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Sporting Kansas City, winner of FC Cincinnati, Miami FC to host U.S. Open Cup semifinals

Photo by Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The magical run of either FC Cincinnati or Miami FC will continue in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, and no matter who wins, they’ll be returning home next round.

The winner of the rescheduled FC Cincy vs. Miami FC quarterfinal will host the New York Red Bulls in the upcoming semifinal round. On the other side of the bracket, Sporting Kansas City will continue their run at home as they host the San Jose Earthquakes. The news is good for Sporting KC, who have a clear home path to the title, and less so for the Quakes, who will be on the road no matter what.

With one division two team guaranteed to advance to the semifinals, it’s worth noting that no lower division team has advanced to the finals since the Charleston Battery in 2008, and none have won the Cup since the Rochester Rhinos in 1999.

All four teams will aim to advance to the finals, and the draw also set a priority for hosting that round. Sporting Kansas City has first priority to host the final, followed by the Red Bulls, the winner of Cincy/Miami, and finally the Quakes, in that order. The highest ranked team to advance will host, meaning Cincy or Miami could only host if the Quakes beat Sporting KC.

The semifinals are set to take place in early August, with the finals a month later in late September. FC Cincy and Miami FC’s match has yet to be rescheduled after being rained out on Wednesday night.

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