Teams from Major League Soccer are removed from the 2024 US Open Cup

Major League Soccer stated on Friday that its teams would not be participating in the 2024 US Open Cup. Instead, the league will send its second-tier development clubs to the oldest football competition in the country.

All US clubs are eligible to compete in the 1914-era single-elimination tournament, although since the league’s establishment in 1996, MLS teams have dominated it.

September saw Inter Miami lose 2-1 at home to the Houston Dynamo in the US Open Cup final this year, despite being without injured star Argentine midfield player Lionel Messi.

The Rochester Rhinos became the first non-MLS team to win the Cup since the league’s founding in 1999.

“MLS will coordinate with US Soccer regarding participation in the tournament,” the league stated in a statement, adding that “MLS Next teams will compete in the 2024 US Open Cup at the vote of MLS’s club owners.”

In a statement, MLS said that it “remains committed to working with US Soccer to evolve and elevate the Open Cup for everyone involved in the years ahead.”

In light of newer events, MLS commissioner Don Garber has criticized the US Open Cup and believes that the league’s withdrawal would help teams with scheduling congestion.

If the US Open Cup were dropped, MLS clubs would have up to six-midweek match dates at their disposal.

The Leagues Cup, a competition between MLS and Mexican League clubs, is one of the major events. It made its debut this year, with Messi helping Inter Miami to victory.

The advantages of the change in terms of enabling young players on MLS development teams to participate in more games were also mentioned by MLS. This year, a number of MLS clubs selected lower-tier players for US Open Cup games.