Dumb question, but why cancel the Cup when every US soccer league is playing (in front of fans) this season?
They said they had trouble with travel and accommodations... Remember, the Cup makes very little money even in a normal year.
There isn't much time to squeeze in the games for MLS and USL-C this time of year. MLS teams will play 20-22 games each over the next 15 weeks. There are also the FIFA breaks coming up in September and October so really it is closer to 13 weeks for most teams. There are almost 100 mid-week MLS games still to play this season. Plus CCL and Leagues Cup. USL-C is similar as far as games left to play. They will also have a lot of mid-week league games. The lower divisions have already ended their seasons. If the USSF has known how things were going to go back in the spring then maybe things could have been scheduled but it was hard to predict.
Well, as the article says: It was never going to be a real Open Cup this year, in any event. The way only select teams were allowed to be involved was antithetical to the whole concept of an open cup. I'm glad it was axed. Looking forward to the real thing returning next year.
No U.S. Open Cup this year but they are having the Canadian Championship. 2021 Canadian Championship Home team first. Times are ET The tournament is entirely single-legs this year. Preliminary Round Sunday, August 15 FC Edmonton (CPL) 0-2 Cavalry FC (CPL) Tuesday, August 17 HFX Wanders (CPL) 2-1 Blainville (PLQ) Saturday, August 21 York United (CPL) v. Master's Futbol (L1O) 3:00 pm Atletico Ottawa (CPL) v. Valour FC (CPL) 7:00 pm Thursday, August 26 Pacific FC (CPL) v. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS) 10:00 pm The Quarterfinals which add in Forge FC, Toronto FC , and CF Montreal start on September 14.
Premier Ligue Quebec and League 1 Ontario. They are D3 in Canada I believe. I looked it up myself lol.
Which doesn't answer the question as to whether they're amateur or professional leagues. And while I have no problem with amateur leagues playing in national Cup competitions, I do disagree with them being placed in a "professional pyramid". In the U.S. for instance, the PDL (and it's brethren) are not "D4" - they're not "in the pyramid" at all. Now if some other country has some weird structure where you have amateurs under contract, but unpaid, I'm open to being convinced, but the there is no pathway for a PDL club to sell, buy, or trade players with a professional club in the United States. Amateur clubs, in the U.S. at least, own no rights to their players. Players can leave at any time and sign a pro contract. They may be "cup tied" for a given tournament, but that's quibbling.
Recently, there was an player from an amateur team that got sold for an undisclosed sum to a NISA team. Peter Wilt touted out as a "solidarity payment" - apparently the first of it's kind from a professional team to amateur because the amateur team "developed" this player - even though he only appeared as a player for this amateur team once. In 2020 - where the season was cancelled due to obvious reasons. I figured that Peter Wilt doesn't fully understand what a solidarity payment is.
2021 Canadian Championship Home team first. Times are ET The tournament is entirely single-legs this year. Preliminary Round Sunday, August 15 FC Edmonton (CPL) 0-2 Cavalry FC (CPL) Tuesday, August 17 HFX Wanderers (CPL) 2-1 Blainville (PLQ) Saturday, August 21 York United (CPL) 5-0 Master's Futbol (L1O) Atletico Ottawa (CPL) 2-3 Valour FC (CPL) Thursday, August 26 Pacific FC (CPL) 4-3 Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS) Quarterfinals Wednesday, September 15 Forge FC (CPL) v. Valour FC (CPL) TBA Wednesday, September 22 Toronto FC (MLS) v. York United (CPL) TBA Cavalry FC (CPL) v. Pacific FC (CPL) TBA HFX Wanderers (CPL) v. CF Montreal (MLS) TBA Semifinals are September 28/29.
2021 Canadian Championship Home team first. Times are ET The tournament is entirely single-legs this year. Preliminary Round Sunday, August 15 FC Edmonton (CPL) 0-2 Cavalry FC (CPL) Tuesday, August 17 HFX Wanderers (CPL) 2-1 Blainville (PLQ) Saturday, August 21 York United (CPL) 5-0 Master's Futbol (L1O) Atletico Ottawa (CPL) 2-3 Valour FC (CPL) Thursday, August 26 Pacific FC (CPL) 4-3 Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS) Quarterfinals Wednesday, September 15 Forge FC (CPL) 2-1 Valour FC (CPL) Wednesday, September 22 Toronto FC (MLS) v. York United (CPL) 5:00 pm Cavalry FC (CPL) v. Pacific FC (CPL) 7:30 pm HFX Wanderers (CPL) v. CF Montreal (MLS) 9:00 pm Semifinals are September 28/29.
So teams in the CPL have two chances to qualify for the CCL (win the CPL or the Canadian Championship), but MLS teams only have one?
Winning the CPL only gets you into the CONCACAF League. Teams have to finish in the top 6 of that to get to the CCL. The Canadian Championship gets you straight into the CCL. At this time Canadian MLS teams have to win the Canadian Championship to qualify for the CCL. That is changing for the 2023-2024 CCL but we don't know the exact qualification system. The Canadian MLS teams will apparently be able to qualify for the CCL qualifying tournament via MLS play.
2021 Canadian Championship Home team first. Times are ET The tournament is entirely single-legs this year. Quarterfinals Wednesday, September 15 Forge FC (CPL) 2-1 Valour FC (CPL) Wednesday, September 22 Toronto FC (MLS) 4-0 York United (CPL) Cavalry FC (CPL) 0-1 Pacific FC (CPL) HFX Wanderers (CPL) 1-3 CF Montreal (MLS) Semifinals September 28/29 Toronto FC (MLS) v. Pacific FC (CPL) Forge FC (CPL) v. CF Montreal (MLS)
Not that badly. The Canadian MLS teams can qualify for the CCL via their play as MLS teams as opposed to via their MLS play. A subtle distinction, but still an avenue unavailable to CPL teams.
CPL teams get 2 slots (league winners and runners-up second place) to the first round of this newly expanded CCL, unlike now where one league winner qualifies to CCL if they win CONCACAF League. I think it combines the best of both worlds this way, so it's a win-win for both CPL and Canadian MLS teams.
They don't have to actually win the CONCACAF League, just come in top 6 at the moment. We'll have to wait and see if this is a win for the Canadian MLS teams if their only route remains the Canadian Championship.