Originally founded in 2020, in the heart of the pandemic, as a way for clubs to get in some matches when so many leagues were in hiatus, the Independent Cup is back for its third year of competition. Regardless of its reason for coming into existence, the Cup has become a lower league-loved event due to the reduction of amateur teams competing in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

This year’s competition will have a slightly modified format, with 36 clubs in nine regions competing. The field will include clubs from NISA (pro), NISA Nation, and NISA-affiliated clubs, as well as guest independent amateur clubs. Form today’s press release “the tournament is formatted as a round robin tournament between the three amateur clubs in each region using a 10-point system. The winner of that round-robin earns $3,000 and a spot playing the NISA professional club for the regional championship. The winner of each region earns $4,000.”

In that same press release, Matt Morse, the NIC Tournament Director, acknowledged both the competition’s newness and its potential. ““NISA is in its first, end-to-end full season, and NISA Nation is still in its infancy. This new format allows the professional, NISA Nation, clubs from NISA affiliates, and a few guest clubs to get acclimated to a regional cup. Over the long term, the NIC will develop sustainably into a full, national tournament.”

The tournament kicks off on June 25th and will stream on Eleven Sports. Keep an eye on our site for more information as the field fills out.

- Dan Vaughn