CHICAGO, Ill. (May 20, 2013) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced Monday that the potential Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third round matchup between the Chicago Fire and Charlotte Eagles (USL-PRO) match originally scheduled for Tuesday, May 28 has been moved to Wednesday, May 29 at 6:00 p.m. CT at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. The Charlotte Eagles host the Seattle Sounders U-23 (PDL) on Tuesday, May 21 in the second round of the Open Cup. Should the Sounders U-23 advance, the Fire will host the match at Toyota Park on Tuesday, May 28.
READ: How Third Round U.S. Open Cup matches were set
Recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Championship, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
Since 1998 the Fire have compiled an impressive 29-11-4 record in Open Cup play, reaching the semifinal round eight out of 15 times and the final six times. The Fire have previously hoisted the coveted Dewar Trophy four times, in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2006. The 2006 title marked the ninth time a team from Chicago won the Open Cup and made the Fire one of six teams to capture the crown at least four times in the tournament's 99-year-long history.
READ: Full third round U.S. Open Cup matchups
The 100th edition of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup features a field of 68 teams, the largest field in the modern era (1995-present). Another significant change for 2013 is the process for determining the site for the Open Cup tournament semifinals and final. In past years, the sites for the final three matches of the tournament had been determined through a sealed-bid process, but this year the hosts of those games will be determined by a coin flip. Home teams throughout the entire tournament will be determined by random selection.
