The National Independent Soccer Association is out of the 2025 US Open Cup, according to a public statement issued by the league. In addition, NISA announced a delayed start to the 2025 season, targeting a return to play at an unspecified date in April “with an anticipated championship match in October.”
It’s unclear where this leaves the NISA, a league granted provisional sanctioning by US Soccer when they started play in 2019. The league was the former stomping grounds for local teams such as the New York Cosmos and New Amsterdam FC, neither of which are currently active.
Provisional sanctioning?
According to US Soccer’s “General Requirements for All Professional Leagues,” provisional sanctioning can be used if the Board of Directors “believes the league has a material chance of not meeting the required standards” to operate. The federation applied this status to NISA dating back to their first season in 2019-20.
In December, we reported in these pages that the NISA wouldn’t receive provisional sanctioning in 2025 according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Since then, NISA Communications Specialist Steve Johnson told Hudson River Blue that “NISA continues with the same provisional sanctioning status it has had since inception.”
NISA maintains that the decision not to participate in the US Open Cup was made in “agreement with US Soccer,” and that they “look forward to rejoining the competition in 2026.”
HRB sought confirmation from US Soccer, which have yet to respond.
The only league not in the US Open Cup
It’s highly unusual for an entire league to miss the US Open Cup.
Participation in the tournament is mandated by US Soccer according to the federation’s “Professional League Standards (PLS),” which specifies that “US-based teams must participate in the US Open Cup.” Every professional league in the United States must follow the guidelines set out in the PLS in order to be in good standing with the federation. That includes all eligible US-based teams participating in the US Open Cup.
Last year, Major League Soccer sent just eight of their 26 eligible teams to the tournament. That controversial decision, which prompted a number of MLS supporters’ groups to protest and boycott numerous games, was due to schedule congestion and low tournament turnout according to league commissioner Don Garber. The professional status of the league was never in question,
In addition, MLS argued their actions were within PLS guidelines. Due to the inclusion of MLS Next Pro reserve teams by 11 of the absent first-division sides, those organizations were technically represented in the tournament. This decision seems to be in play for the 2025 Open Cup as well, which will feature 16 teams from MLS teams and 10 teams from MLS NEXT Pro.
Only one domestic MLS club will not be represented at the tournament. Reports indicate that it will be expansion side San Diego FC, which joins the league this year, but that has not been officially confirmed.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Little precedent for missing the cup
According to NISA, the league will miss the Open Cup because of the late targeted start of the season.
“Due to our April start, in an agreement with US Soccer, we have decided not to participate in this year's US Open Cup,” NISA’s announcement said. “We look forward to rejoining the competition in 2026.”
There is some precedent for this sort of decision, though only for individual teams, and not an entire league.
In 2013, the North American Soccer League allowed the then-expansion side New York Cosmos to sit out their Spring season and join the league during the Fall. This decision meant the Cosmos did not participate in the 2013 US Open Cup but did compete in a sanctioned league later in the year.
Similarly, NISA has previously had teams forgo the USOC only to compete in a regular season later in the year. Last year, Georgia Lions SC forfeited their first-round US Open Cup match due to internal issues. The restructured club later took the field in NISA under new ownership as Georgia FC.
However, it is extremely rare for a sanctioned league to be completely absent from the country’s national soccer championship.
In 2023, Rochester New York FC of MLS NEXT Pro dropped out of the tournament when they announced they would cease operations a month prior to the tournament. They were the only MLS NEXT Pro team in the competition that year since the rest of the league’s reserve teams were ineligible to compete under competition rules. It was the only year that MLS NEXT Pro didn’t field any teams in the US Open Cup.
Andrew Leigh
