United States Soccer has announced it has ruled against Major League Soccer’s plan to remove the league’s first teams from the US Open Cup.
MLS had planned to replace its first-team squads with teams from its reserve and developmental league, MLS Next Pro. US Soccer characterized the league’s action only as a request that had been turned down.
“Major League Soccer has requested to allow MLS Next Pro teams to represent MLS in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. After thoughtful consideration, we have informed MLS that the US Soccer staff recommendation, which was adopted by the Pro League Taskforce, is that the request be denied,” US Soccer said in a statement.
“As we move forward, we will continue our review of the Open Cup to ensure it aligns with the US Soccer strategic pillars. We remain committed to addressing the needs and concerns of all of our members, including MLS, and other stakeholders to enhance and improve the US Open Cup.”
MLS failed to inform US soccer of its plans prior to announcing the news publicly on 15 December. It issued a statement four minutes after US Soccer’s release, saying MLS “is committed to finding a viable solution for the 2024 tournament and is working to find a pathway that addresses its goals and concerns.”
“Moving forward, MLS will remain focused on increasing opportunities for up-and-coming players, a key component of the league’s player development strategy that ultimately benefits the US national team program.”
“There are several essential goals and concerns that must be addressed in connection with the tournament, including developing young professional players and providing them with greater opportunity to play before fans in meaningful competition in a tournament setting, prioritizing player health and safety, reducing schedule congestion for MLS clubs, and enhanced investment from US Soccer,” MLS added.
Houston Dynamo beat Inter Miami in this year’s US Open Cup final, earning a berth next year in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Miami star Lionel Messi was injured and missed the match.
Given that Canadian teams also participate in MLS, the Open Cup is the only professional men’s national soccer championship in the United States. The tournament’s first matches were played in November 1913, more than 82 years before MLS’s inaugural season.
“US-based teams must participate in all representative US Soccer and Concacaf competitions for which they are eligible,” US Soccer’s professional league standards state. The Open Cup meets the criteria as it is governed by US Soccer.
Before the Open Cup was forced to stop during the Covid pandemic, it was the second-longest continuously running cup competition in the world after the Irish Cup.