Keeping the "Open" in Open Cup

Some countries, in addition to regular professional soccer leagues, have a season-long knockout tournament that's open to teams of all levels from all over the country. The most famed is the English FA Cup. But almost equally historic is the US Open Cup. Until about ten years ago, the Open Cup was dominated by semi-pro sides drawn largely from ethnic enclaves in various cities (the old North American Soccer League didn't take part in the Cup). With the advent of MLS, only pro clubs have won it since 1995. But the semi-pro clubs still enter the competition, hoping to make the run of their lives and knock off some giants along the way. USA Today has a good article about those teams today.