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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>MLS considering backing out of 2024 Open Cup</li><li>Reports saying league will field NEXT Pro teams</li><li>Tolkin blasts league for decision on tournament</li></ul>

VIDEO: ‘The worst idea' - USMNT starlet John Tolkin delivers brutal response to MLS' stance on potentially backing out of 2024 U.S. Open Cup

Major League Soccer

New York City FC

New York Red Bulls

On the latest episode of the VamosPod with ex-USMNT star Herculez Gomez, the New York Red Bulls defender shared that he thinks it would be "the worst idea" for MLS to not field first-teams in the 2024 U.S. Open Cup - or, dramatically, field less than one-third of the leagues teams.The league filed a request in December to field their reserve teams in the tournament, but<a href="https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/us-soccer-blocks-mls-request-next-pro-development-teams-us-open-cup/blteb44567e81816c80" target="_blank"> U.S. Soccer countered by denying it</a>. Now, MLS's stance on the 2024 tournament is uncertain.<div class="affiliate-button-container theme-1" data-name="Apple TV"><div class="affiliate-button"><img class="logo" height="40" width="72" src="https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/bltcc7a7ffd2fbf71f5/blt2de198b67da95a2e/65709d2436cf7d0407034ef9/Apple_TV.png" style="width: 72;height: 40;">Get the MLS Season Pass today!</div><a href="https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.7000?itsct=goal_mls&amp;itscg=30200&amp;at=1010l39UY" class="affiliate-button-link" target="_blank">Stream games now</a></div>

WHAT HAPPENED?

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">MLS may want to pull out of the US Open Cup but plenty of MLS players think it would be a terrible idea. “If you want to build the game in this country how are you going to get rid of the nation’s tournament ? That’s like getting rid of England’s FA Cup”- @johntolken <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VamosPod?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VamosPod</a> <a href="https://t.co/k83khI5LwR">pic.twitter.com/k83khI5LwR</a>— herculez gomez (@herculezg) <a href="https://twitter.com/herculezg/status/1761097597266342090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
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WATCH THE CLIP

The defender exclaimed: "The worst idea... for both MLS and USL teams in my opinion. I know a lot of guys who used the Open Cup as a chance to get minutes and now they're first-team main contributors. I know there's been a lot of USL teams that make those runs and I'm sure some of those guys go on to get MLS contracts."Also, just the heritage - if we want to build this game in this country, how are you going to get rid of the nations tournaments? That's like getting rid of England's FA Cup... come on."

WHAT TOLKIN SAID

<a href="https://theathletic.com/5291540/2024/02/21/don-garber-referee-lockout-us-open-cup/" target="_blank">The Athletic</a> reported Thursday that now, after the USSF denied MLS's request to field reserve teams in the tournament, just eight of a possible 29 teams will compete in the 2024 edition of the tournament. However, nothing is certain, with league commissioner Don Garber saying that they are "committed" to fielding teams... but in what manner, he did not share.Meanwhile, <a href="https://theathletic.com/live-blogs/lionel-messi-inter-miami-real-salt-lake-live-updates-mls-score-result/cBWlOM8YEaWM/t8KECDthMi2j/" target="_blank">all 47 USL clubs qualified for the tournament have vowed to compete.</a>

THE BIGGER PICTURE

RBNY and Tolkin take the pitch this weekend against Nashville SC Sunday evening in their first match of the 2024 campaign. The Open Cup, meanwhile, is up in the air - as nobody knows if MLS will commit to the tournament, or if they will entirely back out.

WHAT NEXT FOR TOLKIN AND THE OPEN CUP?

VIDEO: ‘The worst idea' - USMNT starlet John Tolkin delivers brutal response to MLS' stance on potentially backing out of 2024 U.S. Open Cup | Goal.com Ghana

New York Red Bulls defender John Tolkin has blasted MLS for the stance it has taken on the 2024 Open Cup.