Luck of the draw? Not sure. In any case it looks like the U.S. Open Cup play-in tournament returns to Portland on may 3rd as our team will face off against fellow west coast rivals the San Jose Earthquakes in an attempt to break into the tournament proper.
Most of you will remember a little less than two weeks ago the Portland Timbers downed Chivas USA 2 - 0 in U.S. Open Cup play at Merlo Field. This game will, instead, be played at newly renovated Jeld-Wen Field.
Should the Timbers win this match we'll again play host to the Chicago Fire for the final game in order to gain entry into the actual tournament itself. Six MLS teams, based on last year's performance, were granted an automatic berth into the tournament. Since the Timbers were a USSF D2 team last year and not an MLS team, our performance was not taken into account hence why we must "play-in."
Tickets go on sale to season ticket holders first beginning April 13th. General public tickets will go on sale April 19th. No pricing has yet been announced, but it's expected to be similar to that of the Chivas USA Open Cup game, $15.
I'm planning on grabbing two tickets as soon as they're available, how about you?
UPDATE: Fellow SB Nation San Jose Earthquakes blog, Quake, Rattle and Goal, posted a bit on how Jeld-Wen came to be the host of second play-in match. Long story short, Buck Shaw stadium scheduling conflicts. Catch the full story at Quake, Rattle and Goal.