Inter Miami and Lionel Messi were not included in the U.S. Open Cup

NEW DELHI: Only eight of the 26 American clubs in Major League Soccer are expected to compete in this year’s U.S. Open Cup, which is bad for Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. The U.S. Soccer Federation announced on Friday that the following clubs have been chosen: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles FC, Salt Lake, San Jose, and Seattle.

With the exception of the clubs taking part in the CONCACAF Champions Cup this year, Houston, the reigning tournament winner, and the other teams involved were selected based on their positions from the previous regular season Supporters’ Shield.
MLS clubs will play lower-division teams until an MLS head-to-head encounter is inevitable once they join the tournament in the fourth round. Eight of the 18 MLS clubs who participated in the third round last year moved on to the fourth.
In the previous year’s championship match, Houston defeated Miami, with Messi sitting out the contest due to an injury. The 1999 Rochester Raging Rhinos of the USL’s second-tier A-League became the first non-first-tier club to win the tournament since the establishment of Major League Soccer in 1996.
On December 15, MLS stated that all of its clubs would not be participating in the U.S. Open Cup. Instead, MLS Next Pro’s third-tier developmental teams will take their place. In spite of this, the USSF said that the tournament would go on and that it would not comply with MLS’s request.
In its release, the USSF emphasized new commercial partners, higher trip reimbursement, and enhanced financial incentives. Eleven clubs from the third division of the Major League Soccer (MLS) will also be added: Austin, Carolina, Chattanooga, Chicago, Colorado, Crown Legacy, Minnesota, LA Galaxy, New York City, New York Red Bulls, and Portland.
The U.S. Open Cup schedule consists of first-round games on March 19–21, then rounds two through five, culminating on September 25 with the final.