USOpenCup.com -- Powered by Demosphere

After reading my own work and not trying to sound pompous or arrogant about it, but I knew I made my point pretty clear, I too started to think about maybe there is a way for US Soccer to make more rounds and eliminate the regular season matches of the USL 2nd Division & PDL to double up as US Open Cup qualifying matches. Now as we all know there has to be a logical and proper structuring to make all of this work and like I said all levels from MLS to the PDL has to have at least 20 clubs per division.

Well let's reanalyze the situation. Currently MLS has 12 clubs. While USL 1st Division has 8 clubs (Atlanta, Charleston, Minnesota, Portland, Ore., Richmond, Rochester, Seattle and Virginia Beach). USL 2nd division has 9 clubs (Charlotte, Cincinnati, Harrisburg City, Long Island, New Hampshire, Northern Va., Pittsburgh, Western Mass. and Wilmington).

Now the problem lies in the PDL (Premier Development League). At least a total of 52 American clubs are in the lower levels of US Soccer. In total of the USL 1^st & 2^nd Division clubs, 17 all together live in 2^nd & 3^rd division of US Soccer. This means you want to make 13 of the 52 PDL clubs that want a chance or clubs who use to be in the former A-League & D3 Leagues to move back up the ladder. Now if that happens 39 clubs are left. 20 of those clubs will stay in the PDL, and what happens with 19 clubs remaining and a possible expansion club in the future with no home or no place to go, it’s time to make a 5^th division of US Soccer. In England they have the Premiership, 1^st division, 2^nd Division, 3^rd Division & Nationwide Division. If it’s possible for England to have five competitive divisions of English football, why can’t there be five competitive divisions of US Soccer? I think it makes perfect sense to do so, but what happens with the USASA?

For this to be fair to the US Adult Soccer Association I think they are going to have to create a league style of qualification for all the regions of the USASA. Possibly five amateur clubs per region to advance into an earlier round against the 5^th division of USL clubs that would make the earlier round start around end of April to the beginning of May. Have mid-week matches on a two day stretch. Pick of the draw would have Tuesday matches then Wednesday matches to make it move quicker and find a winner to advance into the next round. Or if you want to extend the rounds then make it one Wednesday and have it in a two to three week span. Since the MLS season started on Saturday, April 2^nd and the USL season started on Friday, April 15^th and the PDL season will start on Saturday, April 23^rd. Here is an idea that can make it all interesting and fun.

The MLS season starts in late March on Saturday the 26^th. The USL & PDL Seasons can start on April 2nd with no qualification matches doubles up into regular season matches. For the Amateur clubs and the fifth division starts playing on Wednesday, April 27^th for Round 1 & Round 2 can be on Wednesday, May 11^th. Whenever the US Soccer calendar can designate dates for US Open Cup early rounds must also dance around World Cup Qualifying matches for the US Men’s National Team.

So you would have MLS, USL 1^st Division, 2^nd Division, create a 3^rd Division & move the PDL below it and then the USASA. Out of all these new ways and thoughts of making a better US Open Cup Tournament without forcing current clubs to disband or making outrageous rounds from 1 thru 1,000,000 till you get to the final and eliminating the use of regular season matches doubling as qualifying matches for the US Open Cup. I believe we can have a possibility of rounds one thru eight with the ninth round being the Championship match. We have to remember that you got to organize these things properly and do it in a way that makes sense. Yes it’s nice to have the amateur clubs involved with the US Open cup thru the USASA, but still there are limits to a great idea. I say leave alone the USASA give them a proper amount of spots to enter the 1^st round.

MLS = US Soccer 1st Division

USL 1st Division = US Soccer 2nd Division

USL 2nd Division = US Soccer 3rd Division

USL 3rd Division = US Soccer 4th Division

USL PDL = US Soccer 5th Division

USASA = US Soccer Amateur Division

Round 1: USASA Vs USL PDL

Round 2: Round 1 Winners Vs USL 3rd Division

Round 3: Round 2 Winners Vs USL 2nd Division

Round 4: Round 3 Winners Vs USL 1st Division

Round 5: Round 4 Winners Vs Major League Soccer

Round 6: Quarterfinals - Round 5 Winners

Round 7: Semi-Finals - Quarterfinal Winners

Round 8: US Open Cup Final - Semi-Final Winners

Do I believe this idea can work? It might if US Soccer, USL Soccer and the USASA will give me a chance to speak to them in a meeting, or whoever is in the Competition Committee for the US Open Cup. But if everyone who supports this tournament as we do believes in an idea like this can work for all who are traditional of what an FA Cup competition should be about, then I would like to think that this is the best way of doing things to restructure and make it exciting and fun for every supporter of US Soccer.