If you just looked it up on the USL Soccer website, or viewed it on the Big
Soccer Boards on the great world wide web, (Or if you just found out about
it here in this brand new column on this website) you will probably have
heard that the United Soccer Leagues have restructured the A-League & the
Pro Soccer League into brand new single tabled leagues like the rest of the
world. Out of 12 clubs in the former A-League, eight of them are American in
the renamed USL First Division while there are nine in the renamed USL
Second Division with an addition as Cincinnati will be back but it won't be
under the old River hawks organization.

So basically what does this mean for entrance into the US Open Cup for the
First & Second Divisions of the United Soccer Leagues? First of all with the
entrance of Real Salt Lake coming to Salt Lake City, Utah for MLS The PSL
champion Utah Blitzz FC have decided to end operations, not to defend the
PSL Championship and making it up for grabs. So in all sense if US Soccer
decides to give that automatic bid to the runner up of the PSL championship
last year that would be fine, or give the PSL clubs a chance to fight for
it.

The PDL hasn't been touched with over 50 clubs in four conferences all over
the country. The California Gold & San Diego Gauchos have decided to move
themselves down to the PDL giving the Western Conference a better chance at
competition. Will there be eight spots up for grabs to the PDL against the
USASA clubs?

What does qualifying mean for the USL First Division? Vancouver, Toronto,
Montreal & Puerto Rico are not eligible for the US Open Cup. Can it be that
the USL First Division will be allowed to have all eight American clubs get
automatic bids into the 2nd & 3rd rounds of the US Open Cup? We all know MLS
will earn automatic bids but should the USL First Division be allowed the
same principals?

It's common in all soccer leagues with their own FA Cup tournaments that
everyone is involved from the first round all the way to the championship
final. But let's not forget that this is a tournament that still needs to be
promoted correctly. To bring in interest I say that if it is possible, allow
all eight USL First Division clubs to get Automatic bids to the tournament
this year till there are promoted or expansion clubs.

With the last two tournaments the clubs in MLS that didn't qualify for the
MLS Cup Playoffs meant that they would start in the 3rd round of the US Open
Cup, but now that Real Salt Lake & CD Chivas-USA will come into play will
this bring back qualifying for MLS? Can it be that four clubs will battle
for two spots in the third round? Will the first or second divisions of the
USL be forced to lose several spots meaning that all twelve MLS clubs will
enter and qualifying could start up for the First Division?

So many questions need to be answered with the competition committee of the
US Open Cup at US Soccer House. But don't worry faithful supporters of US
Soccer when the facts and calculations will come together I believe that the
2005 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup will have a lot of excitement just like in
tournaments past. Let's see if the Kansas City Wizards will defend their
Open Cup title or the Chicago Fire will go for number four