photo: Jamila St. Ann

US Soccer announced today the competition format and pairings for the first two rounds of the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Orlando City SC will begin Open Cup play in the second round on Wednesday, May 14, against the Ocala Stampede. The match is set to kick-off at 7:30 p.m.

Last year, the Lions defeated the Stampede 2-1 in the second round en route to a memorable Cinderella run in the oldest soccer tournament in the United States. Orlando City went on to claim victories over the Colorado Rapids and defending champions Sporting Kansas City, before falling to the Chicago Fire in the quarter-finals.

Prior to the first team’s match on May 14, the Orlando City U23s will also kick-off their Open Cup run in the second round at 4:30 p.m., at Seminole Soccer Complex against NPSL side Jacksonville United FC.

The U23s were knocked out of the tournament in the first round in 2013, falling to former USL PRO side VSI Tampa Bay FC.

Orlando City in the Open Cup

Second Round (U23s):
Jacksonville United FC (NPSL) at Orlando City U23s (PDL)
Seminole Soccer Complex, Sanford, Fla.
Wednesday, May 14, at 4:30 p.m.

Second Round (Pro Team):
Ocala Stampede (PDL) at Orlando City SC (USL PRO)
Seminole Soccer Complex, Sanford Fla.
Wednesday, May 14, 7:30 p.m.

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 to 1914.

A new feature this year 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 that Major League Soccer (MLS) and North American Soccer League (NASL) clubs will take during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.