Last night, the third round of the US Open Cup began. The third round is the first appearance of MLS clubs in the tournament proper, when the "giants" take on those clubs from lesser leagues in David v. Goliath match ups.
Score one for David.
Score four, actually, because out of six games pitting USL sides from two different divisions against the higher-profile Major League Soccer clubs, four teams from the lower divisions came out on top.
The USL-2 Wilmington Hammerheads beat the Chicago Fire 1-0. The USL-2 Harrisburg City Islanders beat the New England Revolution 2-1, in a game that saw the Revs finish with nine men. The Rochester Rhinos knocked off the defending MLS Cup champions in penalties, and the Charleston Battery took care of Chivas USA 3-1.
Four upsets, and four more bullets for the quality argument; last night did nothing to dispel the myth that USL teams are close to or on par with MLS clubs, and it's bound to set off a barrage of said argument across the soccer community.
That's right, I said myth.
MLS clubs should be, and in my estimation still are not matter the results of last night, superior to their USL counterparts. But MLS clubs are making my belief increasingly shaky, and I'm beginning to find myself frustrated with the amount of ammunition available to those that think otherwise. But one round of one-off victories by a few committed and hard-charging teams does not prove an argument for USL being equal to MLS. What is does prove is that MLS on the whole should be ashamed of itself; because the league chooses to sleepwalk through the Open Cup at almost every turn, because coaches choose to put out what amounts to reserve sides, and because the players themselves are likely less motivated to play well than they might in other competitions, the league finds itself where it is today.
Six games, four losses. Even the fact that three of the upsets took place at the home stadiums of the USL clubs involved doesn't lessen the blow; and although "upsets happen" and the "any given night" rule certainly applies in the Open Cup, it's not an unreasonable expectation that the teams from the richer league should come out on top more often than not. Clearly, expectations mean nothing when one of the participants treats the games as they would a reserve match.
The "ouch" factor is incredibly high today for America's top division, and it has no one to blame but itself. It's clear that few truly care about the under-publicized and under-funded Open Cup, and as long as that's the case, results like those we witnessed last night will continue to happen.
The romance of a tournament like the US Open Cup is undeniable. The potential for massive upsets and lower division teams shining against bigger clubs is appealing. But for me, it sucks away the romance to see MLS teams field lineups full of players we barely recognize, and it does the game as a whole no favors in the United States. Despite opinions to the contrary, when Major League Soccer gets a black eye, the public perception of American soccer on the whole takes a hit. For better or worse, the overall health of professional soccer in the United States is directly tied to the success of MLS, both on and off the pitch; last night is yet another example of the league missing the point and shooting themselves in the foot, both because so many of its teams went down to "lesser" opponents and because many of those teams refused to treat their opponents or the competition in which they were playing with the proper respect.
MLS teams, from top to bottom and in almost every case, should be better then USL teams. I still believe that, but it's getting increasingly difficult to back up that argument. For that I blame the league.
Shame on you MLS. There's no shame in being upset; there's shame in being upset when you're clearly not giving it your all.
