Good morning! For all the charm of the U.S. Open Cup, it’s flawed. It starts weeks, often months, before many amateur entrants have begun their seasons. The college players whom they build their teams around don’t get out of school until May, forcing them to scramble and recruit ringers. USL League Two’s Des Moines Menace, one of eight amateur first-round survivors, is an established summer program, having former players taken in every MLS SuperDraft except two since the league’s inception in 1996, including 2023 top pick Tyrese Spicer. But it’s 2024 summer season won’t start until May 11, so it has taken a novel approach to Open Cup roster-building, bringing former MLS players out of retirement.
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