The USL Jägermeister Cup Kicks Off This Weekend | OneFootball

You’d be forgiven for having heard of the USL Jägermeister Cup. I didn’t until a press release showed up in my inbox over the weekend.

It’s billed as the first interleague tournament style cup competition in the United States (which I know cannot be true) – for soccer (which *may* be true?). Started in 2024 within the USL League One, it’s essentially it’s a soccer version of the NBA Cup. Of course, a good question to ask is: “Why was this created?” Based on my research and gut, it can be attributed to:

History

With only one year under its belt, the history is thin. The inaugural 2024 winners were the Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC. They, sadly, will not be around to defend their title. The club was kicked out of the USL last fall after its ownership group were accused of some pretty shady business dealings. I mean, it must’ve been real bad to offend a consortium of soccer team owners, who historically aren’t the most fiscally truthful or morally upright bunch.

Still, the tournament was deemed to be successful, and the with sponsorship of Jäegermeister behind it, has chosen to go even bigger.

Current Form

In 2025, the Jäegermeister Cup competition now includes the USL’s League One and Championship divisions, bringing the total number of teams to 38. Teams are divided into six groups of six or seven, roughly along regional lines. Each team will play two from their group at home; and two from the group on the road. All this group play will happen on the final weekend of the month starting April 25 and ending July 26. All match pairings were randomly chosen.

After four games, the top team in the group on points advances to the knockout phase (along with the two teams in second place with the most points from the groups). These knockout games will be played until the final, which is slated for October 4.

In a departure from league play, every cup match must have a winner. Games tied at the end of regulation go directly to a penalty shootout. Wins in regulation earn 3 points. Shootout wins earn 2 points. Shootout losses earn 1 point and a loss in regulation gets zero. Sound familiar? It’s the same scoring system that ice hockey uses.

Oh, and this is cool… all games will be streamed on ESPN+

Isn’t This the U.S. Open Cup in a Different Skin?

Sort of, but not really? One crucial difference is the omission of any MLS sides. Unlike the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where MLS juggernauts get to saunter in during the FOURTH round, all the teams are on a level playing field from game one. In some ways, it’s a purer test of mettle and worth.

Organizers point out this is not a replacement for the U.S. Open Cup, though with the regional grouping many of the fixtures are identical. For example: North Carolina FC play Charlotte Independence (identical to the Open Round 3 tie from last week). Hartford Athletic will play Portland Hearts of Pine (same as the Open Round 2 tie).

You could see these oft-repeating fixtures as a sign of a narrowly defined and somewhat skeletal soccer ecosystem, or as a series of thrilling regional derbies to be contested. Both are valid. There are some intriguing match-ups, which we’ll highlight in each group in subsequent articles.

But really, who doesn’t want more good quality soccer to watch and a potentially compelling story along with it?