NYCFC and the rest of MLS can celebrate the U.S. Open Cup news | OneFootball

If there is one thing that New York City FC fans and other Major League Soccer fans can agree on, then it is this: American MLS teams should play in the U.S. Open Cup. Over the last few years, not every team has played in the tournament. This made fans angry, especially when it was announced that no MLS sides would play in the Cup back in 2024. Since then, after adding a few sides in 2024, more MLS teams have played, but not everyone did in 2025 and 2026, as the Pigeons did.

What made fans angry was that MLS chose to prioritize the Leagues Cup rather than the oldest soccer tournament in the United States. Sure, there were years when teams, including NYCFC, did not take it seriously. Still, the ability to play in the U.S. Open Cup each year was part of the MLS fabric. Therefore, it appears that the complaints have officially been heard.

The perfect U.S. Open Cup news for NYCFC

On Wednesday, it was announced that every American MLS team will play in the U.S. Open Cup next year. This is fantastic news and worth celebrating. MLS and the U.S. Open Cup listened to the complaints. But the tournament also made changes in the hope of making it more feasible for MLS sides when it comes to roster construction. It also evolved to match the change to the league's schedule, as it will change to a summer-to-spring schedule next year.

To begin, the first round, which NYCFC and the rest of MLS will not participate in, will begin in April. MLS teams will enter the competition during the summer in the Round of 64. All rounds after that will occur after Labor Day. Then, the finals will take place in December.

Now, one of the arguments for not having MLS teams in the U.S. Open Cup was due to game congestion. Of course, the counterargument used by NYCFC supporters and those of other MLS sides was that the rosters needed to expand and rules needed to change. And the Leagues Cup was seen as a money-grab tournament, so fans preferred the historic one.

Thankfully, the U.S. Open Cup has made changes to their roster rules. To begin, teams can have 20 players available for every matchday. In addition, there is no cap on who can play. Per a statement from an MLS representative, "MLS clubs may select from any contracted first-team, MLS NEXT Pro, and academy players. This flexibility helps provide younger players with competitive minutes while allowing clubs to manage multiple competitions."

Hence, NYCFC would not have to sign someone who is off the MLS roster to a short-term contract in order to play in the Cup. This also allows teams to rest players, and it appears the league is promoting the idea of playing the younger players who do not see MLS minutes.

These are all great changes. It is good that NYCFC is confirmed to be playing in the U.S. Open Cup, and teams do not have to wait and wonder which teams will compete in the tournament. Instead, things are back to the way they should be.