MLS Closes Door to Open Cup on 18 Teams

Decision to limit MLS teams, allow MLS Next Pro teams in their place, shows league’s hubris and federation’s capitulation.

CHICAGO, IL–On Friday, US Soccer finalized the format for the 2024 US Open Cup. After Major League Soccer’s initial attempt to not field their first teams in the cup on the grounds of fixture congestion was rebuffed, just eight MLS first teams will participate starting in the third round (Round of 32).

The teams were announced based on last year’s Supporters’ Shield standings and includes the top eight teams not in this years Concacaf Champions Cup–Atlanta United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LAFC, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, and Sporting Kansas City. They will be joined in the third round by eight USL Championship teams based on last year’s standings (Charleston Battery, Colorado Springs Switchbacks, Orange County SC, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Sacramento Republic, San Antonio FC, and Tampa Bay Rowdies) and defending champion Phoenix Rising.

Eleven MLS Next Pro teams will start play in the first round:  Austin FC II, Carolina Core FC, Chattanooga FC, Chicago Fire II, Colorado Rapids 2, Crown Legacy FC, Minnesota United FC2, LA Galaxy II, New York City FC II, New York Red Bulls II, Portland Timbers 2. These teams will join teams from USL League One, USL League Two, NISA, NPSL, and Amateur teams in the first round.

DC United will take no part whatsoever given their record missing from last season and the fact that they do not have an MLS Next Pro side.

The format announced on Friday is only for 2024. MLS executive vice president of sporting product and competition Nelson Rodriguez indicated that the USSF is forming a “working group” that will work with stakeholders to determine what format will be used for 2025.

COMMENT:  Although the tournament has long held appeal to longtime soccer fans in this country, it has struggled to attract investment and a broader audience even though last year’s Open Cup featured Inter Miami and was televised on CBS Sports Network and Telemundo. That may be part of the problem in the eyes of MLS given their contract with Apple TV and their desire to have Messi front and center as part of their deal.

This website and this reporter have been critical of MLS’s moves to remove themselves from the US Open Cup mostly because the fixture congestion in question was partly created by MLS itself as they wanted to test themselves against teams from Liga MX rather than teams from the USL and lower leagues. It’s bad optics for MLS as it gives the impression that the Open Cup, while not the most perfect tournament, is beneath them.

ONLY EIGHT of MLS' 26 American teams will play in the 2024 US Open Cup, US Soccer has announced.

The US Open Cup is the country's oldest football competition, dating back to 1914, but more than two thirds of American MLS clubs now deem it below them.

Your thoughts? pic.twitter.com/M1wU1c0lu9

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) March 1, 2024

Given that Nelson Rodriguez is part of the conversation (and likely part of the league’s desire to own the soccer conversation in this country), Fire fans will feel especially aggrieved as the two MLS teams who have also won four US Open Cups–Seattle and Sporting KC–will have a chance at a fifth Open Cup while the Fire do not.

For fans of other MLS teams:  Nelson Rodriguez is not well liked by Fire fans given his perceived contempt for the club’s fans.

Some of the same people that spit at #cf97 tradition are spitting on tradition at the league level.

— Guillermo Rivera (@FireConf) March 1, 2024

At the very least, MLS clubs should be given the option of whether they want to participate. I cannot think of a fan base of any US-based MLS Cup who would not want to participate (insert comment if you agree or disagree). USL clubs would prefer all 26 (next year 27) US-based MLS clubs be in the tournament because that is their best way to measure themselves against top opposition. As much as MLS likes to think they and Liga MX are the only two games in this proverbial town, they are certainly not.

While fixture congestion is a major problem, it should be repeated that MLS (and Liga MX) put a lot of this on themselves much like how UEFA and FIFA are adding to their fixture congestion problems.

This also represents something of a capitulation by US Soccer to allow MLS to just field eight teams in this year’s Open Cup. They could have worked with MLS to have all 26 US-based teams (remember that Toronto, Vancouver, and CF Montreal are in Canada’s cup competition), where they could field reserves under the first team banner for initial rounds. It’s also the federations fault that they have not put in proper investment into the competition. While soccer fans are the most tech savvy and will go to whatever streaming service the competition is on (ESPN+ last year), given the fact that this competition also awards a berth into the Concacaf Champions Cup makes it all the more frustrating.

It’s sad that 18 teams will be denied the chance to win the US Open Cup because the league they play in feels it adds to a fixture congestion that they put on themselves with the Leagues Cup. MLS can assist US Soccer in making sure there is more investment in the US Open Cup so it has the prestige that deserves let alone showing that they care about it as much as the fans do.

Major League Soccer’s desire to own the soccer conversation in North America should not come at the expense of the oldest soccer competition in the United States and should not come in the form of being selective as to who participates. And like this site said back on December 20th, it needs to realize that there are other people in the room such as US Soccer, USL, NPSL, and other semipro and amateur leagues who have a stake in the development and progress of soccer in this country.