The effects of the boycotts, and what to expect in Charlotte on Wednesday

By Brian Maurer

Photo Credit: CJ Hellner

The week leading up to the start of the second rendition of the Leagues Cup was filled with public outcry from many supporter groups around MLS. Many SGs have publicly declared they will be boycotting the Leagues Cup to attempt to sway the league after MLS opted to reduce the number of their teams who participated in the US Open Cup this year.

The outrage started during the preseason when MLS first stated that they were planning on not having any of their teams participate in the US Open Cup due to schedule congestion. Fans quickly realized that the league was choosing their newly created Leagues Cup tournament over tradition and made their voices heard.

This led to MLS changing their stance slightly and they opted to have eight clubs participate in this year's US Open Cup. Three of the four semi-finalists in the US Open Cup are MLS clubs.

The SaveTheCup Boycott

According to Hudson River Blue's Michael Battista around 10 MLS clubs have at least one supporters group that put out an official statement boycotting the Leagues Cup. Many of the statements from across MLS included comments similar to the sentiment made by Charlotte FC's supporters group Southbound and Crown:

"We do not support prioritizing the financial gain from playing in the newly formed Leagues Cup over the historic value and competitiveness of the US Open Cup"

While a large showing of support for this movement is apparent, the impact on the growth of the Leagues Cup has been minimal. The Leagues Cup's opening weekend had some really strong turnouts compared to their first year.

Leagues Cup attendance has a major opening weekend

According to Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal Leagues Cup's opening weekend attendance average is up 24% from 2023. This increase got a huge boost from a competition record crowd of 50,765 who showed up to watch the San Jose Earthquakes take on Chivas de Guadalajara.

Silverman also reported that the competition has increased their number of corporate sponsorships to 15.

What to expect in Charlotte on Wednesday

Charlotte fans have shown up well for Wednesday night home games so far this season. It's not likely going to be as strong as their typical weekend, but fans will likely continue to show their support.

Many of the more diehard fans may take a night off as their principles to stand up against the US Open Cup being pushed to side will be strong. Many casual fans will likely still attend as they will be unaware of this yearlong saga.

The popularity of the Mexican club Cruz Azul will also bring many fans to the stands as there is a large population of Latin Americans in the Charlotte area and many are likely supporters of this famous club.