With the Semifinals of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup approaching in a few days, the road to the 2027 US Open Cup already got under way over the weekend. The opening round of the Open Division Local Qualifying tournament for the 2027 competition kicked off with 26 games and one more that was postponed.
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The United Soccer League (USL) announced that it has agreed to a new revenue-sharing model with its men's professional clubs, allowing those teams to participate in the growth of the USL's national revenues.The proposal was approved by the USL Board of Directors at the end of August, with team owners in the USL Championship and USL League One approving the deal last Tuesday via a two-thirds super-majority of voters.
US Soccer has announced the format for the 2027 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup tournament proper and it will feature all 27 US-based MLS teams for the first time since 2023, with a total of 64 pro teams and 32 Open Division teams. There have also been numerous changes to operations of the cup, with the hosting priority rules expanding from the last two years to include both the Round of 64 and the Round of 32. The dates have also drastically changed for 2027, with most of the rounds happening after Labor Day and the Final happening on December 15.
U.S. Soccer is nearing a takeover of the U.S. Youth Soccer Association, a move that some view as a significant step toward reform across the sport’s American landscape. At a momentous meeting Saturday in Dallas, members of USYS, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, will vote on a bylaw amendment that would essentially hand control of their organization over to the U.S. Soccer Federation. A dozen people close to the matter, including several members who will vote, told The Athletic over the past two weeks that they expect the amendment to pass comfortably.
USL’s introduction of promotion and relegation, and [USL president and CEO] McDonough’s comments about meaningful competition aren’t too far removed from [MLS commissioner Larry] Berg’s talk of games of consequence and jeopardy. MLS and USL will go down different routes to create this within their leagues, but the Open Cup will, again, rather uniquely in US sport, offer the chance for the respective leagues to test themselves against each other.
The US Soccer Federation has announced the 155 teams that will enter qualifying for the 2027 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. 16 teams will emerge from qualifying for spots in the First Round proper next March, joining 16 other amateur teams directly entered in the First Round for a total of 32 Open Division teams.
(This series will feature a $1 Double and a $1, 2-leg parlay wagers in horse racing and soccer respectively over a 40-day period.)
*Soccer*
Men's Coppa Italia (Italy)
Game No. 1 (2:45p)
Venezia (-190)
Men's USL Championship (United States)
Game No. 2 (7p)
Detroit City FC (-180)
Soccer Hit Rate: 0% (0/0)
Soccer Bankroll: $40.00 (+/-0.0%)
*Horse Racing*
Saratoga Race Course (Saratoga, NY)
Race No. 9 (5:06p)
#1: Ancient Egypt (5-1 ML)
Race No. 10 (5:44p)
#3: Oscar's Encore (6-1 ML)
Horse Racing Hit Rate: 0% (0/0)
Horse Racing Bankroll: $40.00 (+/-0.0%)
*Total*
Total Hit Rate: 0% (0/0)
Total Bankroll: $80.00 (+/-0.0%)
Mauricio Pochettino will return as U.S. men’s national team head coach after agreeing to a new contract with U.S. Soccer, the federation announced Monday. The deal runs through the 2030 World Cup. Pochettino, whose first contract with U.S. Soccer expired after the 2026 World Cup, had been engaged in discussions with the federation about a renewal, with both parties publicly keeping the door open for such an outcome. It officially became a reality on Monday.
(A series of lists of things.)
There are still many questions about what the format will look like, including the standards the league will require from its teams. To help, former English Premier League chief football officer Tony Scholes has been hired as president of the newly-created top division of the USL, called USL Premier. The Championship and League One will play below that. [Portland Hearts of Pine founder and co-owner Gabe] Hoffman-Johnson said that promotion and relegation could be "fantastic" for this country because it creates captivating storylines. "I think it’s extremely positive and exciting for us as a club that has aspirations," Hoffman-Johnson said. "It allows you a chance to dream."
All of FIFA's members have a duty to protect the integrity of the sport and save FIFA from itself, even at the risk of retaliation. In the short term, I hope federations around the world find the courage to oppose [Gianni] Infantino's vision for the sport; in the long term, I urge them to pursue structural governance reforms that take power away from the role of the FIFA president and shift it toward the Council, the Congress, and the Secretary General, so that no single individual can ever act unilaterally to soccer's detriment again. Perhaps then the greatest legacy of this World Cup will be that it spurred us to speak up for and defend the values that make soccer the people's game.
(This series will feature a $1 Double and a $1, 2-leg parlay wagers in horse racing and soccer respectively over a 40-day period.)
*Soccer*
Men's 2. Deild (Iceland)
Game No. 1 (3:15p)
Haukar (-320)
Men's USL League Two (United States)
Game No. 2 (4p)
Steel City FC (-185)
Soccer Hit Rate: 63% (38/60)
Soccer Bankroll: $38.11 (-4.7%)
*Horse Racing*
Saratoga Race Course
Race No. 8 (5:11p)
#7: Santorini (5-1 ML)
Race No. 9 (5:45p)
#9: Deep Satin (5-1 ML)
Horse Racing Hit Rate: 21% (12/57)
Horse Racing Bankroll: $23.79 (-40.5%)
*Total*
Total Hit Rate: 43% (50/117)
Total Bankroll: $61.90 (-22.6%)
(A series of lists of things.)
U.S. Soccer has announced the Open Division details for the 2027 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup including entry details and dates for the Qualifying Rounds. The Open Division will again produce 32 teams for the Tournament Proper, including 16 squads that will emerge from the Qualifying Rounds and 16 that will receive direct entry based on performances in select competitions.
The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer (Caitlin Murray)
Chapter 24: "A Total S***show Circus"
Murray closes her book with a deep dive into the USWNT's World Cup championship in 2019, focusing especially on the controversies related to the team's goal celebrations, President Trump's tweet storms about Megan Rapinoe, and the significance of the team's run within the context of their efforts to secure equal pay for female soccer players in the United States.
(A series of lists of things.)
The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer (Caitlin Murray)
Chapter 23: "For Inspiration and For Power"
Murray documents the pivot from the U.S. Women's National Team's complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to its lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) on International Women's Day (May 8) in 2019.
After chronicling the back-and-forth between the 28-player USWNT pool and the USSF about whether both sides could negotiate in the days leading up to the 2019 Women's World Cup (they agreed to wait until after the tournament), Murray analyzed the 2019 World Cup roster as another opportunity for head coach Jill Ellis to turn over the team's roster.
(This series will feature a $1 Double and a $1, 2-leg parlay wagers in horse racing and soccer respectively over a 40-day period.)
*Soccer*
Men's FIFA World Cup
Game No. 1 (3p)
Canada (-120)
Men's FIFA World Cup
Game No. 2 (9p)
United States (+110)
Soccer Hit Rate: 100% (2/2)
Soccer Bankroll: $42.84 (+7.1%)
*Horse Racing*
Plainridge Park
Race No. 3 (4:40p)
#3: Alvin Brickrock (9-5 ML)
Race No. 5 (5p)
#5: Crimson Pine (10-1 ML)
Horse Racing Hit Rate: 50% (1/2)
Horse Racing Bankroll: $39.00 (-2.5%)
*Total*
Total Hit Rate: 75% (3/4)
Total Bankroll: $81.84 (+2.3%)
