Hopefully US Soccer has the wherewithal to bring MLS back fully into the Open Cup. I shudder to think of the long range consequences if they don't. If MLS successfully breaks the US Open Cup, I would predict their next move being to break CONCACAF Champions Cup and replacing it with Leagues Cup, which only has two leagues participating in it.
And if you think that can't happen at the confederation level, look at what Asia is doing starting next season breaking the AFC Champions League up into the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League 2. Only the top few Asian leagues will be sending their top teams to Champions League Elite (Ja[an, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and a few others). The other smaller top domestic leagues will send their Champions to Champions League 2 or the third tier Challenge Cup, restricting access to the top competition. (My wife is from the Philippines and she enjoyed rooting for Kaya Iloilo in this years AFC Champions League.)
An optimistic view is that if US Soccer can figure this out, e.g. slap down MLS and empower lower leagues, this will ensure that the US Open Cup stays vibrant and flourish in perpetuity in a way superior to .the English FA. Our MLS is not yet so dominant and the U.S. doesn't have the vast money flowing into it for "sports-washing", that it becomes an unstoppable force TLDR: good thing MLS provoked the backlash now, rather than 5-10 years from now! Before it has become super powerful and has fully incorporated Liga MX, to form it's own Mega-League!
Yeah unfortunately not surprising. The same pattern has already been happening. Examples, Pro-Rel in Mexico, Euro Super League, etc. People need to get it together and make an organized push back.
Hopefully US Soccer has the wherewithal to bring MLS back fully into the Open Cup. I shudder to think of the long range consequences if they don't. If MLS successfully breaks the US Open Cup, I would predict their next move being to break CONCACAF Champions Cup and replacing it with Leagues Cup, which only has two leagues participating in it.
And if you think that can't happen at the confederation level, look at what Asia is doing starting next season breaking the AFC Champions League up into the AFC Champions League Elite and AFC Champions League 2. Only the top few Asian leagues will be sending their top teams to Champions League Elite (Ja[an, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and a few others). The other smaller top domestic leagues will send their Champions to Champions League 2 or the third tier Challenge Cup, restricting access to the top competition. (My wife is from the Philippines and she enjoyed rooting for Kaya Iloilo in this years AFC Champions League.)
An optimistic view is that if US Soccer can figure this out, e.g. slap down MLS and empower lower leagues, this will ensure that the US Open Cup stays vibrant and flourish in perpetuity in a way superior to .the English FA. Our MLS is not yet so dominant and the U.S. doesn't have the vast money flowing into it for "sports-washing", that it becomes an unstoppable force TLDR: good thing MLS provoked the backlash now, rather than 5-10 years from now! Before it has become super powerful and has fully incorporated Liga MX, to form it's own Mega-League!
Yeah unfortunately not surprising. The same pattern has already been happening. Examples, Pro-Rel in Mexico, Euro Super League, etc. People need to get it together and make an organized push back.
Long live the U.S. Open Cup!