FC Motown filed an official complaint related to the 2023 US Open Cup first round match against Manhattan SC due to the field of play not meeting minimum size dimensions. This was first reported by Hudson River Blue (HRB). However, TheCup.us has learned from a source within the US Soccer Federation that the protest will be denied and Manhattan SC will advance after Wednesday’s 2-1 extra time win.
Additionally, in the team’s official protest, Motown lodged complaints about the match commissioner and other officials on site not following proper protocol, according to Hudson River Blue who obtained a copy of the official protest document sent to US Soccer.
According to the US Open Cup handbook, field dimensions must meet a minimum of 112 yards by 67 yards, which was confirmed on Wednesday by game officials according to Hudson River Blue. However, an official measurement was taken of the field and it was deemed to be too narrow. However, instead of the match official ruling on the matter in consultation with US Soccer officials before deciding to play the match or deem a forfeit in favor of FC Motown. This decision led to team ownership and coaching staff debating the best course of action per HRB.
One option was to declare a forfeit in Motown’s favor, and have the two sides then play an exhibition match to entertain the crowd. But the match commissioner stated that his officiating crew would leave if Motown took the forfeit, and wouldn’t stay for an exhibition match.
Motown now contends the demands of the match commissioner, combined with the hostile environment and persistence of match officials to for a decision before the scheduled kickoff, did not allow for a proper discussion of options. In the end, the owner of Motown who wanted the forfeit felt that having an escalating argument in public wasn’t the proper path forward. He conceded, and the game went ahead with Motown losing in extra time.
There were other issues FC Motown had with Manhattan SC’s stadium and surrounding facility on the campus of the College of Mount Saint Vincent in the Bronx.
As HRB further reports and witnessed the last point of the team’s contention in-person during the game on Wednesday:
The protest letter goes on to claim that Manhattan SC made other false statements to the US Open Cup regarding the requirements of a hosting facility. This included the distance of the locker room from the field, the minimum amount of bleacher space fans, proper ticketing infrastructure to comply with tournament standards, proper bathrooms, and a functioning scoreboard for the entire match.
This is the second year in a row FC Motown protested a US Open Cup First Round match. Last year, Motown protested that West Chester United used an illegal substitution in the team’s first round loss. The US Open Cup Adjudication & Discipline Panel ruled in favor of Motown who won the replayed match and advanced to the Second Round.