The 2020 U.S. Open Cup is reportedly cancelled due to COVID-19’s impact in the United States this year.
After being suspended in early March, as well as the early stages of the MLS regular season, U.S. Soccer has cancelled the annual tournament, Sports Illustrated reported Friday. This season’s edition would’ve been the 107th edition after debuting in 1913.
U.S. Soccer is intending to invite each club that qualified for this year’s event, according to the report. An official announcement is expected to be made early next week with plans having to be pushed until 2021 for the 107th edition.
COVID-19 has forced halts in several leagues this season that normally would see its teams take part in the competition. USL League Two and the NPSL cancelled their seasons earlier this year due to COVID-19, while MLS, the USL Championship, USL League One, and the NISA are aiming to continue regular season play.
With plenty of teams traveling for matches in the Open Cup, it would put all of them at risk with the pandemic continuing to be at greater risk in certain parts of the country. Normally the winner of the Open Cup is guaranteed a spot in the next season’s Concacaf Champions League, but there also has been no decision regarding that yet.
Atlanta United lifted the 2019 edition of the U.S. Open Cup for the first time in club history, defeating Minnesota United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Very sad news, but unfortunately unsurprising. Just how it is right now.
We all knew it was coming, but I really look forward to the Open Cup games every year so it was a big bummer seeing it become an impossibility.
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I’m also thinking that we won’t get to see a full season of “MLSisBackII : The Odds Are Not In Their Favor This Time”. They are not in a bubble anymore, and there are definitely some cities that I would refuse to travel to if I were a player.
you knew this was coming when they didn’t have the lower rungs and amateurs back playing before college re-started. once that happens they can’t finish the suspended early rounds and can only arbitrarily skip to professional rounds, eliminating either teams that can’t field teams or below a certain level. at which point it’s not “open cup” anymore.
to me i am not sure anyone in our country should be playing — given our infections and deaths — so whether it’s a matter of tournament integrity or safety, same diff.