CHICAGO (AP) - The U.S. Open Cup will not be held this spring because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, a decision that follows the tournament’s cancellation last year.
The U.S. Soccer Federation’s Open Cup Committee cited logistical and financial challenges caused by the pandemic and said Friday it will evaluate holding the tournament “in some fashion later in the year.”
The committee had announced on Feb. 4 plans for a revised tournament format that cut the field from 101 teams to 24 and reduced the competition from eight rounds to five. On March 29 the committee said the first round would not be held as scheduled on May 4-5 but that it hoped to start on May 18-19.
The 2020 tournament was skipped entirely because of the pandemic, the first time the competition was not held since it started in 1913-14. Atlanta United won the 2019 title.
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