Dynamo on Road for 2nd Round US Open Cup Match

Greensboro, NC: The competition format and pairings for the first two rounds of the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup are set with the largest field in the tournament’s modern era(1995-present), kicking off on May 7 with eight matches. The Dynamo will enter the tournament in the 2ndRound and will travel to Charlotte to face the USL Pro side Eagles, on May 14th. Kick-off is slated for 7:00 at Queens University Sports Complex. The Eagles star three former Dynamo players Brock Duckworth (UNC-W, GK), Ben Newnam (Wake,D) & former MLS player, Wells Thompson (Wake, MF).
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The 101st edition of the tournament features 80 teams, an increase from the then-record 68 that took the field last year.The expansion results in both the largest number of amateur teams (42) in the tournament proper — exceeding the previous record of 34 set last year—as well as the largest contingent of pro clubs (38, surpassing last year’s record of 34),with all Division I, II and III professional sides participating for the third consecutive year. An additional record for the competition will see 24 second-round matches played, exceeding the previous high of 18 in a single round (2013 first round).
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A new feature will be the prospect that many pro teams will have to play an early-round Open Cup match on a weekend date (a first in the competition’s modern era). This scheduling opportunity for fourth round games June 14-15 is the result of a league break Division I (Major League Soccer) and II (North American Soccer League) clubs will take during the 2014FIFA World Cup.
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The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, recognized as U.S. Soccer’s National Club Championship, is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. The tournament has crowned a champion for 100 consecutive years dating back to1914. This year’s winner will earn $250,000 and have its name engraved on the historic Dewar Challenge Trophy, one of the oldest nationally contested trophies in American team sports. The runner-up will take home $60,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will earn a$15,000 cash prize. D.C. United is the defending U.S. Open Cup champion, having won its third tournament title (following triumphs in 1996 and 2008) after a tense 1-0 road victory over Real Salt Lake on Oct. 1, 2013. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
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Tournament Format and Match Dates
The 2014 U.S. Open Cup will be conducted on a single-elimination, one-game-knockout basis utilizing a tiered-bracket format.Teams will be paired geographically. In the event that three or more teams are from the same proximity, pairings for these teams will be made by random selection. Pairings will be arranged to prevent the possibility of a lower division team playing a parent club (e.g. Portland Timbers U-23s [PDL] will not be pitted against the Portland Timbers [MLS], should both teams be in the competition in the same round) except for the Final.

First Round — May 7 (16 amateur teams: 5 PDL, 4 USASA regional qualifiers, 5NPSL, 1 US Club Soccer, 1 USSSA): Teams from the same qualifying pool cannot bepaired with each other.For a complete listing of participating teams and pairings please click onthe link below
http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/04/24/09/27/140424-usoc-2014-tournament-announcement

About the Carolina Dynamo
Based in Greensboro, the Carolina Dynamo is the oldest minor league soccer team in the nation, entering our 22nd season in 2014. The Dynamo is a team of elite college players with professional aspirations. They compete for the Dynamo during the summer, from May to August, playing regular season games in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Many of our players are drafted by MLS clubs and can been seen playing National TV the following year. The Dynamo has 40 former players currently playing professionally, including 19in Major League Soccer. Some 77 players have been selected in the MLS Superdraft after playing for the Dynamo. The Carolina Dynamo is one most successful clubs in all of US Soccer, having won five National Championships, multiple Conference Championships, and 12 Division Titles.
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Second Round — May 14: (8 First Round winners, 26 remaining amateur teams [14 PDL,6 USASA regional qualifiers, 6 NPSL], and 14 Division III [USL PRO] clubs):Teams from the same qualifying pool cannot be paired with each other.

Third Round — May 28: (24 Second Round winners and 8 Division II [NASL] clubs):Each Division II team will be matched geographically to play the winner of a specific Second Round pairing. The winners of the 16 remaining Second Round matches not paired with a Division II side will play each other.

Fourth Round — June 10-18: (16 Third Round winners vs. Division I [MLS] clubs):Each Division I team will be matched geographically to play the winner of a specific Third Round pairing. The exact date for each match will be determined by the club selected as the home team from among those dates where the visiting team doesn’t have a league game already scheduled. The date selected must allow the visiting team at least two rest days before and after the match date.
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Fifth Round — June 24-25: (16 Fourth Round winners face each other): Each Fourth Round pair will be matched geographically with another Fourth Round pair to determine the Fifth Round possibilities.
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Quarterfinal (Sixth) Round — July 8-9: Each Fifth Round pair will be matched geographically with another Fifth Round pair to determine the Quarterfinal Round possibilities.
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Semifinal Round—Aug. 12-13: Each Quarterfinal Round pair will be matched geographically with another Quarterfinal Round pair to determine the Semifinal Round possibilities.
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Final — Sept. 30-Oct. 1
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