Time for the Main Course

Enough with the appetizers of the first two rounds of the US Open Cup, it is time for the main course. The third round is the juicy entre that is the heart of the meal as the lower division teams get their first crack at Major League Soccer opposition.

Sure, the final four of the event may feature great games as the MLS clubs ratchet things up in an attempt to win the trophy, but it is the Third Round that is the most suspenseful as the nation looks on to see who and how many teams register the shocking upsets versus the nation’s top flight. The eight-game series is the closest the sport comes to capturing the anticipation of NCAA basketball’s March Madness.

The US Open Cup first utilized the current eight-team Third Round MLS entry format in 2002 to minimize MLS schedule issues due to the FIFA World Cup and player call-ups. It would return for its current run as the established annual format in 2007.

The format’s return was likely good news to MLS in 2007 as they were 7-1-0 in 2002 but went on to see a record of 21-7-4 (2-2 PK) from 2003-06 versus lower division clubs in opening third and fourth round games for MLS teams, an early exit for over a quarter of the teams. The format during that time frame saw the majority of the MLS field open play in the Fourth Round while 2-4 teams kicked things off the round before.

That dominating 7-1-0 performance, however, has not been replicated. In fact, when the format returned in 2007 five MLS teams were upset in the Third Round. And, in the four years of the current run of the format nearly half of the MLS teams have been knocked out in the Third Round, going 15-11-6 (3-3 PK), a total of 14 eliminations in 32 games. On top of that, a USL-2 (now USL Pro) third division professional club advanced at least once each year with a total of seven in four years moving forward against an MLS team.

Despite the World Cup conflicts of a year ago, the MLS teams had their best outing of the last four years in the Third Round, going 5-1-2 and seeing only two teams eliminated. It could be a sign that the league, as a whole, is taking the tournament more seriously as has also been the case for the CONCACAF Champions League.  Commentary from players, coaches and front office executives has been trending positively the past two years in clubs looking to perform well in the quest to win Open Cup and Champions League titles.

MLS Third Round Eliminations 2007-10

2007 – Chivas USA 1:3 Seattle Sounders (USL-1)
2007 – Houston Dynamo 0:1 (AET) Charleston Battery (USL-1)
2007 – DC United 0:1 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2)
2007 – Chicago Fire 0:1 Carolina RailHawks (USL-1)
2007 – LA Galaxy 0:1 Richmond Kickers (USL-2)
2008 – NY Red Bulls 0:2 Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2)
2008 – Houston Dynamo 1:1 (AET, 3:4 PK) Charleston Battery (USL-1)
2008 – Chivas USA 0:2 Seattle Sounders (USL-1)
2009 – New England Revolution 1:2 Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2)
2009 – Columbus Crew 1:1 (AET, 3:5 PK) Rochester Rhinos (USL-1)
2009 – Chicago Fire 0:1 Wilmington Hammerheads (USL-2)
2009 – Chivas USA 1:3 Charleston Battery (USL-1)
2010 – NY Red Bulls 0:1 (AET) Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2)
2010 – Chicago Fire 0:0 (AET, 0:3 PK) Charleston Battery (USL-2)
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