After watching Jason Kreis sub his way to an early exit at the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night, I felt I had to throw my two cents in on this FA Cup-like tournament.

First, let’s talk about the game for one quick moment. It was unbelievable. It was exciting, fast paced, and the players on the field wanted it badly. The fans were incredible; they were loud all game long, chanting back and forth at each other and I loved seeing those smoke bombs lit on my laptop in my kitchen. Poku had the best game of his career and two sensational goals, the Cosmos were relentless in building a comeback and ultimately their most memorable win as a new franchise next to last year’s victory over the Red Bulls in the same tournament. It was the most exciting game so far in the early history of NYCFC. It’s games like this one and the Portland/Seattle match that are helping build the U.S. Open Cup to what it can be and what it should be.

Which brings me to the point of this column…….

It’s time for MLS teams to recognize that it’s no longer 2005 and the USOC is a legitimate tournament worth trying to win. Coaches in the UK could be fired for pulling some of the stunts that Kreis pulled the other night if that was an FA Cup game. Look, I understand what this tournament used to be and what MLS used to be. I’ve been a fan from almost the beginning and the USOC was a tournament played on high school fields with a few fans attending and the winner only received a trophy. Every MLS team used to play their B team for every Open Cup game and you would find out what happened in the game the next morning since we didn’t have Twitter or live streaming back then (listen to me saying “back then” about 7 years ago). The USOC never had the same reputation as the FA Cup in England or the Copa Del Ray in Spain.

Fast forward a few years and you have teams like the Sounders hosting a final with over 50,000 fans in attendance and the game being televised on Fox Sports. What changed?

A few things changed:

• Most importantly, the winner of the USOC gets an automatic spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. This tournament used to be known as the Champions Cup and it was an absolute joke to say the least. The new format has been wildly entertaining, including (almost) all the leagues of CONCACAF and making our region’s Champions League the toughest title to take home…exactly the way it should be. It’s a recognized tournament that gives the winner a spot in the Club World Cup. Anyone following Real Salt Lake a few years ago or Montreal this past spring will remember the entire United States soccer community jumping on the MLS bandwagon and hoping to see MLS send their first team to the Club World Cup, just another step in the right direction for soccer in this region. NYCFC and the New England Revolution were knocked out of the USOC and I was surprised, yet also not surprised, to see fans saying things like “well, now we can get back to what’s important – the regular season and chasing the playoffs.” Hey everybody! This IS important and NYC fans should angered that they’re 0 – 2 vs New York teams so far and lost out on a chance to join in on the Champions League, especially when the playoffs, at this point, are a far reach.

• The U.S. Open Cup has gotten itself together over the last few years. They’ve created a Twitter account well worth your follow as they live tweet every game. They created a live stream of every game Tuesday night and Wednesday night, a fantastic opportunity to educate fans more on this competition. NYCFC fans sold out their allotment of tickets at Hofstra Stadium very quickly and there were a lot more people that wanted to go. Being able to watch the game on my computer was a nice change from previous years when I had to wait until the next day to know what happened in the game. Fox Sports has picked up the semi finals and final in previous seasons as well, which has been great for the game.

• Credit where credit is due: the lower level leagues have gotten better. They’re not the roll over cake walk they used to be. Teams like Charlotte and Rochester and other USL squads enter the field expecting to put up a fight and come away with an upset. I mean, Orlando was a USL team up until last season, Minnesota is a legit NASL team with a huge fan base, which has gotten them their MLS ticket. And how about the Charleston Battery taking Orlando on a 4-4 tie and then 10 rounds in the shootout? Incredible. Not only this, but it was said numerous times on the NYCFC/NY Cosmos telecast that the Cosmos, an NASL (third division) team, has spent more on players than some MLS teams (!!!). It was really a shock for me to watch a player like Raul, who I watched rip up the UEFA Champions League while I was in college, running around on a turf field in Long Island for a third division U.S. club (mind blowing).

• It’d be a crime for me to ignore what Seattle did for this tournament (and MLS as a whole). Seattle has been the model expansion franchise with their 45k+ fans per game and fan involvement. They’ve spent money on players and shown they care about the product on the field with acquisitions like Dempsey and Martins. Seattle/Portland games are a MUST watch, not just for the tifo but the exciting 90 minutes they put together and there is no doubt that teams like Seattle and Portland have had a hand in the ESPN and NBC Sports MLS tv deals. Another area Seattle has become big in is the USOC. From year one, they have taken this tournament seriously, winning it four times and falling in the final another. Their first year in the final, the game was held in DC and Seattle had a massive travelling crowd. One year later they hosted the final with over 50,000 in attendance to watch their team take the trophy again. It’s tough to argue that the Sounders were a catalyst in building the USOC into what it is now and we have them to thank for its continued growth.

This and much more has led to an impressive growth for the U.S. Open Cup and I’m hopeful the next couple years will see it taken more seriously by MLS clubs and fans alike. This is why I’m happy to see Seattle players going nuts at the ref like his calls were stealing away the MLS Cup from them. You know why? Because that Portland player flopped and he gave a second yellow, which pretty much took away Seattle’s shot at the Open Cup title. I’m happy to hear someone like Poku say the loss to the Cosmos “hurts” because you know what? It does. This is a big trophy. This is our FA Cup, this is our Copa Del Rey. I want the players on my team to want that trophy. I don’t want to see the Revolution not taking a shot on goal for 40 minutes when down 1-0 like they’re just trying to get to the end whistle and back to the regular season. NYCFC fans should be angry with this loss and players and coaching staff should be held accountable for losing to a third division team. I want to see NYC play other CONCACAF teams and become the class of not only Major League Soccer but the entire region as well. Here’s hoping NYC comes out firing next year.

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A little off topic, I wanted to quickly address a question I’ve seen floating around and something I’ve discussed with a few friends of mine.

“Can New York support a third MLS team and have the Cosmos join the league?”

It’s a fun question to debate because:

1. They have a fun team and even though they are a lower division, they have not been afraid to spend money and lure big name players (Raul) using their Cosmos brand name.
2. They’re good – they won the fall title in 2013 as well the Soccer Bowl in 2013. You can’t deny their play Wednesday night. Even with some players out for NYC, the Cosmos played a great game and looked like a team that can compete. Last year, in an Open Cup match, the Cosmos punished the Red Bulls for strolling out a B team and beat them down 3-0. They meet again in a couple weeks for a 5^th round USOC matchup, which should be a lot of fun.
3. Those fans! They were loud, they were passionate, and they were everything we look for in MLS fans. The game vs NYC sold out and the celebration of the upset went late into the night. That was certainly a surprise to someone like me that did not know much about this team heading into the game. Obviously, I wasn’t so happy when the Cosmos fans tied things up in the 90th minute but when I heard the Cosmos fans chanting “we can’t hear you” to the Third Rail, it was a cool moment for that franchise and what they’re trying to accomplish on and off the field.
4. About five years ago, I actually thought the Cosmos were going to be the second New York MLS team. The Cosmos brand is a very powerful U.S. soccer brand, recognized around the world from their glory days in the 70’s with Pele. I was under the impression that they would be the team to take the second New York spot and play this “we’re taking back New York” slant in a rivalry with the Red Bulls. Don’t get me wrong, I love NYCFC and what they’ve done to build a fan base and their own brand, but the Cosmos do have a powerful brand that can sell and continues to sell.

My answer to this question though is no. Long Island is unable to support, at the moment, an NHL franchise, they’re not going to be able to support an MLS club all by itself. With cities like St. Louis, Las Vegas, Ottawa, Miami, and Sacramento clawing for a spot in this league, and with the struggles we’re seeing down in Miami to get a stadium, I don’t foresee Commissioner Garber taking a chance on a third New York team with a smaller fan base in an area of New York that is not public transit friendly. The thought of the Cosmos joining MLS is awesome. Tri-state has proven so far it can definitely support two teams and create a wonderful rivalry, worthy of national coverage. I think the first step for the Cosmos would be to move up into USL and see where that takes them. Short term though, I don’t even see it as a topic of consideration.

A man can dream though, right?

Image: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/knocking-nycfc-cosmos-shot-red-bulls-article-1.2262767