US Open Cup News
Quick notes related to Lower Alabama
Image credit: USsoccerclub.org
The format for the 2025 Open Cup has been announced, and there are some noteworthy things for Lower Alabama teams. First is that the bottom USL Championship teams from last season will begin play in the first round, instead of round two. Legion falls into this group, and will face an amateur team March 18-20. The 32 first round winners will face each other in the second round.
The other big news comes from the Adjacency. Columbus United had qualified for the Cup by virtue of being an NPSL national semifinalist. But they're not listed as one of the participants. The most likely explanation is that they will indeed be changing leagues for 2025, as I have previously speculated. What's odd is that Appalachian FC will participate in the Cup, in one of the NPSL slots. That's noteworthy in that they're also a Hitchcock team (as is Columbus), but are apparently going to stay in NPSL. Columbus has been teasing an upcoming announcement, so hopefully that will be resolved soon.