Sources: MLS to return all of its teams to the U.S. Open Cup

All 27 U.S.-based MLS teams will return to the U.S. Open Cup starting next year, marking the league's first full participation since 2023 when Houston Dynamo won the tournament. Under a revamped format, MLS teams will enter the competition in July with the final scheduled for December. MLS had withdrawn from the 2024 edition following tensions with U.S. Soccer, after commissioner Don Garber criticized the Open Cup in 2023.