No Open Cup (For Me) This Year? The USL Cup Will Suffice
U.S. Soccer’s decision to exclude new professional expansion teams from the U.S. Open Cup starting in 2026 means the club I follow, the New York Cosmos, will not be involved. On its face, this is exactly the sort of rule change that invites frustration.
The Open Cup is supposed to be open. For clubs outside MLS, it has long represented the only theoretical path to the CONCACAF Champions League. That path was always narrow and unlikely, but removing it entirely still feels like a loss. Fans are right to be annoyed by a decision that closes off opportunity in a system that already does that far too often.
The Cosmos also have real history in this tournament. The wins over the New York Red Bulls and NYCFC were not flukes or footnotes. They were nights that reminded people the club still existed and still mattered, even while operating on the margins of the professional game.
At the same time, the Open Cup has never been a purely romantic experience for the Cosmos. There were also losses that felt harder to explain or justify. The defeat to Reading United remains an uncomfortable memory. Those games are part of the record too, and they complicate any attempt to frame the Open Cup as an unqualified good.
Because of that, my reaction to the 2026 exclusion is mixed. I dislike the principle of it, but I am not convinced the Cosmos are losing the most important thing they need right now.
The Prinx Tires USL Cup offers an alternative that feels more aligned with where the club actually is. Regional matches against USL Championship teams like Brooklyn FC and Hartford Athletic, alongside fellow USL League One sides, provide a more consistent and meaningful competitive environment. These are games that can build familiarity, context, and momentum over time.
That matters more when you consider the gap in the Cosmos’ recent history. By the time they debut in USL League One, it will have been roughly five years since their last competitive season in NISA. After that kind of absence, establishing stability and relevance feels more important than chasing a distant and unlikely Open Cup run.
None of this makes the rule change a good idea. The Open Cup is diminished when participation is restricted, and it is fair to question what is being protected by doing so. The loss of even a theoretical pathway upward is not insignificant.
Still, fandom often requires choosing which battles to fight. For this moment, the USL Cup feels like a reasonable substitute. It offers real matches against real opponents in a structure that supports rebuilding rather than nostalgia. Given where the Cosmos are today, that is enough for me.
