Playing other MLS teams in the preseason is incredibly lame. Doing so for a "Cup" even worse.
And who exactly are we supposed to play in the middle of February/March? Every other league is already in full swing and arent going to stop to play us halfway across the world. But the fact is we actually just played Mexican sides in a series of friendlies. Look these are glorified practices here nothing more nothing less.
The fact they play for a cup is the promoters doing.Not only does it give a little incentive to the teams playing, its also a nice boost of morale to the team. Nothing like winning a "REAL" cup but hey maybe theyll feel like they are making some progress in their training.
Another thing you fail to realize is that the preseason tourneys are put on by promoters(in this case a local club) who are looking to make money and give the series of friendlies a bit of hype.