A year ago, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was on its last legs. Or so we were told. There had been talk for some time that MLS might decrease its involvement in the competition. And so it came to pass, with just eight teams from America’s top flight sending their first teams to the competition. The rest deployed their MLS Next Pro sides – a combination of youth talent and college draftees yet to break into the senior side. It seemed to be the start of the death of one of American soccer’s great institutions. This thing had been around for more than 100 years. Amateur teams could enter. A roster made up of workers from a burrito restaurant deployed a team. Like England’s FA Cup, France’s Coupe de France or Spain’s Copa del Rey, the U.S. Open Cup is a leveler. Anything, in theory, can happen.
But that was all soon to be done away with. The Open Cup could work as its own institution but needed MLS teams to pace the whole thing – and keep it relevant. And U.S. Soccer, it seems, has realized that. This year, 16 MLS teams will participate, eight more than last year. USSF CEO JT Baston expressed his satisfaction that this institution is looking more like its old self: “The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a crucial connection point for all levels of soccer in the United States. U.S. Soccer exists in service to soccer and this historic tournament allows us to lift up the people who are leading the charge to support soccer in their communities. We’re pleased to continue working with and collaborating with all U.S. Soccer members to maximize the tournament’s impact on soccer at all levels in this country.”
It’s not perfect. Not everyone is back. But it signals improvement, a revival of sorts for a competition that was on the brink. GOAL US looks at the winners and losers of yet another version of the US Open Cup in 2025.