The Riverhounds have a new trophy to set their sights on, and the first step toward it comes this week.
In a sport where clubs contesting multiple competitions at once is commonplace, from domestic leagues to Club World Cups to something called the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup — it was real, look it up! — USL Championship clubs this year get to add the USL Jägermeister Cup to their dance card with very real prizes to the winning side.
This is the second year of the competition, which last year was limited to USL League One teams and won by the Northern Colorado Hailstorm. This year, all professional teams in USL will take part, bringing the total number of entrants to 38 teams who will try to claim the title.
The new competition begins this weekend when the Hounds travel to face Detroit City FC at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26. With that in mind, here’s a rundown of some questions fans might have:
• What is the USL Jägermeister Cup’s format?
While it is called a “Cup,” the competition isn’t a knockout tournament like the U.S. Open Cup or FA Cup, but rather a tournament with group play like the World Cup. In fact, the most similar competition domestically is played in another sport, basketball’s recently launched NBA Cup, which also occurs concurrently with the NBA regular season.
Teams were divided geographically into six groups of either six or seven teams, with each group assured of having at least two League One teams alongside the more numerous Championship sides. In the Hounds’ case, that put them in Group Four with Detroit City FC, Hartford Athletic, Portland Hearts of Pine, Rhode Island FC and Westchester FC.
Each team will play four matches against teams in their group — two home and two away — and the six group winners, along with the best two second-place finishers, will advance to the knockout rounds.
• Do the Cup matches count in the league standings?
No. Jägermeister Cup matches will not count toward the overall USL Championship standings, effectively shortening the league season to 30 matches.
The four group stage matches were built into the regular-season schedule, keeping it at 34 matches for Championship teams, with one Jägermeister Cup match each month from April to July. Reaching the knockout rounds will add additional matches for the clubs who qualify.
• Are there any special rules for Cup matches?
The biggest difference from a normal regular-season match is that no contests will end in draws; matches tied after 90 minutes will go to a penalty kick shootout.
For the purposes of the standings in the group stage, that means a win in 90 minutes earns the usual three points, a win by penalty kicks earns two, a loss by penalty kicks earns one, and a regulation loss still earns nothing.
• Where can people watch Cup matches?
The Jägermeister Cup matches are part of the USL’s and the Hounds’ regular television deals. That means local TV coverage will be seen on KDKA+ and SportsNet Pittsburgh — Saturday’s game, specifically, will air on SNP — and streaming will still be carried by ESPN+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network.
• What is the prize for the winning team?
The Hounds would love to bring home their second official USL trophy, after the 2023 Players’ Shield, and the Jägermeister Cup is a great chance to do that. In addition, there is a cash prize for the winning side, further adding to the motivation for teams and players alike to triumph in the final on Oct. 4.
