US Open: plain and simple, it is the US national soccer championship. Any thought that MLS should withdraw completely would be an insult to the game in the US. I might go so far as to say that MLS would lose me as a supporter if they did such a thing. As for MLS playing too many games for them to put effort into the USOC, Man U played 67 games, excluding exhibitions and preseason. And before anyone replies ‘well, look at how much they get paid’, that’s not what the game of soccer is about once you hit the field.

SuperLiga: Money, Money, Money. A SUM owned property, all revenues flow to the league, which then goes to support the roughly 9(?) teams that will lose money this year. Reschedule it, yes, play with the format, sure, eliminate it? when 75% of the MLS teams run in the black.

lack of depth: rosters reduced to 24(from 28) and no reserve league, compared to the Euro rosters of 40+ surely has an effect. So where did the money formerly spent on the reserve league go? Why didn’t the salary cap go up more this year?

respect for MLS: I agree wholeheartedly that winning competitive international club competitions is the way. That means CONCACAF Champions league in particular. Imagine this, an MLS team wins the CCL, plays in the FIFA Club World Cup and plays a great game against Barca(OK I’m dreaming there) or Estudiantes. Win or lose, playing well against great teams earns respect.

If they win, then they were “supposed” to win. If they lose, then their overpriced talent just got beat by a bunch of minor leaguers. MLS fans don’t seem to brag about or show much pride in a USOC championship. And, the tournament does NOTHING to determine which MLS team is the best. They already have a way to determine that – first, the MLS Cup, and second, the regular season.

You say that they should try hard in every game they play. That’s easier said than when you consider the amount of games they play: 4-5 preseason games, 30 regular season games, 4-5 playoff games (for good teams), CCL games (which could be 6 or 8 games), and national team duty for certain players.

If the USOC was meaningful, then maybe they should be expected to give 110%. Or if the players were being paid $8 million per season, maybe then.

If you can tell me one thing the MLS has to gain in the USOC, then maybe I’ll change my mind. But as it is, I’m not only happy that the MLS is not trying, but I also advocate withdrawing completely from the competition ASAP.

“Why should a MLS club put its best 11 players out on a field against a lower league team in the USOC? If they lose, MLS might be criticized as not being as good as we want people to believe, and we can’t have that. It’s better that the MLS clubs don’t start their best players.

“Why try hard in the CONCACAF Champions League? These are the best teams in the region, and if they beat a MLS club, then we might be criticized as not being on par with the Mexican First Division, or even Costa Rica.

“But here’s and idea. Let’s create our own tournament. We can call it the SuperLiga and we can play all the games here in the U.S. so that our teams will have the home field advantage. And even better, we can schedule it during the Mexican League offseason so they won’t be in shape. And then, when the MLS teams do well, we can argue that we’re the best league in the region.”

I don’t blame this mentality. MLS club owners have a lot of money invested in the league and are looking to protect their investment by making sure the league’s image doesn’t get devalued. But do you know what would add value to their image? Trying hard in every game they play! What happened Tuesday night was an embarrassment for MLS, no matter how you slice it.

I think the Open Cup format is not something most American fans are used to (even American soccer fans). Heck, most people here don’t even understand that the US Open golf tournament is actually open to you and me if we’re good enough to qualify.

As I stated above, it’s a great concept for those who grasp it. But people here don’t. There’s no analogous cup in baseball, football, basketball, etc., at least not here in the USA.

Also, it’s hard to argue with the notion that the two leagues are equal when Seattle’s attendance jumped a couple hundred percent upon joining MLS, and while the MLS’s attendance is more than 10,000 fans per match higher than USL’s.

All USOC “upsets” do is undermine what MLS is trying to achieve. The upsets give nay-sayers more ammunition to call MLS a “minor” league, which is something it needs to protect against (given so many of its own players choose to move to the “major” leagues of Europe).

To me, the USOC represents division amongst US soccer fans at a time when we need to be united. I’m sorry that some older USL teams have lost out. But it happens. No use crying over spilt milk. And I really hope that USL develops just as quickly and extensively as MLS has been developing. But until USL starts drawing 15,000 fans to its matches and paying its players MLS-equivalent salaries, I think the MLS is right in dismissing the tournament. MLS has nothing to gain by participating in it. Just like the Boston Red Sox have nothing to gain by staging a big tournament with the Pawtucket Red Sox.

It’s all about financial backing, all clubs with their own stadiums and not paying any rent for playing time and more TV coverage outside of the Final on FSC. Just the Final does no one any good. Also FSN Northwest who shows Portland Timbers games, just broadcasted their US Open Cup 3rd Round match against the Seattle Sounders. A positive step in the right direction, but their needs to be more.

But it doesn’t. Nobody cares about it except for USL fans and teams. Furthermore, nobody WILL EVER care about it in the future. It didn’t develop like the FA Cup did. Sorry, but the MLS is correct in dismissing it. They’ve got enough to deal with already, unlike the USL teams, who spend all season preparing for their match against some unsuspecting MLS benchwarmers.