In December it was first reported that MLS was pulling their first teams out of US Open Cup and replacing them with MLS Next Pro teams. MLS Next Pro is mainly an academy league. Most MLS franchises have an MLS Next Pro team. It is mainly younger players who are trying trying to establish themselves professionally.
After major backlash MLS and Don Garber fell back and said how important the US Open Cup is and that MLS is rethinking their original plan to withdraw their first teams. Now this week more reports are coming out saying MLS is still trying to leave the comp, citing schedule congestion and so on. This after MLS and Liga MX launched Leagues Cup last summer. Leagues Cup is a summer comp in which MLS and Liga MX teams battle it out in a winner take all tournament. Last year Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were crowned champs.
US Open Cup officials have said they are moving forward with or without MLS first teams. Locally Brockton FC United have qualified for US Open Cup, with a match supposed to take place next month. Vermont Green and Western Mass Pioneers are awaiting their fixture date an opponents. Other local clubs who have featured are Boston City FC, Hartford Athletic, Hartford City, and of course New England Revolution. Fall River FC is one of the winningest teams in US Open Cup history with New Bedford Whalers also winners multiple times.
For me it is easy to see that MLS wants all the control and money making that suits their best interest. They are not about growing the game or helping smaller clubs flourish. US Soccer continues to be fragmented from top to bottom and the ones that suffer are the fans and youth players.
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