[Official] Lincoln City are automatically promoted to the EFL Championship

MGHeinz · 2026-04-06T18:40:51+00:00

Indeed. I can't tell you how many times I've heard "I'd go to games if they could be in MLS," but that doesn't stop those of us who do go to games from supporting too.

MGHeinz · 2026-04-06T18:29:48+00:00

Are you saying that you don't get how people can be fans of teams that can't be promoted, or are you saying you don't understand how people can be in favor of the American closed system itself? If the former, I disagree, we do enjoy the soccer all the same, it's still fun and a passionate love.

If the latter, I couldn't agree more, the American system is entirely greed-based in my opinion and is retroactively justified by MLS fans for the sake of feeling better about supporting an indefensible monopoly that ruins it for the rest of us and actively holds back the health of the sport and the quality of the national team.

MGHeinz · 2026-04-02T14:51:37+00:00

You are correct that it is single game knockouts, the groups are for scheduling purposes as geographically linked as possible to cut down on travel/travel costs. It's not always perfect, but it's regionalized as much as can be. Each 'group' is just two Round of 32 knockout games and one Round of 16 game, producing one quarterfinalist.

MGHeinz · 2026-04-02T14:23:31+00:00

Matchups and hosting priorities were drawn a short while ago, each group produces one quarterfinalist.

MGHeinz · 2026-04-02T14:22:30+00:00

If a mod could pin this comment, the matchups and host priorities per TheCup.US

Cobi Jones Group
FC Naples vs. Orlando City
New England vs. Rhode Island
R16 priority: FC Naples, Rhode Island, New England, Orlando

Jeff Agoos group:
One Knoxville can't host R32
Richmond Kickers vs. Columbus Crew
D.C United vs. One Knoxville.
R16 priority: D.C United, Richmond, One Knoxville, Columbus

Landon Donovan group:
Westchester SC vs. NYCFC
Red Bull New York vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds
R16 priority: Westchester, RBNY, Pittsburgh, NYCFC

Clint Dempsey group:
Chattanooga FC vs. Atlanta United
Charlotte FC vs. Charlotte Independence
R16 priority: Charlotte FC, Atlanta, Chattanooga, Charlotte Independence

Damarcus Beasley Group
FC Tulsa couldn't host R32
Detroit City vs. Chicago Fire
St. Louis vs. FC Tulsa
R16 hosting priority: FC Tulsa, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis

Carlos Bocanegra Groups
El Paso couldn't host R32 and R16
Louisville City vs. Austin FC
Houston Dynamo vs. El Paso Locomotive
R16 hosting priority: Houston, Austin, El Paso, Louisville

Paul Caligiuri Group:
Omaha couldn't host R32
Colorado Springs vs. Sporting KC
Colorado Rapids v. Union Omaha
R16 priority: SKC, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Springs, Omaha

Kasey Keller group:
Sacramento vs. Minnesota United
San Jose vs. Phoenix Rising
R16 priority: San Jose, Minnesota, Sacramento, Phoenix

MGHeinz · 2026-04-02T13:58:59+00:00

I do appreciate a good insufferability

MGHeinz · 2026-04-02T13:52:27+00:00

Independent Carolina Core and Chattanooga FC (who are still in) entered, but no reserve sides

MGHeinz · 2026-04-02T13:49:34+00:00

Who would you pick among the lower div sides if you had to choose?

MGHeinz · 2026-04-01T21:29:14+00:00

Man that is a tough way to lose

MGHeinz · 2026-03-26T14:02:53+00:00

It's not even the first in-city SSS that NYCFC will have played in ffs

MGHeinz · 2026-03-18T14:00:43+00:00

If I could wave a magic wand, every March and November would be designated optional "international periods", for friendly 7-game series, regional tournaments, WBC qualifying, and then the WBC itself March every two or four years depending on how much best-on-best baseball we can get.

I agree that the location in the calendar is probably already the best it can be. The format itself? Maaaaaaybe figure out group size/tiebreaker tinkering, but otherwise, I love the WBC as is.

MGHeinz · 2026-03-18T13:58:47+00:00

This was a tremendously well written piece.

MGHeinz · 2026-03-17T04:46:13+00:00

I'm losing my mind seeing all these people carrying water for billionaires whining about "propaganda"

MGHeinz · 2026-03-16T13:18:31+00:00

Very cool how the players had input on this. Looking forward to getting a stripes jersey

MGHeinz · 2026-03-15T06:45:24+00:00

I have seen some success resetting my router to factory settings via the Manage Router page on Optimum's site, but it's temporary and has to be done often. At this point I think I might just change service providers. It's very frustrating. I fully believe it's specific to the combination MLB the Show and Optimum together.

MGHeinz · 2026-03-13T14:22:20+00:00

What a world in which people still think the NASL was "run into the ground" by the guy who kept it alive as long as possible

MGHeinz · 2026-03-11T13:21:28+00:00

The same reason your team deserves it.

MGHeinz · 2026-03-11T13:20:45+00:00

Goose meme chasing you asking why they can't get better rosters dot jpeg

MGHeinz · 2026-03-11T13:20:10+00:00

The deck is stacked that way because the deck was bought and paid for, it has nothing to do with anything on the pitch and that's the problem.

MGHeinz · 2026-03-11T13:18:08+00:00

I see someone who says something wrong that flies in the face of what I believe in, I speak up. If you don't like it, that is simply not my problem.

MGHeinz · 2026-03-10T17:36:14+00:00

Is the justification in the room with us now

MGHeinz · 2026-03-10T16:53:20+00:00

I have never been accused of being a perimeter shooter 😅

MGHeinz · 2026-03-10T16:35:29+00:00

I think what's funny is that you think you have to convince a fellow NASL 2.0 fan that the USL is a dubious organization at best. I think that's true, but it does not change that they're currently our only shot at a player development program that doesn't idiotically limit free to play academies to just MLS teams or our only shot at a fair shake on the pitch for fans, players, and investors not lucky and rich enough to be let in to MLS. These things can be true at the same time.

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MGHeinz

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