The first round of the 103rd edition of the U.S. Open Cup will kick off May 11, the federation announced Friday in a release, with Major League Soccer clubs again waiting until the fourth round to enter the fray.
The 92 teams being plugged into the tiered, single-elimination bracket are a tournament record — at least in its modern era dating to 1995 — and the expanded field of developmental teams includes the Sounders U-23s. S2, which advanced to the fourth round of last year’s Open Cup, are not eligible for the 2015 edition after a policy change disqualifying MLS-owned USL teams.