Changes Coming This Year For USOC Format

After outcry about the formatting of the competition was voiced in last years tournament, most notably by FC Dallas' head coach Schellas Hyndeman, changing are coming in 2012 for the country's oldest sports competition. The changes include:

• The expanding of the field of teams competing in the tournament from 40 to 64, the largest field of the modern era.
• All 16 MLS teams will take part in the competition for the first time ever, throwing out the old format of entry being determined by last season's performance along with a play-in process to determine the last participant.
• The bidding process is getting scrapped, up until the semi-finals at least. This was the most highly contested element of the competition, as clubs who actually care about the tournament like the Sounders and the Chicago Fire can claim home advantage throughout the entire tournament. Which actually makes sense, because the clubs that do care are more likely to advertise the competition and draw in fans for those matches.
• The tournament starts earlier and ends earlier, to help relieve schedule congestion for MLS clubs, especially those competing in the CONCACAF Champions League as well. The first round plays out on April 15th and the final will be played on either August 7th or 8th