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2015 U.S. Open Cup fourth round draw: Union get home game

Updated on May 28: Rochester beat Harrisburg, which means the Unon won't have to play their USL affiliate. But my general point still stands.

The U.S. Open Cup fourth round draw took place Thursday night. There was video coverage of the coin flips for the first time ever, which is great. There were some high-profile matchups that resulted, which will bring the tournament lots of exposure, and that's also great. As the cherry on top, the Union got a home game.

But I'm miffed - and not because I'll be at the Women's World Cup when the fourth round takes place.

I'm miffed because two of the matchups could pit MLS teams against their USL affiliates.

If the Harrisburg City Islanders beat the Rochester Rhinos (whose MLS affiliate is New England) in an all-USL third round matchup, they'll visit PPL Park in the fourth round.

Which means that for the third time in the Union's six-year history, it's possible that the Union's senior squad will play against teammates who are on loan to the minors to get more time on the field.

Out west, the San Jose Earthquakes will face their USL affiliate, the Sacramento Republic, if they beat U.S. Adult Soccer Association underdog Chula Vista FC.

Technically, it's allowed. The only explicit provision in this year's U.S. Open Cup handbook (which I got my hands on a copy of) is that "pairings will be arranged to prevent the possibility of a lower division team playing a parent club."

That is a specific reference to the five MLS teams that fully own and operate USL affiliates: Los Angeles, the New York Red Bulls, Portland, Real Salt Lake and Seattle.

I get that MLS teams which affiliate with independent USL clubs are not prevented from playing those clubs. But considering that the USL and MLS have long lauded the Philadelphia-Harrisburg relationship as a model of how the leagues want their partnership to work, would it be the worst thing if matchups between affiliates are forbidden in at least the round when MLS teams first enter the tournament?

I also get that the U.S. Open Cup draw is intentionally set up with geography in mind, in order to help reduce travel costs. There's no question that the tournament isn't popular enough to fly teams all over the place, and pairing teams near each other helps build interest in local markets.

But I look across the fourth round draw and I see a Seattle-Portland grudge match at a stage when one of the clubs' USL teams will still be alive. Couldn't one of them have been set up against San Jose?

I also see D.C. United facing either the USL's Pittsburgh Riverhounds or the NASL's Tampa Bay Rowdies. Why not put the Union there, and set up either a Philadelphia-Pittsburgh clash or a showdown with the team from Nick Sakiewicz's old stomping grounds?

Hopefully some day there will be enough interest in the Open Cup to make the travel expense of a truly random draw be worthwhile. Until then, here's hoping that next year's edition of the tournament will take the next step in improving its integrity.

Here is the full fourth round draw. Games will take place on either Tuesday, June 16 or Wednesday, June 17. All listed times are Eastern.

(And by the way, June 16 is the night of the U.S. women's national team's World Cup group stage finale against Nigeria in Vancouver. There's only so much the U.S. Soccer Federation can do when trying to fit Open Cup match dates within league schedules, but it's something to keep in mind.)

Tuesday, June 16

1. Philadelphia Union (MLS) vs. Rochester Rhinos (USL) or Harrisburg City Islanders (USL): PPL Park, Chester, Pa. (7:30 p.m.)

2. New York Red Bulls (MLS) vs. Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) or Chattanooga FC (NPSL): Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J. (7:30 p.m. ET)

3. Chicago Fire (MLS) vs. Indy Eleven (NASL) or Louisville FC (USL): Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill. (8:30 p.m.)

4. Sporting Kansas City (MLS) vs. Minnesota United FC (NASL) or Saint Louis FC (USL): Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kan. (8:30 p.m.)

5. FC Dallas (MLS) vs. Oklahoma City Energy (USL) or Tulsa Roughnecks (USL): Texas Christian University Soccer Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas (9:00 p.m.)

6. Colorado Rapids (MLS) vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USL) or Real Monarchs SLC (USL): Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colo. (9:00 p.m.)

7. Real Salt Lake (MLS) vs. Portland Timbers 2 (USL) or Seattle Sounders 2 (USL): Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah (10:00 p.m.)

8. San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) vs. Sacramento Republic FC (USL) or Chula Vista FC (USASA): Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif. (10:30 p.m)

9. Seattle Sounders (MLS) vs. Portland Timbers (MLS): Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Wash. (10:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, June 17

3. New England Revolution (MLS) vs. Carolina RailHawks (NASL) or Charlotte Independence (USL): Soldiers Field, Harvard University, Boston, Mass. (7:30 p.m)

6. Houston Dynamo (MLS) vs. San Antonio Scorpions (NASL) or Austin Aztex (USL): BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas (9:00 p.m.)

7. Los Angeles Galaxy (MLS) vs. Ventura County Fusion (PDL) or PSA Elite (USASA): StubHub Center, Carson, Calif. (10:30 p.m.)