Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber criticized the quality of the US Open Cup stadium and broadcast at the US Soccer Board meeting on Friday. Here’s what you should know:
- “Those aren’t games that we want our product to reach a large audience,” says Garber. “Frankly, I’m not disappointed with the small audience.”
- Hosted by US Soccer, the single-game knockout tournament pits MLS teams against lower-level professional and amateur men’s teams from US Soccer.
- The USSF said Friday it will hold a summit in Chicago this summer to discuss how to refine and improve the event.
what garber said
“From our point of view it’s a very poor reflection of what we’re trying to do at the highest level of football. The game is hard to find — I’m telling you as a real viewer “The response from our owners, team presidents and even fans in terms of being able to find games, the quality of the games. .”
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we need to do better at the US Open Cup. It just doesn’t adequately reflect what American football should be like at the professional level,” Garber said.
“We understand that the Open Cup is not where we all want it to be, and we are committed to getting there,” Wright said.
“We also need resources,” he said, adding, “Especially now that there’s renewed interest from our media partners, it’s a natural opportunity to take a step back, and I think that’s an important factor for this.” said.
“But you were right to speak up,” Wright said. “There are other areas that must continue to be honed and refined as we look to the future.”
inside story
US Soccer announced in March that it will be live-streaming the highlights of the first three rounds of this year’s tournament on its Bleacher Report app and YouTube channel. Games from last year’s tournament were available on ESPN+.
The tournament is in its 108th year and will begin on May 9 with rounds of 32 matches. The winner will win $300,000, qualify for his CONCACAF Champions League in 2024, and have his name engraved on his permanent Dewar Challenge trophy. On display at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas. The runner-up team will win $100,000 in prize money, and the team that advances furthest from each lower division will win $25,000.
must read
(Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty)
