U.S. Cup
The U.S. Cup (also known as the USA Cup, United States Cup and Nike U.S. Cup) was a soccer cup held annually in the United States from 1991 to 2000, except for the World Cup years of 1994 and 1998. The cup, hosted by the United States Soccer Federation was contested between the United States and three guest teams.
The cup was created to train the American soccer team and to popularize the sport in the US. Originally known as the U.S. Cup, the name was changed to the Nike U.S. Cup after Nike, Inc. singed a ten-year, $120 million contract with USSF to sponsor the U.S. national teams in October 1997, As part of the contract, USSF added Nike's name to the U.S. Cup title.[1]
In 1995, USSF added a women's competition which ran every year, including 1998, until 1999.
Format
The cup was traditionally played in a single round-robin format between the four participating national teams.
The 1999 edition of the men's tournament was played in a single-elimination tournament. The first round was the semifinals. The losers of the semifinals played then a third place match, and the winners of the semifinals played the final match.
List of Champions
Men's Tournament
Women's Tournament
Year | Champion | Runner-up | Third place | Fourth place |
---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | United States | Norway | Australia | Chinese Taipei |
1996 | United States | China | Japan | Canada |
1997 | United States | Italy | Australia | Canada |
1998 | United States | Brazil | Russia | Mexico |
1999 | United States | Brazil | Finland | South Korea |
Titles by Country
Men's Tournament
- United States and Mexico 3 times
- Germany 1 time
Women's Tournament
- United States 5 times