US Open Cup entry date released for New York Cosmos, other NASL clubs

The US Open Cup tends to be more interesting for fans of lower division sides than it is for MLS supporters, so when the USSF released some details ahead of the 2016 version, New York Cosmos fans have plenty of reason to take note. On Friday, we found out exactly when the Cosmos would be entering the competition, along with the rest of the American NASL sides.

This season, all nine NASL clubs participating will enter in the third round, which is scheduled to be played on June 1st. They'll be joined by the 21 clubs who win their second round matchups, with no NASL club being drawn against each other at that stage of the competition, and proximity being taken into consideration, as many clubs look to keep travel costs as low as possible.

Major League Soccer sides won't enter until the fourth round, as usual, meaning the earliest date in which we could see another match against either the Red Bulls or NYCFC would be June 15. Should the Cosmos advance to the fourth round, they are guaranteed to be drawn against a MLS franchise, with geography again being taken into consideration, making a derby match very likely.

As usual, the Cosmos are expecting a potential New York derby to be a very popular match, and have put that potential contest into a pair of ticket packages. Until the fourt--round draw, we won't know if that ticket would be for a home or away contest.