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Soccer knockout tournament in the U.S. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The USL Cup is an annual soccer competition in men's domestic American soccer.[1] The USL Cup is currently known as the USL Jägermeister Cup after its title sponsor, Jägermeister.[2]
| |
| Organizing body | United Soccer League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2024 |
| Region | United States |
| Number of teams | 12 (2024) |
| Current champion(s) | Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC |
| Most successful club(s) | Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (1 title) |
| Television broadcasters | ESPN+ |
| Motto | A Shot at Glory |
| Website | uslleagueone.com |
 2024 USL Cup | |
The first USL Cup features teams exclusively in USL League One; however, USL intends to expand the cup beyond just that league.[1] Richmond Kickers chairman Rob Ukrop stated at the time of the announcement that another league had been invited to participate, but wasn't “ready to jump in yet.”[3]
Previous to the creation of the USL Cup, USL League One had regularly played an unbalanced schedule of 28–32 games, often playing other teams in the league three times. The league integrated the USL Cup into the league season, allowing each team to play each other twice (once home, once away) to balance the league schedule, while also preserving the length of the season.[3]
In an interview, USL Championship president Jeremy Alumbaugh and USL League One president Lee O'Neill stated that both USL Championship and USL League Two were being considered to enter the competition in future years. However, the USL Cup was not considered to be a replacement for the U.S. Open Cup, and USL teams would continue competing in future U.S. Open Cup tournaments.[4]
O'Neill emphasized in USL's announcement of the tournament that the creation of the USL Cup would "open up more possibilities for the competitive structure going forward." The announcement also hinted that the tournament could be a precursor to a promotion and relegation system within the professional levels of the USL.[1]
The competition splits the teams into three groups of four teams. Each team plays the other three teams in their group twice, home and away. They will play an additional two games against two teams in other groups, one at home and one away. If a game is tied at the end of regulation, a penalty kick shootout will occur. A regulation win is worth three points, a shootout win worth two, and a shootout loss worth one. The top team from each group advances to a knockout round, in addition to the team who scores the most goals in the competition that does not win their group.[1]
Jägermeister was announced as the title sponsor for the USL Cup on March 18, 2024, three months after the initial announcement of the tournament and one month before the competition's kickoff.[5] The announcement of Jägermeister's sponsorship stated that it was a multi-year agreement,[2] with Sports Business Journal reporting that it was a three-year deal worth "a mid-six-figure sum annually".[6]
In February 2024, USL announced that ESPN+ would be the exclusive broadcaster for all matches in the 2024 USL Cup.[7]
| † | Match decided via a penalty shootout after regulation |
| (#) | Number of trophies won by club |
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners–up | Venue | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC (1) | 1–1 †[a] | Forward Madison FC | 4Rivers Equipment Stadium | Windsor, Colorado | 3,550 |
| Club | Wins | First final won | Last final won | Runners-up | Last final lost | Total final appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC | 1 | 2024 | 2024 | 0 | — | 1 |
| Forward Madison FC | 0 | — | — | 1 | 2024 | 1 |
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