ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 9, 2024) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced today the club will host Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Al Lang Stadium on Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Select tickets are available to purchase now for the Rowdies Open Cup matchup against Dallas. Tickets in the Midfield Section of Al Lang Stadium are available for $35, while bowl seats are available for $20. Tickets can be purchased by visiting rowdiessoccer.com/tickets.
The Rowdies advanced to the Round of 16 for the first time since the 2013 tournament after a 6-4 extra time win over Birmingham Legion FC on Wednesday night. Tampa Bay came out strong as forward Cal Jennings recorded a hat trick to put the Rowdies on top 4-0 heading into the 80th minute before Birmingham scored four unanswered goals to send the game to extra time. A brace from forward Manuel Arteaga, including a miraculous bicycle kick goal, secured the win for the Rowdies to avoid a penalty kick shootout.
FC Dallas head to St. Petersburg following a 1-0 win over Memphis 901 FC, with the lone goal coming from Dallas forward Logan Farrington. Dallas entered the tournament alongside seven other MLS clubs and are one of six MLS clubs to advance to the Round of 16. This will be the first competitive meeting between the Rowdies and Dallas. Rowdies captain Aaron Guillen made his professional debut with Dallas as a MLS Homegrown signing in 2016. Midfielder Eddie Munjoma also started his professional career with Dallas after developing through the club’s academy system. Cal Jennings also has ties to Dallas. The MLS side selected Jennings 17th overall in the 2020 MLS Superdraft after finishing his college career at the University of Central Florida.
Now in its 109th edition, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – U.S. Soccer’s Club Championship – has crowned a champion since 1914 in every year except 2020 and 2021. The history-filled tournament is conducted on a single-game-knockout basis and open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. In 1999, the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States was renamed to honor American soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
The U.S. Open Cup winner will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy – one of the oldest nationally-contested trophies in American team sports – now on permanent display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up will earn $100,000, while the team that advances the furthest from each lower division will take home a $25,000 cash prize.
