U.S. Soccer announced on Saturday afternoon that the Colorado Rapids have finally won a bid and / or coin flip to host a U.S. Open Cup match. But it won't be easy.
The winner of the Rapids-v-Sporting KC 4th Round Open Cup match, which will be played on Tuesday, June 5 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park (6:30 MT), will host the winner of the Michigan Bucks vs Dayton Dutch Lions in the 2012 U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal on Tuesday, June 26.
Michigan, an amateur PDL team, advanced to the 4th Round by defeating the Chicago Fire 3-2 in overtime last week in Pontiac, Michigan. Dayton, a USL Pro team, advanced with their own upset, defeating the neighboring Columbus Crew 2-1 in the 3rd Round at Crew Stadium.
The Rapids' last home game in the Open Cup or Open Cup Qualifiers was on July 10, 2007, when they defeated the California Victory (PDL Pro) 3-1 in the 3rd Round at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Colorado has played their last nine Open Cup proper and Qualifiers combined on the road heading into Tuesday's match at KC.
After eight MLS teams were upset in the 3rd Round, the remaining 16-team field consists of eight Major League Soccer (Division I) teams, three clubs from the North American Soccer League (Division II), three from USL PRO (Division III), one Premier Development League (amateur) team and one USASA (amateur) regional qualifier.
Click here for quarterfinal possible pairings and locations for the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Results from the fourth round of play Tuesday, June 5, will determine the matchups for the quarterfinals taking place on Tuesday, June 26.
