The defending USL League Two champions, the Flint (Mich.) City Bucks, elected not to participate in the tournament because it could not field a squad. Like the Bucks, FC United is a summer home for top college players. Seven FC United alumni were selected in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft and a total of 16 former players have been selected in the past three drafts. However, Retzlaff wanted to find a way to play in the tournament.