MLS’s arrogant withdrawal from US Open Cup is about controlling Messi Mania
On Friday, Major League Soccer announced it will not enter its teams into the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. It is a move which means the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) sanctioned Division I soccer league will not compete in the country’s national cup competition next season – think every team in La Liga refusing to compete in Spain’s Copa del Rey, or all English Premier League teams deserting the FA Cup.
Though soccer in the United States is often considered to lack the history, longevity and prestige of its European counterparts, the US Open Cup flies in the face of this perception and has a similar history to its equivalents elsewhere. The tournament’s first matches were played in November 1913, more than 82 years before MLS’s inaugural season and, unlike franchise-based, closed-shop sports leagues across the US, the Open Cup is, as its name boasts, open to all teams throughout the would-be American soccer pyramid.
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. Given that Canadian teams also participate in MLS, the Open Cup is the only professional men’s national soccer championship in the United States.
In a press release, MLS said it “plans to be represented by MLS Next Pro clubs in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.” This means MLS will be sending clubs from a Division III league – its version of reserve teams – to the 2024 edition. DC United, which doesn’t have an MLS Next Pro team, will not be represented at all, as confirmed by reporting from Jeff Rueter of The Athletic.
MLS’s withdrawal of its teams, and the charade of entering MLS Next Pro teams in a tepid attempt to still be represented, displays an arrogant attitude towards the tournament and the whole ecosystem of soccer in the United States. A national cup competition needs participation from its toptier teams as much as it needs the depth and romance provided by lowertier involvement. It takes two to produce a cupset. Every giantkilling requires a giant to be present.
MLS head coaches were among the many stakeholders not consulted in this decision-one which took away an opportunity for them to make history with their respective clubs and challenge for one of US soccer’s biggest prizes. Imagine the 2023 season for Houston Dynamo and its coach Ben Olsen without their Open Cup win. It loses a huge part of what defined it and made it so joyous for club staff and fans. Decisions of whether to rotate or introduce youth players in cup competitions should belong to the coach, but this tournament has now been taken away from them altogether.
Supporters of MLS teams were not consulted either. The Independent Supporters Council (ISC) of North America said in a statement: “MLS’s withdrawal of their first teams from the Cup is not only a disservice to the fans but also to the sport itself. It undermines the inclusive nature of American soccer, where dreams and ambitions are nurtured on the principle of open competition. The decision threatens to erode the very foundations of the sport’s heritage and its connection to communities.”
It is increasingly clear the league treats supporters only as customers. Much of the rest of the world of toplevel soccer tries to do the same with various levels of success, but MLS is more flagrant in how it goes about it. MLS guidelines for fans are even called “supporter privileges” as if to present the idea fans should count themselves lucky the league lets them be involved. The truth is, the league is lucky to have fanbases that are so engaged, giving character and life to these single-entity league franchises.
So why has MLS pulled out? One of the reasons given was that not competing in the Open Cup “benefits the MLS regular season by reducing sche