US Open Cup: 3 Ways to Make the Tournament More Relevant

The US Open Cup is the domestic cup tournament in the United States, a single-game knockout competition only followed by hardcore soccer supporters in America. I love Cup competition and think there's an inherent excitement in them, so, to get others on board, here are three things that can be done to increase viewership.Begin Slideshow

US Open Cup 4th Round 2013: 3 Things We Learned

As always, the most recent round in the 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup featured plenty of great action, goals and surprising results.Some teams undoubtedly took the tournament more seriously than others, and some lower-division players made their marks by getting on the scoresheet or putting on a solid defensive showing.Let's examine the three biggest things we learned from the fourth round.Begin Slideshow

US Open Cup 2013 4th Round: Picking the Outcome of Each Match

For those unfamiliar with the 100 year old competition, the US Open Cup is the oldest ongoing soccer competition in the United States. It's similar in format to many of the more well known cup competitions, such as the FA Cup and Copa del Rey. In short, it's a knockout tournament where losing one game means you're out. The third round, which took place two weeks ago, pitted all 16 stateside MLS teams against opponents from lower leagues in the US soccer pyramid. As always, there were some upsets, with LA Galaxy, San Jose, Seattle and Colorado losing to clubs farther down the food chain.Some teams take this competition more seriously than others, but along with it comes $250,000 and a place in next year's CONCACAF Champions League. The fourth round, which will take place on June 12, will feature 8 matches, and I'll be predicting the result of each. Starting now.Begin Slideshow