Rapids 2 to play in U.S. Open Cup. Colorado first team left out.

COMMERCE CITY — The fate of the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup has been decided. One thing’s clear after the dust has finally settled: It’s a definitive shakeup, but the 109-year-old tournament will endure.

On Friday, after months of back-and-forth discussions about how to give the respect the national championship deserves without overloading schedule congestion, U.S. Soccer announced a revised format. Colorado Rapids 2 will be participating in the annual knockout competition, along with three other Colorado-based sides, while the Rapids’ first team were left out based off of 2023 standings.

Eight MLS teams and 11 MLS NEXT Pro teams — the second team of MLS sides — will compete in the tournament. The beloved event was in doubt earlier this winter after MLS wanted to put the entirety of its NEXT Pro teams into the tournament instead of any first team, a request which was ultimately rejected by U.S. Soccer. However, a compromise was reached on Friday, and as such, here’s a breakdown of the 96-team tournament:

•Eight MLS teams: Atlanta United, FC Dallas, LAFC, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City.

•24 teams from the second tier (USL Championship) — 16 teams will enter into the Round of 32, 8 will enter in the Round of 16

•32 teams from the third tier (NISA, USL League One and MLS NEXT Pro) — all of which will enter in the first round

•32 teams from the fourth division (Open Division qualifiers, UPSL, NPSL, USL League Two and the Amateur Cup champion)

While Rapids’ head coach Chris Armas has emphasized how much the Open Cup means to him and the senior team, ultimately, they were left out due to a poor finish in 2023, which included a Round of 32 RMC loss. Instead, it will be R2 who will represent the organization, as the group was rewarded with an invite from the Open Cup Committee after it reached the Western Conference Final in 2023.

What does this mean for the Rapids Organization?

This is a massive moment for Rapids 2, MLS NEXT Pro and the #PlayTheKids movement. MLS has put a sizable amount of money into the third tier, which launched in 2021 to bridge the gap between Academy and first team. In 2023 after dazzling at times with an exciting mix of Homegrowns, international prospects and Academy players, the Open Cup this will pose as the perfect test for the group.

As General Manager Brian Crookham explained to BW on Friday, it’s time to prove what this young group is made of.

“When you’re in MLS and some of our guys would have experience in that, some of our staff would have experience in (the Open Cup), you’re ‘the chased’ in this competition. Now, we become ‘the chasers’.

“We have to prove that we should be there, and we’ll have a heckuva lot of respect for our opponents. And I certainly wouldn’t anticipate any lack of motivation for the guys that we’ll put on the field to perform and look to prove themselves.”

Historically, however, Colorado has been on the shock end of “cupsets” plenty of times. The Rapids only won their first knockout game in the tournament since 2017 when it beat Northern Colorado Hailstorm last year in the third round proper in the first-ever South Platte River Derby.

Now, the tables have turned.

“The reality is we’re going in as a third-division team,” Crookham said. “It means we enter into the first round, which means we have to prove ourselves. We have to take it from that vantage point.”

A Cup run for R2? We’ve seen it before.

Led by head coach Erik Bushey, who has plenty of coaching experience in knockout competitions, Collen Warner, an assistant and former Rapids player, they will be tasked with getting the most out of the players. It’s worth point out that most of whom will likely be competing in the Open Cup for the first time. Still, for those that are returning such as Robinson Aguirre, Steve Flores and Daouda Amadou, making a playoff run certainly helped.

“I’ve been fortunate to be apart of Open Cup in a variety of roles as a first-division club, second-division club and now, a third-division club. I’ve been there when we’ve achieved something great, and I’ve been there when we’ve taken a kick in the teeth and were a big dog that got beat by the little Chihuahua,” Crookham said. “I think the opportunity that comes with this from across the divisions and those storylines to come out, it makes it exciting not just for the players but also the staff.”

The roster rules of the competition have yet to be announced, so how NEXT Pro teams will structure their Open Cup teams will be decided in the coming weeks, but Crookham doesn’t anticipate R2 to vary its approach.

The first round of the tournament, which will include Northern Colorado Hailstorm of USL League One and local qualifier Azteca FC, will be played between March 19-21. 32 amateur sides will play 32 Division III pro clubs (a first since 2007). Given the emphasis on geography, it’s likely either NoCo or R2 will draw Denver-based Azteca.

Also on Friday, U.S. Soccer also announced its largest investment into the tournament ever, which includes four new commercial partners, a significantly increased travel budget and enhanced financial incentives. The winning team will be awarded $300,000.

“… There’s a bit of room to be starry-eyed when you approach this competition, and I think it makes it that much more exciting,” Crookham said.

Photo Credit: John Babiak

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