Man ... Cronin should've had more respect to the cup. He basically just took the cup from the SoundersFC fan, held it in one hand, then took a bee line to the dressing room. Did I miss something? Was SJE able to have some "celebration" after winning the cup?
The in a great analysis! It really shows how distinct the two competitions would be from each other if the boxing format was instituted. There is no reason why Open Cup or Concacaf Champions League meetings couldn't be used. Each year the delegations of each team establish the rules by consensus, so it's up to the supporters of the teams involved. You make a great point that the schedule will already be unbalanced, and I like the idea that teams could "earn" more Heritage Cup games by advancing in other competitions (provided they meet each other).
Sounds reminiscent of the Ranfurly Shield competition in New Zealand rugby. There is the normal NPC championship and then the Shield which occurs during the season, with the Shield holders defending it certain games during the season.
No on-field activities had been approved by the Seattle front office. My understanding was that Cronin was about to leave the field when he was asked to go back out to take the cup. Hopefully as the cup gets more attention the teams will coordinate better. Both teams need to learn to accept their opponent celebrating with the cup as a positive rather than a negative.
Well I posted and it seems like the majority of people on SCUSA are pretty much against joining in with the Heritage Cup. There are a few others offering a few alternate ideas as well, so I'm just looking to see if anything else evolves from there but unless I hear otherwise, it looks like it's a no-go. Thank you all for hearing me out and for your time and consideration in this matter.
LOL. I can't believe somebody would actually not hate San Jose right now. I bet for those at SCUSA, the only team they care about is SoundersFC. For them Cascadia Cup > MLS Cup.
Hmmm... I'm not looking for something as big as Keller's last regular season game. Cronin could've at least get the cup from SoundersFC, go to the corner with lots of SJE fans, then show-off the cup. I don't think the guys at CLink would mind Cronin celebrating for a few minutes. If the players don't have respect for the cup, I can't see how non-hardcore fans would have respect for it either. Anyway, who is coordinating the cup in Seattle? I assume it's not ECS since the came from section 131, I think.
How about adding "1974" to the cup and then Poortland isn't elligbile anyway, as they were apparently founded 30 years later.