U.S. Soccer, which manages the Open Cup, wasn’t warned the decision was coming even though Garber is a member of the federation’s board. Now it wants those teams to represent MLS in the U.S. Open Cup where they will play against — wait for it — USL Championship teams. Keeping Apple happy is far more important in continuing that growth than propping up the U.S. Open Cup. Which is not to equate the U.S. Open Cup to the Super Bowl. The Open Cup is part of U.S. soccer’s architecture, whether anybody goes to the games or not.

Source: Los Angeles Times December 22, 2023 01:46 UTC