Compared to the equivalent tournaments in Europe’s top soccer-playing countries, the U.S. Open Cup has long lagged behind in terms of exposure, interest and importance.
The loss was a bitter pill for the Crew, which finds itself struggling heading into the playoffs. A four-match winless streak that includes a 4-0 home loss to these same Sounders has to be a concern for Robert Warzycha.
One player Warzycha doesn’t have to worry about is Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who was at his creative best for the Crew. Unfortunately for him, Schelotto got far too little support from his teammates in attack, save for the sequence leading to the Crew’s goal. The return from injury of Robbie Rogers should provide a boost, but Warzycha heads into a second straight October with serious questions to ask about which players to start and whether his team will find a good rhythm heading into the playoffs.
The Sounders U.S. Open Cup victory against Columbus wasn’t just a triumph for a blossoming club, or a reward for the most impressive fan base in North America. The match was a sorely-needed boost for a tournament that has long gone ignored, and could soon see its profile raised.
The Open Cup isn’t just ignored by the media, and often overlooked by fans, it is far too often dismissed by the same MLS clubs expected to make the tournament relevant. The early rounds of the tournament are almost always filled with MLS teams fielding reserve squads, which often leaves you wondering whether MLS coaches would just as soon not even compete in the tournament. Yes, roster size issues and congested schedules can lead teams to rest starters, but Tuesday’s triumph by Seattle showed just what the tournament can mean to a team and its fans of treated with respect.
MLS teams will have fewer excuses for ignoring or taking lightly a tournament like the U.S. Open Cup next year, when rosters are expected to increase and more teams are able to benefit from the changes to the salary cap and addition of more Designated Player slots.
With more weapons, MLS teams should be able to field stronger teams and make the U.S. Open Cup the type of intense competition that fans in other countries enjoy so much. The type of event that can produce more matches like the one Seattle and Columbus treated us to in Tuesday’s final.
Ives Galarcep is a senior writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer and the U.S. national team.
