In case you’ve missed the news this offseason, the venerable US Open Cup is on life support. Things have been rocky for the 110 year old tournament since Major League Soccer announced its plan to send reserve / MLS Next Pro teams to compete this year in lieu of the mostly-backup squads its teams usually field. This set off a firestorm of dueling press releases and then radio silence.

On the one hand, what this means is that MLS is not, by any reasonable definition of the word, a professional soccer league while Messi is playing in it. It is Messi’s version of the Eras Tour, where he goes from city to city playing the hits to rapturous crowds.

For the first time in its MLS history, the FC is relevant not just in the playoff race, but also for some end-of-year awards.