The competition will feature a Modern Professional Era (1995-present) record 64 teams, including every US-based professional club in the American soccer pyramid from Major League Soccer (16 teams), the North American Soccer League (6 teams), and USL PRO (10 teams). The remaining 32 spots will be filled by amateur clubs from the Premier Development League (16 teams), United States Adult Soccer Association (9 teams), National Premier Soccer League (6.5 teams), and US Club Soccer (0.5 team). An NPSL club will square off with a representative from US Club Soccer for a spot in the 2012 competition.

Another major change will be in the hosting format. The bidding process has been stripped out through the quarterfinals. Each team can apply to host each round and if both teams’ venues meet USSF’s standards, the federation will conduct a blind draw to determine the host. In the past, in addition to meeting USSF venue standards, teams would have to submit a financial bid, and the team that bid the most was awarded the home game. The old bidding method will still be used for the semifinal and finals of the tournament.

Lastly, another change will be when the competition begins. The first four rounds of the 2012 Open Cup will taking place on consecutive weeks. The tournament will begin on May 15 – the earliest the Open Cup has begun in the Modern Pro Era – with the 32 amateur clubs matching up in geographic fashion.

The winners of those games will move on to Round 2 the following week, May 22, where the 16 NASL and USL PRO clubs will enter.

The week after that, on May 29, Major League Soccer will take on the Second Round winners. With the number of teams, a fourth round will added and will take place June 5. The Cup hasn’t had a fourth round since a four-year run from 2003-06.

Three weeks later, the tournament will hold the Quarterfinals on June 26, followed by the Semifinals on July 10, and the Open Cup Final on either August 7 or 8.

Over the last few years, the tournament has come under constant criticism for the way MLS teams enter the tournament. Previously only six teams would automatically qualify for the tournament based on their previous year’s finish in the standings. Two other teams would join them in the bracket once they went through the MLS qualifying round.

That will be no more once this is approved by all parties involved.

In addition to adding eight extra spots for MLS teams, it would also include the 16 U.S.-based teams in the NASL and USL-Pro.

The tournament would open in mid-May with 32 amateur teams producing 16 winners that would face the NASL and USL-Pro teams in Round 2. The winners of that round would then play the MLS teams in Round 3. The goal is to finish the tournament by August – a full month (or maybe even a month and a half) then it does now when it finishes in October. The hope is to avoid schedule issues for the MLS teams involved late in the year.

A lot could change though depending on whether or not the NASL receives sanctioning by the USSF. The NASL did not compete in the 2011 tournament, according to USSF, due to the fact that the 2011 format was already finalized prior to the NASL being awarded a one-year provisional sanctioning.

This is a positive step for this tournament that needed a facelift. Getting all US-based MLS teams involved in the main bracket is a big start and finishing the tournament earlier in the year is also a big plus.

Under the proposal being discussed by MLS and U.S. Soccer officials, all 16 U.S.-based MLS clubs would enter the competition together at an earlier stage, likely the round-of-32. There, they would play 16 survivors from the minor and amateur leagues. It is unclear whether MLS teams would be kept apart in the draw, as they are now, or be allowed to face each other immediately.

The qualification system would end, forcing each MLS entrant to win five matches, rather than four, to claim the title.

I doubt the bidding will really go away anytime soon but hearing that the MLS qualifying round is certainly a positive thing to hear. There is no reason why all 16 US-based MLS clubs shouldn’t be in the main bracket as it is. Hopefully this will get teams to care a little more about this tournament.

Seattle lifted their third straight USOC last night, others should take note. (Photo via Seattle Sounders Communications)

First off, congratulations to the Seattle Sounders FC on their third straight US Open Cup title. Its a feat that has to be commended since three-peats in sports happen so rarely anymore.

That said, other teams have to start taking note of this competition. I think the 2011 edition of the USOC was better than previous ones since a few more clubs got a little more into it than in the past. It seems over the last few years that Seattle, DC, and Chicago really take it serious with a few others mixed in depending on if they had to qualify through the ridiculous process that MLS teams have to go through in this tournament.

Like this year you had Sporting Kansas City, Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas get a little more into this competition.

For teams like this, the USOC is in some ways the easiest way to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League. As long as that incentive is still hanging around to the victors of this tournament, you’ll see some teams like Seattle and Salt Lake push a little harder.

But back to the main point, teams have to get serious in 2012 in this tournament. Sure the bidding process takes a little bit of the fun out of it for some and we all know Seattle, DC and probably now Kansas City will do whatever they can to make sure they have some home cookin’ in the later rounds. But teams have to begin to throw out the idea that this competition is below them.

For ages it has been that teams having to deal with this tournament, the regular season and other competitions like SuperLiga and the CCL is too much. The travel, roster issues, injuries (dude everyone has those), and salary cap restrictions. All excuses made at some point by MLS clubs in the USOC.

Seattle is proving today that you can be competitive in all competitions and not exhaust your roster to the fullest. They’re in the playoffs, off to the knockout stage of the CCL and are still within a beat of the Supporters’ Shield. They threw out the age old excuses that travel and roster complications go into this tournament and handled it with class.

As rosters continue to expand and the salary cap continues to grow, MLS teams have no more excuses for putting in a solid effort in this competition. I love an underdog as much as the next guy but we should never see a Richmond Kickers make it through to the semifinal round.

I’m not saying this would be the case everywhere but teams that have to qualify into the main bracket next year should take it more serious. I know not everyone is a Seattle right now or even on their level in MLS (other than LA and maybe RSL) but the ability to not have the mindset that this competition is an annoyance and a hassle to your roster has be there.  Not only do you have the CCL berth on the line but winning a trophy like this is always a boost to your club and the fans. Believe me, fans love trophies. You can’t tell me this morning that Red Bull fans wouldn’t take a USOC trophy today over winning last night’s LA game.

I still believe the USOC has a ways to go before it is truly great. I’ve gotten into those points before and honestly, I don’t feel like reprinting them here. Possibly the biggest thing that can make the USOC really great is if all MLS teams have a shot at making it that way. Throwing out the qualifying process for MLS teams and letting them all be apart of the stupid bidding process will make it better.

At the end of the day though, the excuses front coaches, club front office members and even players has to stop. Hopefully fans around the country begin to take note of how Seattle has done it over these last three years. Their owners may have more money to spend on hosting games but at least they are doing it for their fans.

I’ll get into the USOC final at some point today, I think. But I had to post this first. Just absolutely amazing Tifo from the Seattle crowd last night.

(H/T to those on Twitter posting this…there was a couple of you)

Very interesting possibilities either way, none too surprising as Seattle would always give the USSF the best possible chance at a good crowd for the final. Chicago out bid Dallas, while Dallas’ bid out-did Richmond.

2011 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP FINAL HOSTING POSSIBILITIES

Both Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City are banking on wins next week in the USOC quarterfinals to be able to host the semifinal matches.

2011 LAMAR HUNT U.S. OPEN CUP SEMIFINAL POSSIBLE PAIRINGS

Anyways, Jeremiah Oshan over at SBNation (cheap plug on my part), had a great post yesterday about how to improve the USOC. All points are great and are things I’ve been telling people for years now.

For one the removal of the bid process. Its keeping teams like RSL (who had a nice 8k crowd for their USOC game this past week, more than any other MLS side I might add) from hosting the next round.

What’s involved in the bidding process you ask? Well, at the start of the tournament each team is given a multi-page document that lays out the basics such as stadium size and jersey colors. Along with that is a bid form that includes information like expected attendance, whether or not the game will be on radio or televised and, most controversially, how much money the team is willing to guarantee the federation. This is where all kinds of potential shenanigans can happen.

SB Nation has learned the bids for third-round games are often at least in the tens of thousands of dollars, and bids in the later rounds can be substantially more. The kicker? Even MLS teams don’t know how much the other teams are bidding and never learn. For teams that actually want to win the tournament — and more and more teams seem to be figuring out that at the very least this is the path of least resistance to the CONCACAF Champions League — there are really no limits to how much they might be willing to spend.

Oshan next talks about the structure and how to include more teams. I’ve been saying for ages that the MLS qualifying round needs to be removed. Its amazing how the USSF keeps going with this kind of qualification for this tournament.

The USSF should embrace this unique feature by expanding the tournament in order to allow all 16 U.S.-based MLS teams automatic entry. That this already doesn’t happen is, perhaps, the hardest aspect of the tournament to understand. As it currently stands, the tournament consists of 40 teams — eight from MLS and 32 from various other leagues. Rather than eliminating spots that currently go to these lower leagues, simply add eight spots in the tournament.

Again, it isn’t that hard to make an 48 team bracket. Base things on region if you must, hell, even make it semi-NCAA tournament like. It would improve the game across the board and promote the big guys vs. the little guys even more. People love a good underdog but would still be fine when the tournament still saw the final eight teams being mostly MLS like we normally see today.

Oshan also talks about getting TV and a permanent venue for the final match. Both are a must in my book.