As we get ready for the Third Round Proper of the 2024 US Open Cup, it's another fabulous week of watching sixteen USL Championship sides, eight USL League One sides, three MLS Next Pro Sides, Two NISA sides, and three open division sides with two of them from the NPSL battling it out to advance to the Fourth Round Proper. Yet, I feel sad and disgusted. Why do I feel this way? Well, let me tell you why.
This would've been the round where the majority of Major League Soccer Clubs outside of those who participated in the CONCACAF Champions Cup would've begun their journey for the possibility of going on a run in this year's tournament. Instead, some of them are starting in the Fourth Round while the others had their two teams from MLS Next Pro take their place. Now, I just, want to say again that I'm not blaming the kids of those MLS Next Pro sides that are a part of MLS academies. It's not their fault that Commissioner DonGarber and Executive Nelson Rodriguez have thrown a monkey wrench in the works intentionally.
But seeing all of this happen in front of us the way it did has soured me and the true nature of the tournament. While we will still have some storylines for some of these clubs in the lower levels, they won't truly test their metal when they are drawn against an MLS club in this round until the fourth round comes at the beginning of May. While most of you have said that it's time to throw out MLS from this cup competition and allow our second-division league to become a first-division league, this is not what should happen either.
The current setup is too chaotic, and a mangled mess to consider making these types of drastic changes happen. If we continue down this road, it could be set up for more failure. That's why the Open Cup is supposed to bring everyone together. To celebrate the game the way we all know how. Open competition against each other on all levels. From our Amateurs to the young short-season teams to the professionals. This Open Cup is supposed to be our March Madness, The Masters, The Stanley Cup Playoffs. Trust me. I would love to see all our professional clubs in all three professional divisions playing in soccer-specific stadiums, having no interference with field turf or sharing the stadium with a local school's sports teams.
But at the moment, this is what we must deal with. But that's the beauty of the Open Cup. For one night you hope to see your side winning and advancing to the next round, or take the hit and end it right there. You love to watch history happen, in front of you or agonize if it's against you. That's why these cup competitions matter, to see how well the strong shall survive to earn the ultimate prize. Tagged as the National Champions of American Soccer. From Thomas R. Dewar to Lamar Hunt, these men knew what it took to make the game passionate for this cup competition in the United States. To put their faith and fandom into this sport we love and the world.
But for this year. This edition in 2024, is a sad day. While I love the game as a whole, the club that I cover and the club I have supported since the creation of Major League Soccer in 1996 was born as the Mighty MetroStars, turned into the New York Red Bulls, will be forced to sit out of the Open Cup because the League's Front Office group told them to. To make a point to US Soccer. To inform the governing body of the game in the United States that they control the ball. They tell them how high the federation should jump, where to go to take the free kick, and who will be designated to take the penalty.
You won't see Christian Benteke, Emil Forsberg, Joseph Paintsil, Cucho Hernandez, Carles Gil, Joao Klauss, Hany Mukhtar, Daniel Gazdag, or Xherdan Shaqiri out on the pitch attempting to battle it out against sides like Union Omaha, El Farolito, Lubbock Matadors, El Paso Locomotive, New Mexico United, Spokane Velocity, Greenville United, Miami United and so on. You also won't see the great Lionel Messi out on the pitch to attempt a second run at the possibility of playing for the Open Cup title. That's why we all hope US Soccer has a plan and a backbone to inform Major League Soccer that enough is enough.
They are the governing body and set the standards for the game in this country. To make MLS understand, they don't control the ball. It's for everyone when it comes to the Open Cup. To bring visibility and clarity to finally show we are all united as one, not just for one league. Time to put away the kleenex boxes for our sorrows and get ready for another Open Cup nights across America.
I was on the fence late last year whether or not to renew my MLS Season Pass subscription. They want a lot of money for just watch one soccer league. With Peacock and Paramount Plus I can justify it to my wife as "Hey, I get soccer and you get all these shows and movies you like." MLS pulling out of the Open Cup was the final straw that made me not renew. I'm hoping for a true cupset this year and a USL team winning the championship.
Frankly, I think MLS made a really dumbass decision. To most Americans, MLS is really all they know about soccer in the country. As a lead-in to the World Cup, they could have helped promote the Open Cup, and could have taken credit for the quality of the sport in this country. It's SO much better than it was. That would lead to a more robust fan base, and a deeper player pool. It's incredibly short-sighted of them. They've put so much energy into Messi, which is a borderline fiasco, and is also short-term.