From Empty Stadiums to Fan Protests, Leagues Cup Is at a Crossroads

The end of U.S. Open Cup?

For some, Leagues Cup is a competition that has severely impacted one of the great institutions of American soccer. The U.S. Open Cup has been fading for some time now, but was almost entirely gutted this campaign, when MLS decreased its involvement in the tournament to just eight senior teams, while stacking the competition with MLS Next Pro sides – effectively minor league affiliates for every top flight U.S. club.

The league faced immense scrutiny from USL, fan groups and veterans of the U.S. game for its decision, considered by critics as the beginning of the end of one of global soccer’s oldest tournaments.

At the time, USL commissioner Paul McDonough slammed the decision: “If soccer’s going to grow in this country – I know [MLS] probably think differently – it’s not going be built on the back of just the 30 or 32 MLS teams,” McDonough said. “It’s just not.”

That opinion was shared by others in the U.S. soccer community.

“Globally, I think it’s f—– brilliant,” said David Wegner from Centennial 38, the Colorado Rapids’ Supporters Group, “but I think the timing is incredibly unfortunate. US Soccer and MLS can’t figure out a way, so why not do both?”

MLS’s justification for its decreased involvement in the U.S. Open Cup centered around concerns of fixture congestion, and worries that a packed schedule could negatively affect player welfare. There was also apprehension about pitch quality, and the lack of a fully-fledged TV deal.

Yet, simultaneously, the league doubled down on the success of 2023’s iteration of Leagues Cup.

And on the surface, it’s easy to see why. Leagues Cup got a substantial spike in 2023 when Lionel Messi made his Inter Miami debut in the competition, complete with a magical last-minute free-kick to down Cruz Azul. It ended, too, with the great Argentine lifting a trophy after 11 rounds of penalty kicks. The whole thing was, at times, immaculate theater.

NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing can sympathize with fans who are disappointed with MLS’s handling of the U.S. Open, and the ensuing hesitancy to support Leagues Cup.

“I think the point of contention is really simple,” Cushing told GOAL. “There are soccer lifers from U.S. Soccer and they support soccer in America, and they want the Open Cup to exist. They support the Open Cup, and because the Open Cup has changed, they don’t support the Leagues Cup.”

It has driven some fans to a point of protest – literally. Supporter groups from eight MLS clubs announced official boycotts of the tournament. Austin FC’s Austin Anthem refused to attend matches, and made their reasoning clear: “Our league and club care far more about the Leagues Cup than the US Open Cup, and by extension, care more about Apple TV money than our nation’s soccer. We cannot support this.”

Chicago Fire’s Redline SG also announced their intent to boycott the tournament, and pointed out that they would spend the month “supporting the Red Stars and local grassroots soccer clubs across Chicagoland.”

Some, such as Gorilla FC, made symbolic gestures, such as turning banners upside down in protest.

“It’s a super important protest, no matter how teams are doing it. You have this 100-plus year history of this tournament, and it’s just a grassroots tournament,” Collins said.

Scheduling complications

The way the tournament is set up has created its own set of challenges.

Last season, MLS changed its scheduling to predominantly play in set slots on Saturdays. The move was in part due to its new Apple TV deal for live-match streaming, and giving more consistency for its audience.

Leagues Cup, though, hasn’t adhered to that same cadence. Instead, organizers have taken a somewhat scattergun approach, scheduling midweek games, short-notice turnarounds, and added some less-than-fan-friendly kickoff times. The Colorado Rapids, for example, kicked off its round of 16 fixture with Toluca at 8 pm local time on a Tuesday – an elimination game played out in front of 9,742.

“It’s short notice, because we’re in knockout rounds, which has been kind of crazy,” Collins said. “We have a game, and then four days later, if we win, we have another game, and then four days later, we win, we have another game. It’s been just like, ‘OK, well, I guess I’m going because I opted in.’ “

Attendance issues

As a result of that confluence of factors, attendance has been mixed – a fact that has concerned some around MLS. The opening weekend drew crowds up 24 percent from last year’s tournament, but interest was inconsistent throughout. Images spread on social media and eye-witness accounts from reporters suggested that this was at times a poorly attended tournament, often defined by its empty seats.

“It’s very challenging in the knockout stages,” Wegner said. “Very challenging to have Monday games, Tuesday games, Wednesday games. And I think that’s where some of the unfair criticism is from a lot of supporters groups that are protesting it.”

Overall, Leagues Cup 2024 saw an attendance increase of 1% over the inaugural edition, with an average crowd of 17,131 for the 77 matches, according to Sports Business Journal. Leagues Cup attendance was below MLS’ regular-season average, which was a record 23,194 at this year’s All-Star break. SBJ also reported that Leagues Cup was supported by 15 corporate sponsors in 2024, up from nine in 2023.

A near-empty Gilette Stadium was perhaps an extreme example, but players have routinely taken the field in front of thousands of empty seats. MLS would not comment on the less-attended matches, but did point out that average attendance, overall, was up and that 1.28 million fans attended matches through the semifinals. Three matches that included major Mexican teams – Chivas, Tigres, and Cruz Azul – featured among the top five best-attended Leagues Cup matches in the competition’s brief history.

But outside of those big-name games, the numbers at many matches were less convincing. Intra-league contests, with MLS teams facing their domestic counterparts, were often been played out in front of near-empty stadiums – the Revolution’s quarterfinal with NYCFC just one of many such contests.

“I feel like the first couple of games were well attended. The ones where there was less time in between, it was, you know, I think a little bit less attended,” New England Revolution sporting director Curt Onalfo said.

They weren’t alone. Slightly more than 10,000 fans attended Miami’s round of 32 clash with Toronto at Chase Stadium – a game that Messi missed due to injury. Luis Suarez, Lorenzo Insigne and Co. played out a highly watchable 4-3 result in a half-empty arena.

Back at NYCFC, Cushing has heard similar complaints from the team’s fan base.

“I understand the fans,” he said. “I’ve spoken to all fans about it. I understand their frustration and their angle, and why they’re not going to come to games.”

At home viewership has also changed. Although no Apple TV streaming data has been released, Fox Sports reportedly had an average viewership of approximately 30,000 per match – by comparison, 1.75 million watched last year’s Leagues Cup fixture between Miami and Cruz Azul.

The Messi effect, of course, cannot be ignored. There was palpable excitement around every Miami fixture last year – and in fairness to MLS, those numbers might have been significantly higher this campaign had he not been injured.

“Obviously, last year with Messi being part of every single game and part of the finals, obviously, more eyes and attention were probably on it,” Crew midfielder Darlington Nagbe said. “But for me, it’s just another trophy we get a chance to a chance to win and put in the trophy case. It’s another big game for the city.”

The benefits of a new competition

Still, the clubs themselves argue that reduced fan interest is outside of their control. There are many around the game who view the competition as imperative. The opportunity to face new opponents, for example, has broken up the grind of the MLS campaign.

“Playing against teams that you don’t normally face is really positive,” Cushing said. “It brings a sort of different perspective, a different focus.”

The NYCFC boss also acknowledged the chance to rotate and see other members of his squad. Onalfo highlighted its importance for evaluating the squad.

“We’re always looking to improve our players,” Onalfo said. “We have younger players that we also want to develop. When you have more games, more players get games. So from that standpoint, it’s all positive.”

Some players have also acknowledged the benefits of a fresh competition. LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, a veteran who has fought for every trophy at the club and international level in a long European career, voiced his support.

“Obviously, this competition cannot replace the Champions League of CONCACAF, but it’s still a trophy. We don’t know if in 10 years, 15 years time, this competition will still be here, but I think the level is really interesting and it’s good for helping all the clubs to grow and to continue the development because you need competitiveness to improve,” he told GOAL.

An intriguing format

Attendance issues notwithstanding, the tournament’s format has impressed some around the league. For example, all ties have to end in a penalty shootout – even in the group phase. A win there could offer a vital extra point that makes the difference in qualification for the knockouts. For soccer purists, it may be a point of annoyance. For those newer to sport, it can add a much-needed sense of jeopardy.

“Post 90 minutes, going to penalties makes it exciting because you know you’re going to get an outcome straight away,” Cushing said. “You don’t play another 30 minutes, and there’s always a winner.”

For NYCFC, in fact, a penalty shootout win over Queretaro in the group stage proved vital, as the extra point was enough to get them through the group – and ignite an encouraging quarterfinal run.

Others point to some of the more memorable moments from the tournament as encouraging signs. Collins argues that the Sounders’ round of 16 battering of Pumas will live long in the memory – especially given the burgeoning rivalry between the two clubs, who have also met in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League final.

The same goes for Cushing, who pointed out he will never turn down the opportunity to play for a trophy.

“Any competition that we get to win a trophy is positive for us, and any competition we get to play in front of our fans is a huge positive,” he said.

Skewed in favor of MLS?

As the tournament progressed, all of the Liga Mx squads fell out, leaving four MLS clubs in the semifinals – LAFC, Columbus, Philadelphia and Colorado. For some, having only four MLS teams left standing was indicative of a competition skewed in favor of MLS clubs, who were able to host games. No matches were played in Mexico.

“I think it’s inherently unfair to the Mexican players, because they don’t get home games,” Wegner said. “What I would love to see – don’t think it’ll ever happen – I would like to see us go and play teams, Mexican teams, in Mexico.”

Some Liga MX stars have expressed a similar sentiment. Tigres forward Andre-Pierre Gignac vouched for a change in scenery going forward.

“It would be good for the American clubs to come and play in Mexico because Mexico has different altitudes and climates. That would be nice,” he said in a pre-MLS all-star game interview.

The counter argument is that the composition of the semifinals was indicative of the quality of MLS franchises over their Liga MX counterparts. Chicago Fire midfielder Kellyn Acosta, a veteran of MLS, viewed the results as signs of improvement in the American game.

“It just shows the quality of our league and how we grow as a league, and we’re competing at the highest level,” he told GOAL.

Cup organizers have tried to level the playing field from a travel perspective. This year, the competition was divided into two sections – East and West – minimizing travel for participants. Top performing Liga MX clubs were assigned “hubs,” venues they would stick to should they advance in the competition. Many Liga MX sides actually benefit from heavy support within the United States, with strong showings for the likes of Chivas, Club America and Cruz Azul.

Still, for all of those efforts, three of the four semifinalists last year were from MLS. In this iteration, six of eight teams in the quarterfinals were from MLS. Some Mexican clubs have conceded that MLS is undoubtedly stronger. Club America coach André Soares Jardine admitted as much in a press conference, saying “What we are seeing is normal. We have to recognize it.”

Those on the Liga MX side have also made their feelings heard. One media member suggested that the cup had “little – nothing – to offer for Liga MX” teams, while some Liga Mx fans expressed their relief at their clubs being sent home.

Liga MX didn’t respond to requests for comment.

What could change?

This is admittedly early days of the current iteration of the competition, and it could still evolve. The positives are undeniable. Players like testing themselves against the best in the region. Coaches welcome the opportunity to rotate, while underdog clubs such as Colorado and San Jose have used the competition as a way to excite fan bases. In a vacuum, seeing more than 50,000 fans pack into Levi’s Stadium for San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chivas can only be considered a good thing.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has said that Leagues Cup will take priority over the US Open Cup.

“We need to prioritize the league schedule, prioritize the Champions Cup, prioritize the Leagues Cup and where we can, we will support the U.S. Open Cup,” he said at the Associated Press Sports Editor Commissioners Meeting in May.

Yet changes might have to come. Wegner suggested that reaching out to different kinds of fan groups could help.

“I think the way to fix it with core fans is you’ve got to do the olive branch with the Open Cup. I think the way to fix it with fans who haven’t really gone all in on MLS is you got to somehow avoid Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday night games,” he said.

Shortening the tournament could be an option, Acosta suggested.

“I think we’ve got to figure out timing,” he said. “Maybe shortening the tournament a bit if possible, because it seems like it’s a bit long, and for the teams that are knocked out, like myself right now, we haven’t played a game in some weeks, so that’s obviously tough going into season and not a game for that long time.”

Some fan groups have asserted that they would be willing to support the competition, as long as the US Open Cup survives. Conversations around the league have indicated that there’s concern about erratic attendance at games, depending on which teams are playing. Players, sporting directors, coaches, and fans alike have all backed the necessary parties to come together and find a workable solution.

And making such adjustments would only benefit a tournament, that while seemingly at a crossroads, still carries deep meaning for those involved. You’d only have to watch an emotional Wilfried Nancy stagger out of his technical area, fight back tears, and salute the Crew faithful in the final seconds of Sunday’s final to see that there is already a sense of prestige associated with winning the Leagues Cup.

That offers hope that an imperfect tournament could yet become an immensely successful one.

“I’m sure the league and MLS will understand the fans’ perspective,” Cushing said. “ I think it will get sorted out in the long run.”

Ryn Tolmich contributed reporting to this story