U.S. Cup (also known as the USA Cup, United States Cup and Nike U.S. Cup) was a
soccer competition held annually in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
from 1992 to 2000, except for the World Cup years of 1994 and 1998. The tournament, hosted by the
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...
, was contested between the United States and three guest teams.
The cup was created to train the American soccer team and to popularize the sport in the US before the men's
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States ...
. Originally known as the U.S. Cup, the name was changed to the Nike U.S. Cup after
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is headquartered ne ...
signed a ten-year, $120 million contract with the
United States Soccer Federation
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...
to sponsor the U.S. national teams in October 1997. As part of the contract, USSF added Nike's name to the U.S. Cup title.
In 1995,
USSF added a women's competition which ran every year until 2002. The 2001 edition was abandoned after three matches due to the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
.
Format
The cup was traditionally played in a single
round-robin format between the four participating national teams.
The 1999 edition of the men's and 2000 edition of the women's tournaments, were played in
single elimination format. The first round was the semifinals. The losers of the semifinals played for third place, and the winners of the semifinals played the
Final match.
List of champions
Men's tournament
Women's tournament
Titles by country
Men's tournament
* 3 times (1992, 1995, 2000)
* 3 times (1996, 1997, 1999)
* 1 time (1993)
Women's tournament
* 7 times (all, except for the abandoned 2001 edition)
National team appearances
Men’s
Women’s
Number of appearance excludes the abandoned 2001 edition.
Venues
*
Frontier Field
Innovative Field (originally known as Frontier Field) is a baseball stadium located at One Morrie Silver Way in downtown Rochester, New York. It has been the home of the Rochester Red Wings of the International League since 1997. The park opened ...
, Rochester, NY 1998 (2 games)
*
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC-1992, 1993 (2 games), 1995 (2 games), 1996, 2000
*
Foxboro Stadium
Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England ...
, Foxborough, MA-1992 (2 games), 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000
*
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA-1996, 1997 (4 games)
*
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...
, Chicago, IL-1992 (2 games), 1993, 2000
*
Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ-1996 (2 games), 2000 (2 games)
*
Qualcomm Stadium
San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium on the West Coast of the United States, west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 199 ...
, San Diego, CA-1997 (2 games), 1999 (2 games)
*
Yale Bowl
The Yale Bowl Stadium is a college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in New Haven, Connecticut, on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles (2½ km) west of the main campus of Yale University. The home of the American foo ...
, New Haven, CT-1992, 1993
*
Rutgers Stadium
SHI Stadium is the football stadium at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. Rutgers Scarlet Knights football, Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's lacrosse, and women's lacrosse use the venue for home games. It is located on the Busch Campus at ...
, Piscataway, NJ-1995 (2 games)
*
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX-1996, 2000
*
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA-1999 (2 games)
*
Pontiac Silverdome
The Pontiac Silverdome (also known simply as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, ...
, Pontiac, MI-1993
References
{{reflist
External links
Men's US Cup at RSSSF
International association football competitions hosted by the United States
Defunct international association football competitions in North America
Recurring sporting events established in 1992
Recurring events disestablished in 2002
1992 establishments in the United States
2002 disestablishments in the United States