Soccer team owned by Wilfs accused of spying on opponents before title game

Orlando City were purchased by the Wilf family last July, with Mark and Zygi Wilf – owners of the Minnesota Vikings – joining cousin Lenny as managing partners of the club. The Wilfs have owned the Minnesota Vikings since 2005, and also sold a minority stake in Nashville SC prior to buying Orlando City.

The club is competing in Wednesday’s US Open Cup Final for the first time in its history, while opponents Sacramento Republic, of the USL Championship, are the first lower division side to make the final since 2008, and are attempting to be the first non-MLS side to win the US Open Cup since 1999.

With the final being hosted in Orlando, Sacramento were practicing in an open park in the area on Monday when, according to reporting from The Athletic, staff noticed an Orlando City SC first-team employee watching their practice session. The Orlando employee was reportedly asked to leave the area but allegedly refused to do so for 30-45 minutes.

Paul Tenorio, of The Athletic, joined the MLS Today podcast that previewed the final and when asked if spying is something teams expect when traveling to different markets, said: “Yeah, I would say not every market, every time. But like, you know, certain teams, like, have a reputation, certain teams, you know, there are teams that are talked about for this kind of stuff.”

It's unclear what the US Soccer Federation can do about the situation, as what happened isn't strictly prohibited by the US Open Cup Open Division Handbook.

According to Jeff Carlisle of ESPN, the handbook says:  "Anyone may file a complaint with the Panel about an action or inaction of an Open Cup team, individual, or group or organization participating in the Open Cup competition. The Panel shall determine if the conduct complained of is or would be contrary to the good of the game. The Panel shall take action it considers appropriate in regard to anyone involved in the complaint as provided by subsection (c) of this section."

Further adding from the handbook, "Except for overturning match results or mandating a replay of a match, the Panel may take any action it considers appropriate, including suspension or fine, or both, for any matter considered by it under this policy. The Panel may only consider mandating a replay of a game or advancing a team that lost if a protest has been filed."

Tonight’s US Open Cup final is the first since the 2019 Final in which Minnesota United lost to Atlanta United 2-1. The last two editions of the tournament were not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The US Open Cup is a single-elimination tournament open to team’s of every level of soccer in the U.S., featuring amateur sides all the way up to MLS teams. The game is set to kick off at 7pm tonight and can be seen on ESPN+.