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 The Madison 56ers will be right at home as they play their first U.S. Open Cup match since 1991.
The 56ers will play host to fellow amateur side AAC Eagles from Chicago in the first round of the 98th U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, June 14 at Breese Stevens Field, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced today. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The winner will take on either the Chicago Fire Premier Development League team or another amateur side, the Iowa Menace, on June 21. Second-round winners move on to play Major League Soccer teams in the third round June 28.
AAC Eagles and the Menace, an offshoot of the PDL's Des Moines Menace, claimed the two available spots in the tournament through the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament. The 56ers qualified as the National Premier Soccer League's Midwest Division representative, thanks to winning the 2010 division title.
This will be the 56ers' fifth appearance in the U.S. Open Cup, but first since the club brought back its men's team to join the NPSL in 2005.
Their previous appearances were from 1988 to '91, and their best run came in the final year – they fell to Illinois' RWB Adria 7-6 on penalty kicks following a 4-4 tie in a quarterfinal match at Warner Park.
 AAC Eagles have a long history in the tournament.
The ethnic Polish club advanced to the semifinals in 1989, won the Cup in 1990 – beating the 56ers 1-0 in the Region II semifinals in the process – and made the quarterfinals in the last all-amateur tournament in 1994 before losing to Milwaukee's Bavarian SC Leinenkugel.
However, in four previous trips to the tournament during the professional era (1995, 2002, '05 and '08), AAC Eagles have lost in the first round each time. Their most recent U.S. Open Cup appearance was a 4-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in 2008.
The 56ers and AAC Eagles squared off at the USASA Region II Amateur Cup tournament in 2009, with the Madison side coming away with a 5-3 victory.
The 56ers are 2-1-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the NPSL Midwest so far this season. AAC Eagles have won their first four reported matches of the Metropolitan Soccer League Major Division season by a combined 23-3. They've won the Illinois state title nine times and the MSL 11 times.
The team that wins the tournament earns $100,000 and the runner-up receives $50,000. Additionally, a $10,000 prize will be awarded to the USL Pro and amateur teams that advance the furthest.
MADISON 56ERS U.S. OPEN CUP HISTORY
1988: Region II semifinals – Busch SC (Mo.) def. Madison 56ers, score not available
1989: Region II semifinals – Michelob SC (Mo.) 2, Madison 56ers 1
1990: Region II semifinals – AAC Eagles (Ill.) 1, Madison 56ers 0
1991: Quarterfinals – RWB Adria (Ill.) 4, Madison 56ers 4 (RWB Adria advances 7-6 on penalty kicks)
AAC EAGLES RECENT U.S. OPEN CUP MATCHES
1995: First round – Chicago Stingers (USISL) 2, AAC Eagles 1
2002: First round – New York Freedoms (D3 Pro) 1, AAC Eagles 0, OT
2005: First round – Chicago Fire Premier (PDL) 4, AAC Eagles 1
2008: First round – Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL-2) 4, AAC Eagles 0
2011 U.S. OPEN CUP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, June 14: First round (11 USL PRO teams, nine PDL teams, four NPSL teams, eight USASA teams)
Tuesday, June 21: Second round (16 first-round winners)
Tuesday, June 28: Third round (Eight second-round winners plus eight MLS teams)
Tuesday, July 12: Quarterfinals
Tuesday, Aug. 30: Semifinals
Tuesday, Oct. 4: Final
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