CINCINNATI -- There's a chance Nippert Stadium could host the U.S. Open Cup final.
If FC Cincinnati tops Miami FC in its makeup match -- set for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 2 in Miami -- FC Cincy will host the New York Red Bulls at Nippert Stadium on Aug. 9 in the Open Cup East semifinal, according to the U.S. Soccer website.
If FC Cincinnati beats NY, Nippert would host the final IF the San Jose Earthquakes beat Sporting Kansas City in the West semifinal Aug. 9 in KC. The final will be played in KC if Sporting Kansas City beats San Jose.
The final is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 20, according to U.S. Soccer.
And finally, hosting priority for #USOC2017 Final!
1. @SportingKC
2. @NewYorkRedBulls
3. @TheMiamiFC or @fccincinnati
4. @SJEarthquakes pic.twitter.com/CzXNxqOU5q— U.S. Open Cup (@opencup) July 14, 2017
A bad lightning storm postponed the FC Cincinnati-Miami FC game in Miami Wednesday night.
FC Cincinnati of the United Soccer League (USL) and Miami FC from the North American Soccer League (NASL) are the last two Division II sides in the competition. The winner will be the first side from below Major League Soccer (MLS) to reach an Open Cup semifinal since the Richmond Kickers in 2011.
The other three Open Cup quarterfinals have been played with New York defeating the New England Revolution 1-0 on July 13, Sporting Kansas City knocking out defending champion FC Dallas 3-0 on July 11, and San Jose beating the LA Galaxy 3-2 on July 10.
New York would be the third MLS team to visit Nippert Stadium during the Open Cup. FC Cincinnati has already dispatched the Columbus Crew 1-0 and the Chicago Fire 1-0 (3-1 on penalty kicks) before crowds of 30,160 and 32,287, respectively.
The latter was the second largest crowd in Open Cup history.
The winner of the Open Cup qualifies directly for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League, where a chance to reach the FIFA Club World Cup is on offer.
The 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the 104th installment of the competition, the third-longest consecutively running cup competition in the world and the oldest cup competition in the United States.
