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USA Today
06-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lamar Hunt US Open Cup: Where to watch games. Round of 32 teams and schedule.
Lamar Hunt US Open Cup: Where to watch games. Round of 32 teams and schedule. Show Caption Hide Caption Relegation in MLS? Tyler Adams thinks it should be added USMNT and Premiere League player Tyler Adams thinks relegation would make the MLS as a whole more exciting and competitive for the players and fans. Sports Seriously The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup hits an inflection point in this year's tournament as Major League Soccer teams enter the competition. The Round of 32 — which will take place on May 6-7 — features teams from four different leagues, with 16 of those teams representing MLS. Los Angeles FC are the reigning U.S. Open Cup champions, but are not among the 16 MLS teams entered in the competition this year. The Chicago Fire, who are helmed by former U.S. men's national team coach Gregg Berhalter, are attempting to become the first MLS club to win five Open Cup trophies. Here's what to know about how to watch the Round of 32 games and which teams are involved: How to watch US Open Cup Round of 32 games All games will stream on Paramount+. CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network to air select games. Tuesday, May 6 D.C. United vs. Charleston Battery, 7 p.m. ET North Carolina FC vs. Charlotte FC, 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Golazo Network) Nashville SC vs. Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, 8 p.m. ET Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. New York Red Bulls, 9:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Golazo Network) Tacoma Defiance vs. Portland Timbers, 10 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network) Wednesday, May 7 Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. New York City FC, 7 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network) Rhode Island FC vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. ET Louisville City FC vs. Minnesota United FC, 7:30 p.m. ET Philadelphia Union vs. Indy Eleven, 7:30 p.m. ET Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m. ET Chicago Fire FC vs. Detroit City FC, 8 p.m. ET St. Louis CITY FC vs. Union Omaha, 8 p.m. ET FC Dallas vs. AV ALTA FC, 8 p.m. ET Austin FC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC, 8:30 p.m. ET Phoenix Rising FC vs. Houston Dynamo, 10 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network) San Jose Earthquakes vs. Sacramento Republic FC, 10:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Golazo Network) Which leagues are in the US Open Cup Round of 32? ➤ Major League Soccer (16): Austin FC, Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire FC, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo FC, Minnesota United FC, Nashville SC, New England Revolution, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes, St. Louis City SC ➤ USL Championship (12): Charleston Battery, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Detroit City FC, El Paso Locomotive FC, Indy Eleven, Louisville City FC, North Carolina FC, Phoenix Rising FC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Rhode Island FC, Sacramento Republic FC, Tampa Bay Rowdies ➤ USL League One (3): AV ALTA FC, Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, Union Omaha ➤ MLS NEXT Pro (1): Tacoma Defiance What is the US Open Cup? American soccer history is a disjointed and often-confusing enterprise, barren of the convenience of the century-long continuity of leagues such as Major League Baseball or the National Football League. However, one thread that ties the game of soccer together in this country through the years has been the U.S. Open Cup (officially known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup). The first U.S. Open Cup (originally called the National Challenge Cup) kicked off in 1913, seven years before the formation of the NFL and 12 years after the opening season of baseball's American League. The U.S. Open Cup — this country's oldest annual tournament for team sports — has been played every year since 1913 with the exception of 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was modeled after England's FA Cup, so the single-elimination competition is open to U.S.-based amateur and professional clubs. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup — a team that technically is the national champion of American men's club soccer — earns a spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup. MLS has dominated the competition Since 1996, MLS teams have won all but one U.S. Open Cup; the Rochester Rhinos beat the Colorado Rapids in the 1999 final. While MLS has competed in the U.S. Open Cup since the league's inception, the old North American Soccer League avoided it. So, you won't see the likes of multiple-time NASL Soccer Bowl winners such as the New York Cosmos or Chicago Sting gracing the historical records of the U.S. Open Cup. USL sides Indy Eleven (2024 semifinalist), Sacramento Republic FC (2022 finalist) and FC Cincinnati (2017 semifinalist; FC Cincinnati began MLS play in 2019) have made deep tournament runs in recent years as lower division entries. Who has the most US Open Cup titles? If the National Association Football League had stood the test of time like MLB or the NFL, perhaps American sports fans would speak of Bethlehem Steel in the same reverence as the New York Yankees or Green Bay Packers. Bethlehem Steel won five U.S. Open Cups in the tournament's first 13 years. Four years after its last U.S. Open Cup championship in 1926, Bethlehem Steel folded. Meanwhile, the National Association Football League folded in 1921 and was essentially replaced by the American Soccer League, which shut down during the Great Depression in 1933. Bethlehem Steel played in both leagues. Even though its last title came in the 1920s, Bethlehem Steel remains tied for the most U.S. Open Cup championships (five) with Maccabi Los Angeles, a semi-pro soccer club that operated from 1971-1982. MLS teams are catching up to the early repeat champions, with the Chicago Fire, Sporting Kansas City and Seattle Sounders each with four championships. US Open Cup winners: Tournament champions since 1996
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Armas Will Finally Get His Just Desserts, With Hall Of Fame Induction
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES - January 18: Chris Armas of USA on the ball during the International ... More Friendly match between USA and Denmark at Home Depot Center Carson on January 18, 2004 in California, United States. (Photo by Graham Whitby Boot/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images) If you go by cold numbers, then Chris Armas' career statistics were pretty ordinary. He finished with all of 36 goal contributions (12 goals and 24 assists) in 260 Major League Soccer matches. Armas, however, brought another value to the soccer pitch. He forged a reputation on keeping down the numbers of some of the best playmakers as the leading defensive midfielder just about a generation ago for the Chicago Fire and LA Galaxy. Call the position what you want - defensive midfielder, holding midfielder, central midfielder or a Number 6 - Armas became the poster child on how to perform that role superbly during an outstanding 12-year career. "People forget that every successful team has a successful holding midfielder," said MLS senior technical director, competition Alfonso Mondelo said. "It's such a key position." Despite his accomplishments - 66 appearances for the U.S. men's national team, one MLS Cup championship, four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles, five MLS Best XI honors and six MLS All-Star Game selections - it took Armas a confounding 18 years after he hung up his jersey for good to receive the ultimate honor. On Saturday, he will be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on the Veteran's Ballot in Frisco, Texas. CHICAGO - OCTOBER 21: Chicago Fire's Chris Armas (L) and Bakary Soumare (4) celebrate with John ... More Thorrington (C) after Thorrington scored the winning goal during the second half of an MLS game against the Los Angeles Galaxy at Toyota Park on October 21, 2007 in Bridgeview, Illinois. The Fire won 1-0. (Photo by Brian Kersey/MLS/WireImage) "Sometimes the Hall of Fame is a little bit of a popularity contest," Mondelo said. "But in this case, I can't think of anybody more deserving throughout his career because of not only what he has accomplished, but unfortunately, what he was not able to do." Mondelo was referring to the fact that Armas missed two World Cups and an Olympic selection through no fault of his own, incurring knee injuries each time. "He is a gentleman of the game, and he is an icon, someone that other players look up to and try to emulate," Mondelo added. It should be noted that Mondelo could be a bit biased. He coached the Brentwood, N.Y. native in the Olympic Development Program on Long Island. "You already got to see the qualities and characteristics that made him the player that ended up being a stalwart in the MLS, a national team player, captain of the national team," Mondelo said. "He was an honest player who comes and gives everything that he has every single time he steps on the field, from whether it be at practice or whether it be a team you can rely on completely." Mondelo also coached Armas when the Long Island Rough Riders captured the 1995 U.S. Interregional Soccer League crown, with the midfielder helping set up the game-winning goal with seconds to spare in regulation. UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 25: Soccer: MLS Championship, Chicago Fire's Chris Armas in action vs DC ... More United, Pasadena, CA 10/25/1998 (Photo by Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X56621) At 5-foot-7 and 150 lbs., Armas hardly looked like the most intimidating player on the field. But the league learned otherwise. The 1998 season turned out to be a special one for Armas. The Galaxy traded him to theFire for Mexican international goalkeeper Jorge Campos. It turned into a one-sided deal for Chicago, which captured the MLS Cup as an expansion team that year. Armas was a big reason why. His numbers against the league's top creative midfielders that season were mind-boggling. The quartet of D.C. United's Marco Etcheverry, LA Galaxy's Mauricio Cienfuegos, Kansas City Wizards' Preki and Tampa Bay Mutiny's Carlos Valderrama combined for 35 goals and 60 assists in 100 games. When they went up against Armas, there was a precipitous drop in their production. They combined for only two goals and four assists in 15 games, including the playoffs, against Armas. Let's repeat those numbers: two goals and four assists in 15 games. During an interview with this writer in 2020, Armas admitted he still wasn't happy he allowed that many goals and assists. "Those guys are four of the best in the league in terms of playmakers," he said. "I am annoyed at myself as we speak that I gave goals and assists against them at all. I would like to actually see those because did they come from dead-ball situations, where they not my part of the field? Where did I go wrong?" During a Zoom media conference last week, Armas talked about his tussles with them. This writer asked Armas which was the most difficult player he faced. His answer was a bit surprising. "I always said the toughest guy was Peter Novak, who was actually one of my teammates. [Head coach] Bob Bradley in Chicago would never put me on the same team as him [in training]," he replied. "Also, Jesse Marsch. "I'm not sure how many goals I gave up when I was marking those guys, but the amount of times I got elbowed in my face or poked in my throat, this is like normal behavior from Peter and Jesse." Armas said that he would add Oscar Pareja, who did his damage with FC Dallas and New Revolution, to the list. "They were all so difficult and posed different challenges to me," he added. "I think it made me better along the way. The common theme was they just were so good. You couldn't really stop them on the day. It was always trying to limit what they did, knowing what they were good at and just trying to put them in a tough game. I always would try to take time and space away, much like I coach now." Armas, who directs the Colorado Rapids in MLS, said that he "definitely had to have a different strategy for each guy. Valderrama was a magician on the ball. Etcheverry could hurt you with his passing ability from long ranges. Pareja and [MetroStars and Italian international Roberto] Donadoni, these guys you could never get close enough because they can get away from you. I can only catch them in my dreams. Because this is a PG post, we can't share with you some of the players' reactions. "Marco Etcheverry, when I saw him after the playing career was done or at an all-star game, we'd always hug each other, but he always would look at me like he wanted to kill me," Armas said. "He had such a look on his face in those games, but I knew there was some mutual respect there. I appreciated all those matchups and battles, and all those guys helped me improve in my career." Chris Armas #14 and #8 Jovan Kirovski of the United States National Football Team go into a tackle ... More with #10 Lothar Matthäus of Germany during the International Friendly match on 3rd February 1999 at the Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. The USA won the match 3 - 0. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Allsport/Getty Images) There is little doubt that Armas is one of the best USMNT players who has never competed in a World Cup. He was a prime candidate to be one of the USA's overage players at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, but a knee injury kept him home. A devastating knee injury just before the 2002 World Cup, denied him from traveling to Korea. Four years later, another knee injury stopped him from the 2006 World Cup in Germany. The 2002 injury turned serious quickly. 'Many people might not know that part of the 2002 World Cup team 10 days before the World Cup, I blew out my knee, my ACL,' Armas said. "It was, as anyone would imagine, just difficult. You miss one game as a player, it would hurt. But going from maybe the top of your game, top of your fitness levels, top quality, to a hospital getting ready for surgery was a difficult mental challenge." It was one of the biggest challenges of Armas' life as he caught a staph infection in his knee during rehab. "It was no longer about soccer anymore, or World Cups anymore," he said. "I just wanted to be healthy because you start hearing for the first time your white count, all these levels are off. It's in your blood stream, deep into your bone. This stuff can be life and death at times." He wound up on a PICC line, was on antibiotics and lost 20 lbs. "Hadn't had big adversity to that point,' Armas said. "I learned what my family meant to me, what I meant to them, how steady they are. They were rocks for me. My wife was amazing." Armas recovered the best way possible, becoming the dominant defensive midfielder in MLS again and was awarded the 2003 MLS comeback player of the year. "I fought hard to get back," he said. "I was a miserable guy for about two weeks. ... Just to not feeling sorry for myself. I did come back strong." COMMERCE CITY, CO - NOVEMBER 01: Head coach Chris Armas of the Colorado Rapids looks on in a first ... More round match against the Los Angeles Galaxy during the MLS Cup playoffs at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on November 1, 2024 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by) As turns Armas out, won't be able to enjoy all of Saturday's ceremonies. After his induction, he will be whisked off to his day job. He plans on coaching the Rapids (4-2-4, 16 points), who are in fifth place in the Western Conference, at D.C. United in Washington, D.C. at 7:30 p.m. ET. "The clock will be ticking," he said. "The [Hall of Fame] committee has helped arrange where I can speak first and just to get honored. Unfortunately, I have to leave the fellow inductees, not something I'm happy about. I'd love to be right alongside them, listening to them get inducted in their speeches. It's always a neat thing. "I think there's enough time that if there's no bumps in the road, essentially, to get into the airport, which shouldn't be an issue. I won't be taking anything with me. So I just try to remove any type of situation where we could delay things. There'll be transportation waiting and I'll get there before kickoff. That's what I expect to happen and be there for my team." Be there for my team. That just about defines Chris Armas' Hall of Fame career.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mark Briggs named head coach of Birmingham Legion FC
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Birmingham Legion FC has found a new head coach. Mark Briggs was named Legion FC's head coach Wednesday. He replaces Tom Soehn, who was fired April 9. Briggs is only the second coach in the club's history. Briggs' coaching debut with the Legion will be Saturday, when the team faces the Tampa Bay Rowdies. From there, the team will come back home for a match against Rhode Island FC on May 14. 'I'm so grateful to Legion FC for giving me this opportunity,' Briggs said in a statement. ''In meeting with staff and ownership, I love the direction and I love the vision. It's a fantastic club that has top facilities. And then you look at the roster and you understand that there is a lot that can be achieved here. I look forward to building something here in Birmingham.' Briggs, who grew up outside Birmingham, England, was the head coach of Sacaramento Republic FC from 2019-24, where he took the club to the USL Championship playoffs four times and reached the Western Conference Final in 2023. In 2022, Republic FC qualified for the final of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. In 170 games with Sacramento, Briggs' had a record of 74-49-47. Following the 2024 season, Briggs and the club mutually agreed to part ways. Before leading Republic FC, Briggs was the head coach of Real Monarchs from 2017-18, where he was named USL Coach of the Year during his first year with the team. 'We are thrilled to welcome Mark as the next head coach of Birmingham Legion FC,' Birmingham Legion FC CEO and Chief Soccer Officer Jay Heaps said in a statement. 'He is a proven winner with extensive USL experience and is known for building strong team culture, developing players and driving success on the pitch. We are excited about the future of Legion FC under Mark's direction.' WATCH: BWWB holds news conference opposing bill that would restructure board Since firing Soehn, Legion FC has gone 2-0-1, winning contests at Protective Stadium against El Paso Locomotive FC and Chattanooga Red Wolves FC. Eric Avila, who was serving as Birmingham interim head coach, is reassuming the first team assistant coach role. 'We want to create a culture where everybody who works for this football club plays an important role in our success,' Briggs said. 'It's about treating people the right way and making people feel special in what they do, then it's about implementing a vision that can be bought into.'I think coaching is the best job in the world and I'm grateful that this club believes in me. I want to repay that belief by creating a culture and getting results. We want to win games, so the importance to the details that allow you to win games have to be understood and valued.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Birmingham Legion FC fires head coach Tom Soehn
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — The first head coach in Birmingham Legion FC history was fired Wednesday. The club made the announcement of Tom Soehn's dismissal after Legion FC failed to win in its four contests in its 2025 USL Championship slate, holding a record of 0-2-2. Soehn, who took the head coaching job in August 2018, led the club to 90 wins and 37 draws in 207 matches. 'This was an incredibly difficult decision and one that was not taken lightly, because Tommy played a pivotal role in building the foundation of this club,' said Legion FC Chief Soccer Officer and CEO Jay Heaps in a statement. 'However, results and performances have not progressed, and we felt a change was necessary at this time to move the club forward. We thank Tommy for his hard work and dedication to our organization and wish him and his family the best moving forward.' Most of the families applying for Alabama's new school vouchers have kids in non-public schools Legion FC made the USL Championship Playoffs every season from 2019-23. Soehn's accomplishments with Birmingham include reaching the quarterfinals of the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and defeating Charlotte FC of Major League Soccer in Protective Stadium the same year. The club, however, started its current struggling trend in 2024 when it went 13-6-15 in USL Championship play. Eric Avila, who was serving as the club's first team assistant coach, is now Birmingham's interim coach. Avila joined the Legion FC coaching staff in 2022 and was a head coach in MLS Next in 2021. Avila competed in 34 contests for Legion FC in 2019. Avila's first match in that capacity will be Sunday against El Paso Locomotive LC, which is set to start at 4 p.m. in Protective Stadium. The club stated it is conducting a national search to find its next head coach. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Reuters
10-02-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Orlando City SC acquire Colombian M Eduard Atuesta
February 10 - Orlando City SC acquired midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras of Brazil's Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A on Monday for the 2025 season with a club option for 2026. After coming up through Independiente Medellin's academy system, where he was part of the Colombian championship squad in 2015-16, the 27-year-old Colombia native played five seasons with LAFC (2018-21, 2024) and had 11 goals and 21 assists in 124 games (109 starts). "I'm very excited to be here, to join this great team and live in this beautiful city," Atuesta said of Orlando. "I can't wait to step out into the stadium filled with our fans, to win games and to fight for the titles that this city deserves." Atuesta helped LAFC win the 2019 Supporters' Shield and 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. "We're very excited about bringing Eduard here to Orlando, as a player that is in the prime of his career, has proven himself previously here in Major League Soccer and knows our league," EVP of soccer operations and general manager Luiz Muzzi said. "He's a great midfield talent that has the ability to organize the team throughout the game, but most importantly, he's a title-winner at each of his previous clubs. We have confidence in him and his ability to help us achieve the goals we have here at this club." Atuesta was a member of Palmeiras' 2022 and 2023 championship teams, along with the 2023 Supercopa do Brasil and the 2022 Recopa Sudamericana. He has appeared in 259 matches, scoring 15 goals and providing 32 helpers, with over 16,000 minutes played. Orlando City will open the 2025 MLS regular season at home against the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 22.
