Back in December, when Major League Soccer announced its seismic decision that it would enter its Next Pro teams into the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in lieu of its first teams, the league claimed it was at least partially in the spirit of player development.
Throughout the months-long boardroom saga involving the league and U.S. Soccer, MLS EVP of sporting product & competition Nelson Rodríguez cited a desire to get Next Pro teams — mostly comprised of rising players from MLS academies, as well as SuperDraft picks and other players — into a high-stakes tournament against teams from beyond the league.
“Next Pro is another huge investment that our ownership is making that drives dividends to the U.S. national team pool system,” Rodríguez told The Athletic in March. “Prohibiting those players from a meaningful competition that is supposed to unify, it feels archaic and simply wrong.”
And so, these teams comprised largely of players whose MLS clubs have not offered first-team contracts entered the arena. Through no fault of their own, they would be publicly viewed as avatars for MLS’ aim to prioritize other competitions, living embodiments of the shift in commitment to the century-old tournament.
The early results weren’t pretty — three affiliates lost their opening matchup against an amateur opponent from outside of the three sanctioned tiers of the U.S. Soccer pyramid, while a fourth was eliminated via penalties after being played to a draw at home by a United Premier Soccer League opponent.
Any sort of fear factor that traditionally came from being drawn against an MLS team didn’t carry over to their developmental branch. On match nights during the first two rounds, multiple high-ranking members from a range of USL clubs texted The Athletic after a win with a similar sentiment: “I hope we get an MLS Next Pro team next.”
In total, Next Pro teams won 60% of their matchups against amateur teams, 25% against fellow third-division opponents from USL League One and NISA, and one of two against second-division teams from the USL Championship.
Thursday’s fourth-round draw involved just one remaining MLS affiliate: New York City FC II.
NYCFC II overcame NPSL side FC Motown in round one, then claimed a rivalry win over New York Red Bulls II before heading to Connecticut to face second-division Hartford Athletic. Fielding a team devoid of first-team loan downs, NYCFC II took Hartford to extra time and overcame a 92nd minute goal by the hosts to win 3-2 and give Next Pro a fourth-round challenger.
The draw
At last, MLS teams (and another octet of USL Championship teams) enter the field as 32 teams partake in the tournament’s fourth round. Among them are the defending champion Houston Dynamo, who are joined by the seven teams that finished highest in the 2023 MLS standings, but weren’t part of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Teams were drawn from groups of four. In the table below, teams that have round of 16 hosting priority are in white rows; that matchup’s winner will host the victor from the matchup directly beneath them in a gray-shaded row.
Osvaldo Alonso Division
The Charleston Battery is the reigning USL Championship runner-up, led by Ben Pirmann (among the best coaches in the lower leagues) and midfielder Aaron Molloy (arguably the best second-division player). They’ll host South Georgia Tormenta, who advanced thanks to a winning goal from delightfully named center back Callum Stretch, an LA native who spent three years in the Aston Villa academy. Tormenta is based in Statesboro, a town of 35,000 people — smaller than the average home attendance of Atlanta United.
Atlanta will enter the tournament by hosting Charlotte Independence, having started its MLS season with 11 points from seven games. The Independence self-relegated from the second division to League One ahead of the 2022 season and made the final last year. Among the players on its roster are former Minnesota United great Miguel Ibarra and Honduras youth international Luis Álvarez.
Billy Gonsalves Division
The Tampa Bay Rowdies boast one of the nation’s best atmospheres at Al Lang Stadium. They’re unbeaten through five league games in their first full year since Neill Collins left to lead Barnsley FC. They’ll host fellow Championship side Birmingham Legion with an eye on redemption after the Legion won all three matchups between the sides in 2023.
FC Dallas enters the tournament hoping to make up for a poor start in MLS action. Dallas has been in the lead for just one percent of all minutes played this season, and will look at its matchup against Memphis 901 as a potential jumpstart. Memphis is off to a slow start of its own, having lost four of its first five games in the Championship. They advanced over amateur side Miami United on the back of a brace from 19-year-old forward Nighte Pickering, who left Dallas’ academy in 2022 to join Memphis.
Josh Hakala-Chuck Nolan Jr. Division
Union Omaha projects as the third-division team most likely to crash the round of 16. The perennial League One contender advanced to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal in 2022, where they fell away at Sporting Kansas City. They’ll host Peter Vermes’ side this year, a clear chance at redemption against an MLS team that’s already dropped 12 points from leading positions in the league.
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds were the furthest-advancing lower division side in 2023, memorably beating eventual MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew before falling to FC Cincinnati in the quarterfinal. They’ll host FC Tulsa in a clash of teams currently outside the USL Championship’s playoff places, hoping to gain momentum from a cup run.
Sébastien Le Toux Division
The Seattle Sounders are four-time U.S. Open Cup champions, and are among the favorites for this year’s installment. Still, they’ve struggled to turn position play into goals and points, leaving them open for a possible cupset. That’s music to Louisville City’s ears, as one of the Championship’s banner clubs plays with knowledge that a win would give them hosting rights in the next round. It’s a good test for Danny Cruz, another of the brightest rising coaches in the lower leagues.
North Carolina FC (née RailHawks) activated a clause to restore them to the Championship after spending three seasons in League One. Fittingly, they won the third-division league last season, and will face the second division’s reigning champion, Phoenix Rising FC. Both teams are firmly in their conferences’ mid-table positions, but the pseudo-USL super cup makes this a marquee matchup.
Rodrigo Lopez Division
Sacramento Republic made history in 2022 by becoming the first lower-division side to make the U.S. Open Cup final since 2008, ultimately falling against Orlando City amidst a possible spying scandal. Their hopes of making a deep run begin against League One side Monterey Bay, who won in the second round thanks to a brace by former San Jose academy product Jerry Ayon.
The San Jose Earthquakes are tied for the most points dropped from leading positions in the young MLS season (12), but an Open Cup game at home could help Luchi Gonzalez’s side find some positive form. They’ll host the Oakland Roots, a Championship side that needed extra-time at home to overcome amateur El Farolito SC, a team backed by a San Francisco taqueria.
Sam Mark Division
The Las Vegas Lights have broken out after former Toronto Blue Jay great Jose Bautista bought the team this offseason, currently seated fifth in the Championship’s Western Conference. They’ll face Los Angeles FC in a matchup between an MLS side and its former affiliate. Las Vegas was the first head coaching stop of Steve Cherundolo, where he spent a single season before leading LAFC to an MLS Cup title in 2022.
Orange County SC is among the nation’s best clubs at youth development outside of MLS’ ranks, recently selling Milan Iloski to FC Nordsjælland. They’ll welcome fellow Championship club Loudoun United as the USL side makes the longest trip of any team in this round. Orange County is currently atop the West, while Loudoun sits seventh in the East.
Pat Onstad Division
Indy Eleven has struggled out of the gate under new head coach Sean McAuley, netting four points from their first six games. They’ll welcome 2022 Championship winner San Antonio FC in one of the round’s most intriguing matchups.
The Houston Dynamo opens its Open Cup title defense at home, entering in fine form in spite of Hector Herrera’s ongoing absence. They’ll be thankful to be on the hosting side of a draw against Detroit City FC, avoiding one of the most intimidating places to play in the nation. Detroit has won its first four games in the USL Championship, but will be without starting left back Brett Levis after his third-round red card.
Jamie Watson Division
In another geographic hodgepodge, New York City FC II will enjoy hosting privileges. Of particular note is Máximo Carrizo, a 16-year-old midfielder who has shone bright during the team’s cup run and is eligible for the United States and Argentina. They’ll welcome a Colorado Springs Switchbacks side in poor form, having lost each of their last five games. The Switchbacks still enter as narrow favorites, but NYCFC II stands a viable chance of advancing.
New Mexico United made an inspired run to the quarterfinal in the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, rallying under then-head coach Troy Lesesne before his eventual move to MLS. Eric Quill has kept the team on course, with New Mexico sitting fourth in the West with 10 points from five games. They’ll welcome Real Salt Lake in a border battle, with RSL off to a fine start in MLS play.
(Photo: Doug Zimmerman/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
