Earlier this week, Major League Soccer (MLS) publicized modifications to its participation in the U.S. Open Cup and other league competitions for the 2025 season.
The league asserted that the shift was meant to reduce player workload and guarantee every club plays in at least one of the North American tournaments alongside the MLS season.
However, new reports indicate a different intent. Journalist James Nalton of the Guardian says that MLS’s partial withdrawal from the U.S. Open Cup is about acquiring more significant control over American soccer rather than the scheduling struggles alleged earlier.
MLS intends to dictate commercial rights, branding, and competition structures, putting the tournaments it influences first, for instance, the Leagues Cup, above those run by the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).
MLS redefines Open Cup eligibility
Instead of registering all teams to participate in the U.S. Open Cup, MLS has stated new suitability regulations.
The league now assigns participation instead of mandating it, overlooking its prior commitment to register all teams.
Critics argue that this rule is self-imposed to restrict Open Cup involvement even though MLS proclaims that regulating teams in two North American competitions is essential for programming.
Also, discrepancies in qualification further upsurge the suspicion. For example, San Diego FC, a debutant, receives important League Cup spots instead of senior teams.
Nalton says this allows MLS to have all the powers over tournament allocation instead of using a merit-based system.
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The impact on lower-division Soccer
By partially shelving the U.S. Open Cup, MLS is deteriorating a historic tournament connecting teams across various ranks of American soccer.
The decision minimizes prospects for lower-division clubs and wreckages an already rambling soccer ecosystem.
Cordless Source opinion
This take is just the opinion of one journalist or media house, and several others have a different perspective on MLS’s decision.
Still, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) should shield every team by imposing a rigid merit-based system that promotes unbiased competition.
Letting MLS command tournament involvement dwindles the integrity of U.S. soccer and limits openings for lower-division teams.