The rift between US Soccer and Major League Soccer (MLS) has just widened. Since MLS announced last week that it would stop participating in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, the local soccer media has been eagerly awaiting US Soccer’s response, which happened today.
In a statement issued this Wednesday, the governing body of soccer in the United States denied permission for teams from the MLS Next Pro circuit to compete in the US Open Cup.
Next Pro is the MLS development circuit, in which teams affiliated with the highest professional soccer circuit contend. They are part of the third level of the United States soccer league system.
Since last week, when it announced that its first teams would not play the cup, MLS requested that the tournament include Next Pro teams instead. However, US Soccer decided to deny that permission.
The US Soccer statement
“After thoughtful consideration, we have informed the MLS that the US Soccer staff recommendation, which was adopted by the Pro League Taskforce, is the request be denied,” says the organization’s statement.
It also explains, “As we move forward, we will continue our review of the Open Cup to ensure it aligns with the US Soccer strategic pillars.”
However, it keeps the doors open to dialogue. “We remain committed to addressing the needs and concerns of all of our members, including MLS and other stakeholders, to enhance and improve the US Open Cup,” the statement concludes.
US Soccer does not elaborate on the reasons for denying permission.
What’s next for MLS
Although the statement also does not specify whether MLS will be obliged to compete in the cup, the US Soccer Federation (USSF) regulations establish that “US-based teams must participate in all representative US Soccer and CONCACAF competitions for which they are eligible.”
That implies that the MLS would be obliged to participate with its first teams in the US Open Cup. However, it does not force them to take their starting squads and leaves the door open for each team to decide whether to take players from their academies or the MLS Next Pro.
MLS has not issued a response to US Soccer’s decision, so the question is up in the air.