDL (5 remaining)
8 USASA (0 remaining)
