December 12, 2023 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – One Knoxville SC News Release
USL League One will shake things up in 2024 with the introduction of an in-season cup competition that will provide a platform for fun new fan experiences and lay the foundation for potential future competition innovations such as promotion/relegation.
“USL League One is always looking to provide unique experiences for players and fans, and this new cup competition falls right in line with that,” USL League One President Lee O’Neill said. “The cup games will be dramatic and competitive, emphasizing the passionate rivalries in the league and providing our fans with new reasons to support their club all year long. Importantly, the cup and the balanced regular-season schedule together open up more possibilities for the competitive structure going forward.”
“The announcement of the new cup competition in League One is exciting,” said One Knox captain Jordan Skelton. “As a player who grew up watching the FA Cup in England, this format of competition provides a different feel than the regular season games and adds a new dynamic to the experience of the USL. I believe that introducing this cup competition will help progress the game for USL and provide fans with a unique style of supporting their teams. After all, who doesn’t love a cup run?”
Built for fun
Similar to a traditional World Cup-style format, the cup includes a group stage and a knockout round that creates additional matches of consequence in the annual calendar.
It also includes non-traditional modifications that encourage attacking soccer and provide entertaining moments for fans. These include:
Penalty kicks. Matches that finish tied at the end of regulation time will go directly to a penalty-kick shootout, with the shootout winners earning an extra point. Shootout losers will still earn one point for the draw in regulation time.
Emphasis on goals. Goals scored will be the first tiebreaker in group standings and will determine one of the four spots in the knockout round. The three group winners will advance to the knockout rounds, and the fourth playoff spot will be awarded to the non-group winners with the most goals scored in group play.
The three groups consist of four clubs each and are built to emphasize regional rivalries. The groups are:
The cup-winning club will earn prize money and a new trophy to be unveiled ahead of the cup’s first matchday.
“A new trophy. Prize money. Tie games going straight to penalty…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at OurSports Central Outdoor Soccer News…