When US Soccer announced the 103 teams taking part in this year’s U.S. Open Cup there was buzz. The first tournament in two years following pandemic cancellations had a record number of professional teams (71 across five leagues) including three from the state of New York. That wasn’t even including the New York Red Bulls or numerous non-pro teams taking part.
However, one source of buzz wasn’t which teams were in the competition, but which weren’t.
Three teams from the third division National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) were left off the federation’s list of competitors.