The Major League Soccer caused shockwaves with its recent announcement. MLS teams officially won’t be participating in the 2024 US Open Cup. As expected, the move brought in a lot of criticism from fans and other stakeholders. Moreover, the move was initially thought to help ease player schedules and give more opportunities to the MLS Next Pro teams. However, recent revelations by Sebastian Salazar have indicated that this might not be the case.

The US Open Cup is an age-old tournament that started 82 years before the inaugural MLS season. It is the American equivalent of the FA Cup and features teams from the various divisions of the US Soccer. Hence, the recent revamp of the tournament without its biggest names was indeed puzzling.

Sebastian Salazar points fingers at Don Garber contradicting his role

Experts on the ESPN FC show have done their analysis on the talked-about decision, with money being a major factor. However, they also revealed other key points. As per Salazar, “MLS wants to control everything in American soccer and if MLS doesn’t control it, Major League Soccer would rather than that thing just not exist”. These were damning words regarding America’s finest soccer division. Further, the pundit had some interesting comments regarding MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s role. He said, “He (Don Garber) also serves a role on the board of directors of US soccer. And, at this point, I’m not sure how much longer that can continue”.

He continued, “Right because subjectively we can make the argument that Don Garber, via this move with MLS, is acting against the greater good for American soccer.” Salazar was clearly unhappy with Garber’s latest move, which seemingly acted against an ‘asset’ of soccer in the country. Furthermore, the pundit added that MLS teams are scared of competition from other divisions. Considering that many MLS teams are getting knocked out by lower-division USL sides, this could be a valid point. While MLS seems to disregard the backlash, they could be going against the rules with this move. Let’s dive deeper.

Can the MLS take such a call?

As per the USSF standards, US teams in the first-division outdoor league (MLS) should participate in all the US soccer competitions they are eligible for. MLS has seemingly broken this rule by sending third-division teams to the US Open. Not only have they shown a disregard for the competition’s history, but they seem to be unbothered by the rules as well.

Also, it is possible that they can avoid legal trouble by claiming the ‘Next’ teams as an extension of sorts since they mainly consist of reserve and youth players. However, it is not a good look for the league and petitions are already underway to reverse the decision amid talks of boycotting the Leagues Cup. It will be interesting to see how the USSF deals with the disregard shown to America’s oldest soccer tournament.

What is your opinion on MLS teams not featuring in the US Open Cup? Let us know in the comments below.