US Open Cup - Champions League

The rule is: They change it every year.

I expect that if LA had lost in the final of the Open Cup, they would've decided that the Open Cup runner-up was the one that would be in the CCL.

If a non-MLS team wins the Open Cup this year, I fully expect them to use different criteria for the next CCL.

Nevertheless, this might motivate more MLS teams to play their full roster in the Open Cup. Which would be a good thing, IMHO.

 

I really hope that they dont change the rules if a non MLS team wins the US Open Cup and qualifies for the Champions League. The US Open Cup spot is the only way that makes it possible for the US to say that its possible to have any team qualify for the tournament, which is pretty cool.

 

I gotta say, it's about time. And I'm stunned. I never believed the USOC winner would ever qualify for anything -- the tournament just wasn't given that kind of respect.

Heh! Here's a puzzler, and one which isn't beyond the realm of possibility. What if the Seattle Sounders win the Open Cup this year? Remember, the Sounders survived up to a hard-fought semifinal last year. Are the USL Sounders being sold or disbanded?

------RM

 

Wouldn't the 'new' MLS Sounders play in the champions league the following year then?

 

I'd expect this rule to stay intact for at least the next two years. This is huge news and even minnows like us Galleons are licking our chops at the thought of what could be.

 

This actually is a good question. It seems that the business entity called "Seattle Sounders, Incorporated" (or whatever) would go away, but the team (players) would transfer into the single-entity business of "MLS, LLC." Does that mean it is the same team?

I guess this matters whether the definition of "club" means the business side, or the team side.

This is much like an old philosophical pondering: if you have a ship, and in during your voyages, every piece of the ship has to be replaced, are you then travelling on a "new" ship?

 

no, it is not the same club. unfortunately, because the Sounders are my boys. it is unlikely they would give the berth to the MLS side if the USL team won it this year. although, we did raise enough of a fuss to get the write-in option, we could do something like that again. (we would need a little help on that, though).

FYI, the rights to the current USL team are being moved across puget sound to kitsap penninsula. don't know how well they will do with a MLS team so close by.

 

I would imagine most fans will follow the name to Qwest. Even if the legal team rights were transferred, if the name is changed and the personnel are mostly if not all changed, it's not the same team anyway; so you might as well follow the new Sounders.

 

This is big. Finally, USL teams have legitimacy.

 

Except that the winners also qualified for the CCC when it was also 16 teams back in 2003.

 

I really like it. I know my following point has been mentioned before on Big Soccer, but the U.S. Open Cup is something that if promoted right could get some good interest in this country. It's got the Cinderella (March Madness) type of aspect of it, such as Roma SC of Dallas beating Chivas in 2006, and has already received some coverage, like this article in USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/tourneys/2006-09-26-open-cup-preview_x.htm

Also, many soccer fans in the U.S. follow the FA Cup in England and promoting the U.S. Open Cup would help grab interest from those people as well. I think having the CONCACAF Champions League will really help soccer in this continent in the long term and connecting the U.S. Open Cup with it can only help.

 

the Us open cup winner gets a CCL berth.

if that is a usl team then so be it. US soccer makes the choice here, not MLS, and USL has a seat at that table.

Montreal and Puerto rico showed themselves much better than MLS did

 

Actually, this year's winner is not guaranteed a berth because CONCACAF has not determined the structure of the 10-11 CCL. The winner probably will if everything stays the same, but it has not been announced yet from what I know.