For the first time since 2004, the Seattle Sounders will not be competing in the U.S. Open Cup. MLS made it official on Tuesday when it released the list of participants in each of the various 2025 cup competitions. The Sounders were carrying the longest active streak of playing in the Open Cup, qualifying for 18 consecutive tournaments which included their last four seasons in the USL. The Tacoma Defiance will effectively take the Sounders’ place in the Open Cup, one of 10 MLS Next Pro teams to compete in the tournament this year.
The Sounders will, however, participate in the newly formatted Leagues Cup. This year’s tournament will feature 18 teams from each of MLS and Liga MX in a “Swiss” format. By all accounts, teams were not given much if any say in making these determinations.
MLS explained the rationale like this: “The framework for MLS club participation in North American cup competitions rewards club performance, manages player workload, and ensures that every MLS club has the opportunity to compete in at least one, but no more than two, North American competitions that run concurrently with the MLS league season.”
Greg Van Belle
MLS further explained that the decisions essentially flowed down from Concacaf Champions Cup qualification. The 10 MLS teams who qualified for that tournament were essentially only made available for one other competition — excluding the Club World Cup, in which the Sounders and Inter Miami are playing.
- For Leagues Cup, MLS is sending its top 18 teams from the 2024 Supporters’ Shield standings. An exception was made for the Vancouver Whitecaps, who are mandated to play in the Canadian Championship and also qualified for Concacaf Champions Cup. San Diego FC was effectively selected to take their place.
- For Open Cup, MLS will send 16 teams, which is twice as many teams as they sent to last year’s tournament. That group includes the nine teams who missed the 2024 playoffs, plus the top seven teams from the 2024 Supporters’ Shield standings who hadn’t already qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup. Notably, neither of the finalists from last year’s Open Cup — LAFC and Sporting KC — will be playing in this year’s tournament.
At the same time, TheCup.US published a list of rule changes for the U.S. Open Cup. Among the notable changes are how hosting and rosters are handled.
- Alternate venues will no longer be permitted, likely meaning the Sounders can no longer play early-round games at Starfire Stadium.
- Half of the 16 MLS teams who enter the tournament in the Fourth Round will now be forced to be on the road, as only the top 4 teams from each conference will be designated as home teams in that round.
- MLS Next Pro teams who participate will be limited to receiving players from their parent clubs’ supplemental rosters. That means that players like Stuart Hawkins or Travian Sousa could still be loaned to the Defiance, but not players like Jordan Morris or Cristian Roldan.
