PORTLAND, Ore.
– U.S. Soccer announced today that the Portland Timbers will travel to face the Kitsap Pumas of the Premier Development League in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, June 9, in Bremerton, Wash. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Bremerton High School Memorial Stadium.
The Timbers open U.S. Open Cup play on the road for the fourth time since joining United Soccer Leagues in 2001.
All 32 lower-division clubs in the U.S. Open Cup from the USL First Division, USL Second Division, PDL and U.S. Adult Soccer Association were divided into eight groups of four based upon geographical region and then paired randomly within each group to determine first-round matchups.
The 16 first-round winners will face off in the second round slated for June 16. Eight teams from Major League Soccer will enter the tournament in the third round.
Portland is 3-5-0 all-time in U.S. Open Cup play and has reached as far as the fourth round, facing MLS clubs in 2004 and 2005. The Timbers’ pairing against the Pumas marks just the second time the club has faced a team from the PDL in the U.S. Open Cup. In 2007, the Timbers defeated the Bakersfield Brigade 2-0 on the road.
Kitsap is one of four professional clubs in the PDL and competes in the Northwest Division – the same division as the Timbers’ development team, the Timbers U-23s. The Pumas qualified for the U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural season with wins over the Spokane Spiders, Yakima Reds and Cascade Surge in qualification matches. The club is owned and operated by former USL First Division Seattle Sounders co-owner Robin Waite.
Tickets for the Timbers’ U.S. Open Cup match against Kitsap start at $7 and will be available starting Thursday at 10 a.m. through the Pumas ticket office at (360) 377-6008 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com.
ABOUT 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. The tournament has crowned a champion each season dating back to 1914. A single-elimination tournament, the U.S. Open Cup is one of the oldest cup competitions in U.S. soccer. For more information, visit
www.ussoccer.com
.
