A new soccer tournament is on deck, as US Soccer announced the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup, a national club competition pitting pro US leagues against each other in pursuit of a single champion.
The single-elimination event promises a record $1.1 million grand prize and serve as a pathway to qualification for the Concacaf W Champions Cup.
Comparable to the men’s US Open Cup or the FA Cup in the United Kingdom, the tournament aims to unite professional, amateur, and other domestic leagues that have historically had little exposure to each other.
The federation said it will set a date for the tournament — named after the owner of incoming NWSL expansion team Atlanta FC — in the coming months.
“We’re working very closely with both the NWSL and the Gainbridge Super League to figure out what is the optimal time to do this,” said US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone.
“We want to make sure that we’re not overloading the players and allowing enough recovery between their league matches and the Crest Cup matches.”
