As of all you know, since the news of Major League Soccer getting their way once again by allowing eight of their first division teams, including the Houston Dynamo to defend their championship, eleven of their MLS Next Pro teams take the place of their senior sides, and the rest not counting the three Canadian teams who are not apart of the Open Cup due to their participation of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
It still enrages the American Soccer Community and the hollow feeling that the lower leagues and amateurs might not get a fair chance outside the designated eight teams that will compete this year. We have seen Major League Soccer control the sport and try to be the only game in town. They want to control the sport in its entirety and that's not what the game was meant to be. While I have followed the New York Red Bulls, going all the way back originally as the MetroStars in 1996, and now covering them, yes I am an MLS fan.
But when discovering the US Open Cup in a merchandise catalog for MLS in 1997, I saw a trophy that didn't look like the first MLS Cup. It was the National Challenge Cup that was brought over by Sir Thomas Dewar of Dewar'sscotch Whiskey Distillers from the U.K. When I asked around what it was and got informed about it, I was already hooked and excited to learn that the winner of the full season is not just for one trophy, but the chance at a second. But it also meant that seeing the teams not in MLS battling it out against them at a certain level was fun and exciting at the same time.
Now we get to Friday, March 1st. The deed had been done. MLS once again got their way after US Soccer denied their original request back in December of 2023. Once again they forced US Soccer's hand to ignore their bylaws and rules of the competition by inserting their MLS next Pro Teams and not allowing those clubs outside of the Dynamo who are currently competing in the Champions Cup not to join in. Once again, this quote from the MLS Executive Vice President of Sporting Products and Competitions informed us of why the MLS did what it did.
"The Tournament merits having standards that are benefiting a championship. Those standards can apply to venues and fields and broadcast production. We believe that improved economics were important for all teams. Simply, no team should participate in the U.S. Open Cup at a loss. (It) didn't make sense to us; we didn't think that was fair or befitting. And the tournament would benefit by improved marketing and prize money.".
Notice the words "WE BELIEVE". Not the American Soccer Community, not everyone sanctioned in a US Soccer League either at the professional or amateur levels? They believe what's not good for MLS, is not good at all. Is the league profiting from the US Open Cup? No. Because it goes into the pockets of US Soccer which is the right thing to do, it's their tournament. Once again, when they had the Open Cup under their Soccer United Marketing arm, they never promoted the tournament at all. All of you were informed by bloggers like myself, and those dedicated writers at The Cup.US. They never lifted a single finger to help the tournament.
And now there is unrest within the supporters groups of Major League Soccer. As you all know the ISC (Independent Supporters Council) and all supporters across MLS have been angered and disgusted on social media. Using their platforms, they have shown their displeasure at MLS's front office, but none bigger than the second-year club in St. Louis City SC. We have seen photos of them marching with flags using the logo of the Open Cup when walking toward the City Stadium. They protested during their home match against NYCFC by chanting multiple times O-PEN-CUP! O-PEN-CUP! All of those supporter groups have said they are boycotting the Leagues Cup, and frankly, many of you should as it's a fake tournament that was forced down CONCACAF's throat.
St. Louis is a city rich in soccer history like everywhere else in our great country. Several clubs representing the town have reached the Championship final multiple times winning or losing the Challenge Cup like Stix, Baer and Fuller, St. Louis Kutis, St. LouisSimpkins-Ford, Ben Millers, St. Louis Busch Seniors, and St. Louis Scullin Steel. Soccer writer Tom Timmerman of the St. Louis Post Dispatch interviewed St. Louis City SC's President Diego Gigliani for his thoughts on the club not participating in the Open Cup this year.
'Our preference would have been to be able to play in this competition. ... Every decision that (MLS) needs to make ... you’re bound to find places where part of the teams are in support and part of them have different opinions.'
So as you can see, MLS has told St. Louis City to sit this out. Even though they were eliminated in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup by the Houston Dynamo, they could've played in the Open Cup. But that doesn't fit their narrative. It is a giant shame that US Soccer's Madam President Cindy Parlow-Cone & CEO J.T. Batson had to lower their defenses and allow MLS to get their way again. While I'm happy that everyone else will get a cleaner shot at the championship, in my eyes it feels hollow and sad.
MLS is looking to make US Soccer redundant or abolish them as a whole. Just worry about the National Teams and nothing else. Destroy over a hundred years of governance by the Federation. This is interference in the worst way, and sadly, US Soccer is allowing it to happen. This is why my hope and feelings have always been the game needs to be whole. We need clarity and we need to see someone put their foot down on the gas and never take it off when it comes to the chain of command. Don Garber and MLS should only worry about MLS like Richard Masters should only care about the Premier League as he is their chief executive.
Paul McDonagh should only worry about the USL Leagues, NISA worries about NISA, John Paul Motta should only worry about the USASA, and so on. Sadly no. It won't ever happen, because someone always has to lurk around the corner and wait patiently to pounce on their prey and drag them to their league while still active in another league. This is not how the sport was intended to be. While I hope the kids at New York Red Bulls II will make a run, I'm sad that Emil Forsberg won't partake in the Open Cup this year, but the end of this nasty business is out of my hands.
If Parlow-Cone and Batson don't start to strategize a new plan to fix this mess for 2025 and beyond then all the good they have been doing will be gone. I'm glad they found a few new sponsors for the Open Cup and that the Prize money will become larger, they must throw it right at MLS's face and show them they have fixed those issues that MLS created when they held the rights to promote the cup. They must Save The Cup.
You forgot the biggest thing in this Daniel, if the Major Laborious Scam wants to cry poverty then they should be sitting out the CONCACAF Champions League...oh wait they own the media rights to it.
Even then I'd love to see the books because I know those games aren't operating at a break even point.
Revoke all Canadian teams first than revoke their D1 status. Have to do it in that order or they go running to Canada to get D1 sanctioning and likely get it because CONCACAF doesn't want to ruin their cash cow giving them a slice of the media pie.
Embarrassing, the whole lot of it.
Those weren't just flags using the logo of the open up they were flags of the open cup logo with each of the St. Louis teams who have won the open cup in it's history. The St. Louis supporters groups also did a minute of silence before the Open Cup chants.