Unlike a traditional tournament where many teams will gather at a single site to play a series of matches in a short period of time, the US Open Arena Soccer Championship incorporates a series of qualifying tournaments, special matches, and the regular season meetings of teams in the Professional Arena Soccer League over a series of months to fill out then complete the tournament bracket.

This non-linear format is how, for example, the Cleveland Freeze advanced to the Semi-finals before the Tulsa Revolution played its weather-delayed Round of 32 match.

After a three-year run by the San Diego Sockers, the 2012–13 Open Cup was won by the Detroit Waza.

[1] This year, Detroit was knocked out in its first Open Cup match by the Harrisburg Heat.

San Diego Sockers Reserves and Las Vegas Knights qualify for US Open Arena Soccer Championships