Sandy • A tweak to Major League Soccer's roster rules and regulations in 2016 should surface as a talking point as MLS clubs enter the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup tournament starting Tuesday night.
In January, U.S. Soccer announced that MLS-owned USL clubs would no longer be allowed to participate in the Open Cup. In 2015, five USL affiliates participated in the tournament, including Real Salt Lake's USL affiliate, Real Monarchs. While these affiliated clubs are no longer permitted in the Open Cup, the updated roster rules and regulations have enabled MLS franchises to sign players from their USL clubs on short-term agreements for Open Cup duty.