U.S. Soccer today announced the format for the 2024 U.S. Open Cup, with Sporting Kansas City set to compete in the tournament. Sporting joins Atlanta United, FC Dallas, Los Angeles FC, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders and defending champion Houston Dynamo, one of just eight teams competing in this year's tournament. One of the MLS teams.
A lot has happened in recent months, with MLS announcing in December its intention to include MLS Next Pro Teams in the competition rather than the top teams. This was done under the premise of making players' schedules less congested and giving MLSNP players a higher level of competition. US Soccer's first response to MLS was to deny the league's request to use an MLSNP team. This is because USSF's professional league standards require teams to compete in all representative U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF competitions for which they are eligible. Since then, MLS and U.S. Soccer have been negotiating how the league will participate in the competition, while also accommodating MLS's desire to make games less crowded.
The decision reached was that the top seven teams in the 2023 MLS Supporters Shield standings that did not qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, as well as defending champion Dynamo, would make up MLS's representation in the tournament. . Teams that qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup will not compete in any tournaments this year. Nine of the other MLS teams will instead compete in the tournament as MLS Next Pro Teams. The only other US-based MLS team not competing in this year's U.S. Open Cup is DC United, who still have a partnership with USL Championship side Loudoun United and no MLS Next Pro team.
The first round of the tournament will begin between March 19th and 21st, with MLS Next Pro teams entered along with all other Division III (USL1, NISA) and Open Division (Open Division Regional Qualifiers, NPSL, USL2) teams. To do. Sporting, along with other MLS teams, will enter the tournament from the Round of 32 on May 7th or 8th.
Among the eight teams in MLS, there are 13 U.S. Open Cup winners, with Sporting and Sounders each winning four. These two teams will aim to join Bethlehem Steel and Maccabee Los Angeles as the first teams in the MLS era to win the U.S. Open Cup five times.
This decision comes in response to significant complaints from fans, players, coaches, and athletes. other front office staff, since it was announced in December, and today the format was announced. It is noted that last year's U.S. Open Cup added fewer games to MLS teams' schedules, on average, than the revamped Leagues Cup added to their schedules.
In announcing this year's format, U.S. Soccer CEO JT Baston made sure to point out that the format is specifically geared toward the 2024 tournament. This means it may not be the format for future contests. The announcement also revealed that U.S. Soccer is making its “largest investment in history” for the 2024 tournament.
Perhaps with an expansion of MLS rosters in the near future or an arrangement of loans from MLSNP teams to MLS rosters, the tournament could return to featuring all U.S.-based MLS teams competing in the tournament. It will be.
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