The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and Major League Soccer (MLS) have announced that the controversial plan to have reserve team clubs participate in the U.S. Open Cup has been blocked. In a late Friday news dump, MLS had initially stated that their teams would not compete in the 2024 edition of the tournament, instead opting to send second-tier development clubs from the MLS Next Pro league.
The decision to exclude MLS teams from the U.S. Open Cup received criticism from fans and supporter groups of lower-division clubs. It is currently uncertain whether MLS clubs will participate in the 2024 tournament, although according to sources close to the situation discussions are suggesting that they are likely to do so.
MLS Next Pro primarily consists of MLS reserve teams, with some independent clubs also involved.
MLS had cited the desire to free up mid-week match dates and provide more opportunities for young players as reasons for withdrawing their teams from the competition — which on the surface is a load of bullshit. This is considering MLS teams in the past have largely gone with reserve players during the Open Cup, especially during the earlier rounds.
MLS Next Pro, which currently consists of 27 teams, was launched in 2022 as a “platform for reserve and development players within MLS clubs” was controversial in and of itself over the belief that it sought D3 sanction to essentially undercut the second division of the USL Championship. In the upcoming season, non-MLS clubs such as Carolina Core and Chattanooga FC will join the league, with additional clubs in Jacksonville and Cleveland set to join in the coming years.
According to sources, MLS clubs are now exploring options to field players from their parent clubs through MLS Next Pro teams in the U.S. Open Cup.
Since the inception of MLS, the only non-MLS club to win the U.S. Open Cup was the Rochester Rhinos in 1999.