In December, when Major League Soccer announced its seismic decision to enter its Next Pro teams in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup instead of its first teams, the league claimed it was at least partially in the spirit of player development.
Throughout the months-long boardroom saga involving the league and US Soccer, Nelson Rodríguez, MLS’s senior vice president of sports products and competition, has spoken about the desire to have Next Pro teams – primarily comprised of emerging players from MLS academies, as well as SuperDraft picks and other players – in a high-stakes tournament against teams from outside the league.
“Next Pro is another huge investment our shareholders are making that is generating dividends for the U.S. National Team pool system,” Rodríguez said. Athleticism in March. “To deny these players meaningful competition that is meant to unify seems archaic and just plain wrong.”
So, these teams made up largely of players whose MLS clubs did not offer a contract with the first team entered the arena. Through no fault of their own, they would publicly considered avatars for MLS’s goal of prioritizing other competitions, living embodiments of the shift in commitment to this century-old tournament.
The early results weren’t pretty: three affiliated teams lost their opening match against an amateur opponent from outside the three sanctioned levels of the American soccer pyramid, while a fourth was eliminated on penalties after being played at home by a United Premier. Football League opponent.
Any type of fear factor that traditionally came from being pitted against an MLS team has not carried over to their developmental arm. On game nights of the first two rounds, several high-ranking members of various USL clubs texted Athleticism after a win with a similar sentiment: “I hope we have an MLS Next Pro team next.” »
In total, Next Pro teams won 60% of their matchups against amateur teams, 25% against third division opponents from USL League One and NISA, and one of two against second division teams from USL championship.
Thursday’s fourth-round draw involved just one remaining MLS affiliate: New York City FC II.
NYCFC II defeated FC Motown of the NPSL in the first round, then earned a rivalry victory over the New York Red Bulls II before traveling to Connecticut to face second division Hartford Athletic. Fielding a team devoid of first-team loans, NYCFC II took Hartford to overtime and overcame a 92nd-minute goal from the hosts to win 3-2 and give Next Pro a fourth-round challenger.
The drawing
Finally, the MLS teams (and another byte of USL Championship teams) take the field as 32 teams compete in the fourth round of the tournament. Among them are defending champion Houston Dynamo, who are joined by the seven teams that finished atop the 2023 MLS standings but did not make the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The teams were made up of groups of four. In the table below, the teams that have priority to host the round of 16 are in the white rows; the winner of that match will greet the match winner directly below them in a gray line.
Division Osvaldo Alonso
THE Charleston Battery is the reigning runner-up in the USL championship, led by Ben Pirmann (among the best coaches in the lower leagues) and midfielder Aaron Molloy (arguably the best player in the second division). They will welcome South Georgia Tormenta, who advanced thanks to a beautifully named winning goal from central defender Callum Stretch, a Los Angeles native who spent three years at Aston Villa’s academy. Tormenta is based in Statesboro, a town of 35,000, which is a lower attendance than Atlanta United’s average.
Atlanta will participate in the tournament by hosting Independence of Charlotte, after starting his MLS season with 11 points in seven games. Independence self-relegated from the second division to Ligue 1 ahead of the 2022 season and reached the final last year. Players on his roster include former Minnesota United great Miguel Ibarra and Honduras youth international Luis Álvarez.
Billy Gonsalves Division
THE The Tampa Bay Turbulents boast one of the best atmospheres in the country at Al Lang Stadium. They are unbeaten in five league matches in their first full year since Neill Collins left to manage Barnsley FC. They will welcome other teams from the Championship Birmingham Legion with an eye on redemption after the Legion won all three matchups between the teams in 2023.
FC Dallas enters the tournament hoping to make up for a poor start in MLS. Dallas has led in just 1% of all minutes played this season and will look at its game against Memphis 901 as a potential springboard. Memphis is off to a slow start, having lost four of its first five league games. They beat amateur side Miami United thanks to a brace from 19-year-old striker Nighte Pickering, who left Dallas’ academy in 2022 to join Memphis.
Josh Hakala-Chuck Nolan Jr. Division
Union Omaha projects as the third division team most likely to crash out in the round of 16. The eternal Ligue 1 contender qualified for the quarter-finals of the US Open Cup in 2022, where he lost to Sporting Kansas City. This year they will host Peter Vermes’ team, a clear chance of redemption against an MLS team that has already fallen 12 points from the championship leadership positions.
THE Pittsburgh Riverhounds were the furthest lower division team in 2023, memorably defeating eventual MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew before falling to FC Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. They will welcome FC Tulsa in a clash of teams currently outside the USL Championship playoff spots, hoping to gain momentum through a cup run.
Sébastien Le Toux Division
THE Seattle Sounders are four-time US Open Cup champions and are among the favorites for this year’s edition. Still, they struggled to turn positional play into goals and points, leaving them open to a possible cut. It’s music for City of Louisville, because one of the flagship clubs of the Championship plays knowing that a victory would give it the right to host the next round. It’s a good test for Danny Cruz, another of the most successful coaches in the lower leagues.
North Carolina FC (née RailHawks) activated a clause to restore them to the Championship after spending three seasons in League One. Deservedly, they won the Third Division championship last season and will face the reigning Second Division champions, Phoenix Rising FC. Both teams sit firmly in the middle positions in their conference, but the pseudo-USL super cup makes this a marquee matchup.
Rodrigo Lopez Division
Sacramento Republic made history in 2022 becoming the first lower division team to reach the US Open Cup final since 2008, ultimately losing to Orlando City in the middle a possible spy scandal. Their hopes of making a deep run begin against Championship team Monterey Baywho won in the second round thanks to a brace from former San Jose academy product Jerry Ayon.
THE Earthquakes in San Jose are tied for the most points lost from the top positions of the young MLS season (12), but a home Open Cup match could help Luchi Gonzalez’s side return to positive form. They will welcome the Roots of Oakland, a Championship team that needed overtime at home to defeat amateur El Farolito SC, a team supported by a San Francisco taqueria.
Sam Mark Division
THE Las Vegas Lights erupted after former Toronto Blue Jays great Jose Bautista purchased the team this offseason, currently fifth in the Championship Western Conference. They will face Los Angeles FC in a clash between an MLS team and its former affiliate. Las Vegas was Steve Cherundolo’s first head coaching stop, where he spent just one season before leading LAFC to an MLS Cup title in 2022.
Orange County, South Carolina are among the best clubs in the country when it comes to youth development outside the MLS ranks, having recently sold Milan Iloski to FC Nordsjælland. They will welcome another championship club Loudoun United as the USL team has the longest journey of any team in this round. Orange County is currently at the top in the West, while Loudoun is seventh in the East.
Pat Onstad Division
Indy Eleven has struggled out of the gate under new head coach Sean McAuley, scoring four points in his first six games. They will welcome the winner of the 2022 Championship FC San Antonio in one of the most intriguing matchups of the round.
THE Houston Dynamo opens the defense of its Open Cup title at home, in top form despite the continued absence of Hector Herrera. They will be grateful to be on the hosting side of a draw against Detroit City FC, avoiding one of the most intimidating places in the country to play. Detroit has won its first four USL Championship games, but will be without left back Brett Levis after his third-round red card.
Jamie Watson Division
In another geographical hodgepodge, New York City FC II will benefit from accommodation privileges. Of particular note is Máximo Carrizo, a 16-year-old midfielder who shined in the team’s Cup and is eligible for the United States and Argentina. They will welcome a Colorado Springs Switchbacks team in poor form, having lost each of their last five matches. The Switchbacks are still narrow favorites, but NYCFC II has a viable chance to advance.
New Mexico United do an inspired race to the quarterfinals of the 2019 US Open Cup, under then-head coach Troy Lesesne, before his eventual move to MLS. Eric Quill has kept the team on course, with New Mexico sitting fourth in the West with 10 points in five games. They will welcome Real salt lake in a border battle, with RSL getting off to a good start in MLS play.
(Photo: Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)