1996 U.S. Open Cup
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | D.C. United (1st title) |
| Runner-up | Rochester Rhinos |
The 1996 United States Open Cup was the 83rd edition of the tournament, and the first Open Cup to include Major League Soccer teams.
D.C. United defeated the Rochester Raging Rhinos 3–0 in the final at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Originally, four of the ten MLS teams entered the tournament. Five ended up participating, as D.C. United replaced the Los Angeles Galaxy (due to the Galaxy's congested schedule), and the Colorado Rapids replaced the Colorado Foxes (when the team could not reschedule its third-round match against Kansas City). The A-League Rochester side beat two MLS teams en route to the final before falling to already-crowned MLS Cup champion United.
Bracket
| Second Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinal | Final | ||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Dallas Burn | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | Seattle Sounders | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| USASA | San Jose Oaks | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | Seattle Sounders | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Dallas Burn | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | D.C. United | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | D.C. United | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| USISL | Carolina Dynamo | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | New York Fever | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| USISL | Carolina Dynamo | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | D.C. United | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | Rochester Rhinos | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | Rochester Rhinos | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| USISL | Fort Myers Manatees | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | Rochester Rhinos (AET) | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Tampa Bay Mutiny | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | Rochester Rhinos | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Colorado Rapids | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Kansas City Wiz | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| MLS | Colorado Rapids | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| A-L | Colorado Foxes | 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| USISL | El Paso Patriots | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
First Round
- El Paso Patriots (USISL) 3–0 RWB Adria (USASA)
- Carolina Dynamo (USISL) 5–0 Mo's Sport Shop (USASA)
- Fort Myers/Naples Manatees (USISL) 6–0 McCormick Kickers (USISL)
- San Jose Oaks (USASA) 3–2 California Jaguars (USISL)
Second Round
- Seattle Sounders (A-League) 1–0 San Jose Oaks (USASA)
- Carolina Dynamo (USISL) 1–0 New York Centaurs (A-League)
- Rochester Rhinos (A-League) 2–0 Fort Myers/Naples Manatees (USISL)
- Colorado Foxes (A-League) 5–1 El Paso Patriots (USISL)
Quarterfinals
| Carolina Dynamo (USISL) | 0–2 | D.C. United (MLS) |
|---|---|---|
Steve Rammel  50', 83' |
| Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS) | 3–4 (a.e.t.) | Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-L) |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Lassiter 80' Carlos Valderrama 85' (pen.)Evans Wise 86' |
Henry Gutierrez 34' Doug Miller 42', 82'Chris Kennell 113' |
| Colorado Rapids (MLS) | 3–2 | Kansas City Wiz (MLS) |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Henderson 10', 85' 45' (o.g.) |
Sean Bowers 36' Vitalis Takawira 62' |
Note: The Colorado Rapids replaced the Colorado Foxes when the team could not reschedule its Quarterfinal match after player availability conflicts due to CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying.
| Seattle Sounders (A-L) | 2–3 | Dallas Burn (MLS) |
|---|---|---|
| Joey Leonetti 3' David Hoggan 90' (pen.) |
Lawrence Lozzano 58' Gerell Elliott 70'Ted Eck 79' |
Semifinals
| Colorado Rapids (MLS) | 0–3 | Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-L) |
|---|---|---|
| Lenin Steenkamp 32' Doug Miller 56', 85' |
| D.C. United (MLS) | 2–0 | Dallas Burn (MLS) |
|---|---|---|
| Jaime Moreno 12', 82' |
Final
| Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-L) | 0–3 | D.C. United (MLS) |
|---|---|---|
| Raúl Díaz Arce 45' Eddie Pope 63'Jaime Moreno 89' |