While most of the American soccer public was waiting for that other league to start their Conference Finals two weeks ago, there was another American professional soccer league playing a match. A league whose history dates back farther than Major League Soccer and whose new champion is arguably one of the most recognizable names in football. Although it may be a bit presumptuous to assume that the New York Cosmos and the North American Soccer League (NASL) are anything like the league that sparked the soccer revolution in this country in the 1970’s, the NASL Soccer Bowl match between the Cosmos and the Atlanta Silverbacks showed that this country is more than one league deep.

When I first turned on ESPN3 to watch the match the first thing that struck me was how serious the NASL was taking this match. Having watched a few NASL matches earlier in the season, I knew that the league did the best that it could to deliver a quality program. But when I heard a trusted voice of U.S. Soccer, Mr. J.P. Delacammera, explain the rich history of the NASL in the intro I knew that this was going to be a splendid viewing experience. If you have ever watched an American soccer game, be it MLS, U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Teams, or major tournaments like the World Cup, chances are you have heard this man. His knowledge of the game is unparalleled in this country.

Having Mr. Delacammera paired with the Cosmos color man, Former U.S. National Team player and current ESPN FC contributor Janusz Michallik was a masterstroke for the NASL. In a game where many people may be watching their first NASL match having two broadcasters who know the game well but won’t talk down to the audience is key. These two gentleman are two of the best in the game and it showed in this match.

Now for some of you who are scratching your heads right now about this second league, it is ok to be confused. Popular opinion would lead anyone to believe that there is only one professional soccer league in the United States. But there are actually quite a few. American football operates under a system is informally known as the American Soccer Pyramid. The top of the pyramid is Major League Soccer, with the North American Soccer League considered to be the second division and the United States Professional Soccer Leagues Professional Division, otherwise known as USL Pro in the third division. There are other leagues below USL Pro but to makes things easier I am going to leave it at that.

Sounds fairly simple right? Unfortunately it gets more complicated. Unlike our footy friends in pretty much every other country in the world, the United States does not have a promotion and relegation system. When the original architects of Major League Soccer were creating the league back in the mid-1990s, the decision was made to make the league fundamentally American. The assumption was that the American audience would not watch a league that foreign rules like a clock going forward or multiple leagues where teams could be knocked down to lower leagues. If you want to look at why American soccer has such a flawed development system, look no further than MLS.

The NASL, given that it takes its name from the league that existed from 1969 to 1983 and help start soccer in this country, considers themselves to be on par with MLS. During the entire match it felt like I was watching a competing brand. There were plenty of comparisons made between the two leagues and even a few good digs at MLS. When asked why the NASL spring season will be shorter next season (the NASL plays a split season in the spring and fall with the winner of the two “mini –seasons” playing in the Soccer Bowl) NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson said, “We want to respect FIFA and the 2014 World Cup. Any professional soccer organization should do this.” It should be noted that MLS does not respect the FIFA calendar and has routinely played matches on the same date as World Cup matches.

Although the league is relatively new and it is not exactly the Premier League, the quality of play from both teams was quite exceptional. Of course, one would expect excellent play from the New York Cosmos. Though Coach Giovanni Savarese may not have been able to call on the likes of Franz Beckenbauer, Pele, Carlos Alberto, or Giorgio Chinaglia, the players on the pitch lived up to the name. Unbeaten in their last 11 matches, the Cosmos controlled possession for most of the match, building attacks from their defense and pushing the ball to the outside. Without question, their playmaker is Marcos Senna, the former Villareal player who is the marquee player for the league. At first when I heard of the signing I thought that this was another case of a veteran European player coming over to the United States to start a soccer academy and make a quick buck. But he looked quite impressive in this match drawing the attention of the Silverback defenders on countless opportunities and creating space for the two Cosmos forwards up front: Diamar Diaz and Stefan Diametchekov.

The Cosmos midfield is loaded for a NASL team. Senna is joined by former U.S. National Team player Danny Szetela and former Sporting Gijon midfielder Jorge Ayoze. The level of comfort that the three of them have in the midfield was evident in the first half by setting the pace. The Silverbacks would go who 5 to 6 minutes at a time without having a quality possession. Having watched many MLS matches this year where clubs struggle to make simple passes, it was nice to see teams playing the right way. Both teams played with a certain level of class and professionalism that one rarely sees in the United States.

The Cosmos were held down for most of the match thanks to the stellar play of Silverback Goalkeeper Joe Nasco. The former backup keeper for Real Salt Lake made several spectacular saves including a toe save off of cracker of a shot by Diaz. In the 28^th minute Nasco once again kept his team in the game by making an excellent save on a free kick by Senna. Although the Silverbacks had lost 4 of their last 5 matches coming into the championship match, they looked to be the Cosmos equal in this fixture defending well and taking their chances up front when they had them. Coach Brian Hayes, the former Trinidad and Tobago international, has this team playing a very physical style but not reckless. The Silverbacks understood that they could not take any chances against the likes of the Cosmos.

As the match entered the 50^th minute I did what every fan does when watching a close match: I began to think of overtime. Despite the Cosmos maintaining control of possession, the Silverbacks have had a few opportunities to make things interesting. Their #9, Pedro Mendes, has largely been kept out of the game by a tight defense but he was able to have a decent shot stopped by Cosmos Goalkeeper Kyle Cranish. This game had all of the makings of a 120 minute affair. At least that is what I thought until Marco Senna broke the hearts of the 7,000 Silverback supporters with his superb volley in the 56^th minute.

You can always tell a good a goal if it makes you say out loud, “Oh Shit.” A simple volley that knuckled over the Silverbacks defenders and past Nasco, his shot took the air out of the voices of a raucous Atlanta crowd. There are two truths in soccer: exceptional talent always comes through in difficult circumstances and nothing kills a crowd like a shocking goal. Both of these idioms were proven correct in this moment.

With a victory near, the Cosmos were more than happy to drop back and let the Silverbacks try and even up. Unfortunately the Silverbacks just lacked that last pass to Mendes that would allow him to put some fear into the Cosmos supporters. Given that their Technical Director is Eric Wynalda, the former U.S. Men’s National Team player and now terrible talking head for Fox Sports, I am sure that addressing their offense will be a priority come the offseason. As for now the Silverbacks attempts were not enough to overcome the Cosmos.

I am asked all the time why I think that soccer is improving in this country, and the thing that I always tell people is to look into the stands. The Silverbacks supporters groups (The Ultras 101, the West Side 109, and the East Side 309) and the hundreds of Cosmos supporters made this match by being loud and fierce. So much of what makes soccer great, what makes matches like this matter is the response of the crowd. The organization and the response of the supporters was as strong as any second or third division game in Europe. There is so much more to American soccer than Major League Soccer and the U.S. Men’s National Team. This match proved it.

Where the NASL goes from here is anyone’s guess. It could end up being a league that rivals MLS. Or it could be just a really sound second division league that strengthens the American soccer system. But what can be said is that the NASL is once again relevant in the soccer world and the New York Cosmos are its champions.

Life goes on.

There are a lot of objections for why it can’t work. Some say Americans just don’t understand it. Some say it won’t accomplish anything. Then there’s the biggest objection of all: the teams that get relegated won’t survive. I don’t believe this is the case, at least not for every team in MLS. I have my reasons and I’m going to attempt to state them as clearly and as objectively as possible. I do support the cause after all.

The theory goes something like this: MLS Team X gets relegated, fans stop showing up, the team loses its cut of MLS’s “lucrative” TV deal, the owners run out of money, and the team is forced to fold because they can’t make enough money to keep the lights turned on. Let’s take this one step at a time.

Step 1: Fans Would Stop Showing Up

I do not believe every team in the league would see its attendance suddenly plummet 90% because they started playing in the NASL. Portland and Seattle in particular have extremely loyal fan bases. Would their fans also be the most distraught at the reality of being relegated? Absolutely. But their loyalty to their team is also the strongest and they would still be able to bring 10,000-15,000 fans through the gates for each NASL game.

Not every team would bring that many fans through the gates though. The two most viable relegation candidates over the past couple seasons have been Chivas USA and Toronto FC. The former has averaged roughly 8,200 fans per game this season while the latter is approximately 18,400 (Source: here). Chivas USA probably would see such a drop off as to render themselves financially unstable. But then again, nobody seems to think they should continue to exist in their current form. Without relegation, they continue to be propped up by the sweat of other fan bases.

Now let’s say Toronto’s attendance drops by 50%. That’s still roughly 9,000 fans per game in the second division where the average attendance is about 3,000-4,000. They can afford to stay just competitive enough to win their promotion back into MLS a year later. Are the fans upset? Sure. But it only takes one season to get promoted and win them back.

The overall average in MLS is approximately 18,500 so that argument for Toronto should work for most of the middle-of-the-road teams. Again, you just need enough fans to get you through one season. If your favorite team can’t even pull that off, then perhaps soccer is not as popular in your area as you’ve been led to believe. Perhaps the sport hasn’t grown nearly as much as we’re constantly told.

Step 2: The Team Loses Its Cut Of The MLS TV Deal

This is actually true, but let’s put into perspective just how much money this amounts to if the deal is split evenly among the 19 teams. The three year deal signed in August of 2011 is reportedly worth $10 million per year. That’s a total of $30 million for 19 teams. That comes out to $1.58 million per team. The salary cap is approximately $3 million. So before you take into consideration the amount of income made from attendance, a jersey sponsor, a stadium sponsor, etc you can pay for half of your roster if you’re coming in under the cap. Assuming your favorite team is smart and has ironclad sponsorship deals for the jersey and stadium, you’ve still got a steady source of income and you only need to bank on about 8,000-9,000 fans in attendance to help keep things afloat for one year.

But what about DP salaries? Someone has to pay those right even if they don’t count against the cap, right? True. Plenty of relegated teams all over the world deal with selling off their star players to make ends meet. MLS teams can man up and do the same. Not only that, but you can make a legitimate argument that the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls (your multi-DP powerhouses) will never be in danger of relegation. That’s how this whole thing works. You spend on good players, you win, and you don’t get relegated.

Now, MLS has struggled mightily against lower division teams in the past during the US Open Cup, but I think it’s fair to say that if an MLS team was forced to hold onto what would essentially amount to its reserve team, they would still have enough talent to compete for their spot back into MLS a year later.

And of course, all of this assumes you’re getting zero TV dollars from the NASL because they technically don’t have a TV deal. But if your team has been relegated, then that means there must be promotion as well. The Championship over in England’s second division has a TV deal with BeInSport to show their games regularly in the US. Why? Because at the end of the season, there are promotion spots on the line and there’s nothing like watching teams battle for those precious few spots. I truly believe within a year or two of implementing promotion/relegation, the NASL would be attractive enough to earn a national TV deal.

Step 3: The Owners Run Out Of Money And Can’t Afford To Keep The Lights On

This is the big one. This is the one everyone likes to harp on.

“But if the team gets relegated, the owners will stop making money! This is why we can’t have relegation! It’s too much risk!”

It is true there is a risk of losing money as a result of being relegated. I’ve addressed that concern for the most part in the first two “steps”. But would the teams lose so much that the owners run out of money? Let’s recap who some of the current owners in MLS are…

Seattle: Hollywood Producer Joe Roth (Majority), Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen (Minority)

LA Galaxy: Anschutz Entertainment Group (Majority of LA, 50% of Houston Dynamo)

New York Red Bulls: Red Bull GmbH (Red Bull Energy Drink)

Toronto FC: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

Chivas USA: Jorge Vergara (Founder of Omnilife/Herbalife supplements and movie producer)

New England Revolution: Bob Kraft (Owner of the New England Patriots)

Portland Timbers: Merritt Paulson (Son of former Goldman Sachs CEO “Hank” Paulson)

FC Dallas: Hunt Sports Group (Owners of the Kansas City Chiefs)

Look closely at that group of people? Do these people/groups have their entire wealth tied up in an MLS team? No. They bought their respective teams with the change leftover from their actual sources of wealth and income. The same holds true for individual owners like new Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt, who, like most MLS owners, makes his fortune in venture capitalism.

None of these owners bought into MLS to make money. They bought into it because they wanted to buy something fun with the money they earned from the more profitable ventures they own and operate. We’ll never know for sure, but it’s very likely half the teams in MLS don’t actually turn a profit. That means some of these people/groups are losing money on their “investment” in their respective MLS teams. Yet the teams still exist and the players still collect their paychecks on time. That’s because they can dip into their other ventures for the money to sign the checks and keep the lights on. This is especially true for MLS owners who also own NFL teams. You don’t have to be a business major to see that someone like Bob Kraft could own nothing but the Patriots and the Revolution and still make enough from the former to keep the latter afloat for several years.

Now, do these rich men and women enjoy losing money on their MLS teams? Not at all. That’s why they set up MLS in its current closed, single entity format. If they’re going to lose money, they want help from their fellow millionaire/billionaire pals to recoup their losses. They can afford to take losses on their MLS teams, but why should they have to?

The point is they have the ability to, even if they don’t want to. They could easily see their MLS team get relegated to the NASL and start bleeding money. But most of them have enough to keep their current rosters intact for one season which, again, is all it takes to play your way back into the top if you’re good enough. If they choose not to do so and instantly decide to cut their losses they can sell their team to another wealthy person/group willing to buy the team on the cheap, invest just enough to play their way back into MLS in one season, and find themselves back in the black shortly.

Am I oversimplifying this? Yeah, I probably am. Does my theory work for every single soccer team in the US? No, it probably does not. But that doesn’t make it any less valid. Sports teams are backed by some of the wealthiest people/groups in the world. That’s how they’re able to exist. Then there’s teams like Nashville FC, who are simply owned by their most loyal fans. They’ll pay to see their team play no matter what division they’re in. We don’t need to worry about them either.

The implementation of promotion/relegation would open a whole new world for soccer in the United States. Promotion creates new investment opportunities for men and women looking to do something productive with their hard earned dollars. Relegation maintains the integrity of the competition being put on display before our eyes. It holds those same men and women accountable for the performance of their teams and their treatment of the local fans whose HARD earned money brings the sport to all corners of this vast, great nation of ours.

It is the key to realizing our dream of joining the ranks of the greatest soccer nations on Earth. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It can and, with a little luck and commitment from the right people, it will be done.

Chris Jones, Robby Johnston, and many other Nashville-based supporters of the beautiful game found themselves asking that question after the Nashville Metros ceased operations in 2012. The Metros had been founded back in 1989 and could be found playing in the United Soccer League’s (USL) Premier Development League before ceasing to exist after their 2012 season.

Chris Jones, however, was dreaming of a 100 percent supporter owned club in Nashville as early as 2008. It was only after the Metros folded that Jones started having serious discussions with Johnston (and many others) about actually organizing such a club. Jones doesn’t have an official title yet, but he has taken up a lot of the day-to-day duties for Nashville FC. He operates the club’s website and social media and is actively trying to help the team establish itself within the greater Nashville community first and foremost.

“Our first goal was to establish a close relationship with the community, youth programs, & charities. We feel we have laid a solid foundation with some local soccer associations, both adult and youth, along with partnerships with Autism Speaks & Autism Society of Middle Tenn to provide soccer camps with those children with Autism.”, said Jones.

Despite the amount of work he puts in, you’ll always find Jones, who also runs a sports-themed website called Has Been Sports, using the word “we” quite a bit. He and the other founding members are quite serious about their intentions of turning Nashville FC into a 100 percent supporter owned, semi-professional soccer team. He has looked to other similarly organized sports teams for inspiration and advice.

“We have been in contact with multiple teams/clubs with supporter group founding such as FC United of Manchester, Darlington FC, Sons of Ben (Philadelphia Union Supporters group), Memphis RedBirds (Triple A baseball team) and even Birmingham Hammers an upstart like ourselves (minus supporter ownership).”

FC United of Manchester is a semi-professional team that was created by Manchester United supporters who are more than displeased with the way the Glazer family took over the club in 2005. Darlington FC, now known as Darlington 1883, was dissolved in 2012 after they bankrupted themselves trying to fund a new arena in 2003. Out of the ashes rose Darlington 1883, whose ownership breakdown is 52% Darlington Football Club Community Interest Company (DFCCIC), who represent around 800 fan-members, 15% Darlington 1883 Supporter’s Club, and 33% from 28 individual fans. These two teams in particular represent exactly what Nashville FC is trying to accomplish.

The team has only been organized for about two months, so Jones declined to mention the exact number of members at this time but says it is “strong” given the short time frame. A visit to http://www.nashvillefc.net/ will show that there are two options available for anyone interested in helping create the team. A basic “Member” will receive a vote on all major decisions for the club as well as a free Nashville FC supporters t-shirt. Those who wish to be considered a “Founder” receive a vote as well as free admission to all regular season home games and a very limited edition Nashville FC founders scarf. Only 150 of those scarves have been produced.

Although the club has “existed” for such a short amount of time, Jones and the other founding members have already made significant strides to help grow their visibility in the community. According to Jones, the club has already reached an agreement with “an international brand for soccer uniforms” and they are currently “in talks with some possible local corporate sponsors and once those are made official, things will pick up speed quickly”.

As far as on the field concerns go, Jones says, “It will be a mix of invites, tryouts, etc. We have already had numerous requests sent in for both player and coach positions, so that is promising.”

He also mentioned that there are several playing venues interested, each with its own pros and cons, but more information is still being gathered on that front. The same holds true when it comes to finding a league to play in, although he seems pretty sure it will come to down either the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) or the USL Premier Development League (PDL) that was home to the Metros. The NPSL is very much a geographically organized league with over 50 teams broken up into four regions: Northeast, South, Midwest, and West. This allows teams to play regular season games against the teams closest to them, thus cutting down heavily on travel costs. The USL PDL has a bit more prestige as it houses the U-23 squads for several Major League Soccer (MLS) teams and USL Pro’s Orlando City. USL PDL teams have also had some success in recent US Open Cup tournaments.

Debating which league to join ultimately brings up the fact that the United States Soccer Federation does not currently use the concepts of promotion and relegation between its various levels of play from MLS at the top all the way down to the NPSL and USL PDL. Jones says he would love to see it instituted one day down the road.

“Personally, I would love to see it. I think the recent success of the upper tiers (North American Soccer League & USL Pro) against the MLS make a strong case for it. However, you are going to be hard pressed to find a MLS owner/ownership group willing to concede the possibility of not playing in the top US league. These men and women are about the business and to be relegated is to lose money and sponsorships.”, he says.

While it certainly sounds appealing, immediate promotion may not necessarily be the best thing for a club like Nashville FC ; or even clubs more established than them for that matter.

“It’s not without reason to have a scenario under promotion/relegation where a team in the NASL or USL Pro has a tremendous year, wins a ton of games, but also has weak financial owners relative to those in MLS right now. Having said that, until we do have a promotion/relegation system in place, I don’t think we can say soccer in the US has arrived.”

Jones’s first concern, however, is to get Nashville FC off the ground regardless of where they play and start putting Middle Tennessee soccer on the map. He feels the best way to do that is to simply let the supporters themselves run the team and vote on all major decisions.

“We will have a supporter elected board that will gather and present pressing topics for vote. By doing it this way, we do not rely upon a majority owner and always have a large passionate group that not only wants to grow the club but, the Nashville & Middle Tennessee soccer community.”

His enthusiasm for the cause is absolutely infectious and if his vision comes to fruition, Nashville soccer supporters will have pulled off a truly historic accomplishment that will earn a place in the annals of US soccer history.

If you’d like more information about how to become a member or simply donate to the club, you can visit www.NashvilleFC.net

Well now the details are in and you can start circling your calendars. Here’s everything you need to know…

Qualifying Deadline

April 28

Play-In Round

Number of games: 2

Date: May 7

Teams: One National Premier Soccer League team will take on the US Club Soccer representative. A second NPSL team will face the US Special Sports Association representative.

First Round

Number of games: 18

Date: May 14

Teams: The winners of both Play-In Round games will enter the field with the remaining 30 Adult Council category teams as well as four USL Pro teams; the Dayton Dutch Lions, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and expansion sides Phoenix FC Wolves & VSI Tampa Bay FC.

Second Round

Number of games: 16

Date: May 18

Teams: The 18 winners from the First Round will meet the eight remaining USL Pro clubs (Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles, Harrisburg City Islanders, Los Angeles Blues, Orlando City, Richmond Kickers, Rochester Rhinos, Wilmington Hammerheads) as well as the six NASL participants (Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Minnesota United FC, San Antonio Scorpions, Tampa Ba Rowdies)

Third Round

Number of games: 16

Date: May 28

Teams: The 16 winners from the Second Round will meet the 16 MLS sides represented (Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, DC United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy,  New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City)

Fourth Round

Number of games: 8

Date: June 12

Teams: The 16 winners from the Third Round.

Quarterfinals

Date: June 26

Semifinals

Date: August 7 or 21

Final

Date: October 1 or 2

Some miscellaneous notes on the tournament this year…

-All home sites for all rounds will be determined by a coin flip

-The USL Premier Development League (PDL) will contribute 16 of the First Round participants: Carolina Dynamo, GPS Portland Phoenix, Ocean City Nor’ Easters, Reading United, Austin Aztex, Laredo Heat, Ocala Stampede, Orlando City U-23, Des Moines Menace, Michigan Bucks, Real Colorado Foxes, River City Rovers, FC Tucson, Portland Timbers U-23, Seattle Sounders U-23, Ventura County Fusion

-This year’s field of 68 teams is the largest since the “modern era” began in 1995

-The 32 Amateur teams is also the largest since the “modern era” began in 1995.

-The tournament champions will receive $250,000 while the runners up will receive $60,000 and the last remaining team from each divisional level will receive $15,000

Keep an eye out for some more information on this year’s individual participants as the Play-In Round approaches!

establish a real and proper MLS Reserve league.
The following details were quoted from the USL:

“This partnership represents the first step in a long-term alliance between MLS and USL PRO to connect domestic professional soccer through a system that benefits player development, competition and the overall business of our sport,” MLS Executive Vice President of Player Relations & Competition Todd Durbin said. “Over the past several years, USL PRO has made great strides in restructuring in a manner that serves to complement the objectives of MLS. This is a win-win for all involved and it demonstrates our strong commitment to growing North American professional soccer at all levels.”

 

Each of the 13 USL PRO teams will compete in two interleague games against MLS Reserve teams. With the exception of Antigua, which will play both of its games at MLS Reserve teams, USL PRO teams have been paired with a single MLS team to play a home and home series. All interleague games will count in both the official USL PRO and MLS Reserve League standings. Details of the fixtures will be announced in conjunction with the forthcoming release of the official 2013 USL PRO schedule.

- United Soccer Leagues

 

There is no doubt that this can be a tremendous step forward for developmental soccer in the USA but the fear that several USL affiliated teams may disappear from the landscape as they come under the wing of an MLS side may come to the forefront of supporters groups across the North American soccer fraternity.

The partnership will enhance the soccer pyramid though as opportunities occur for young players on the cusp of playing for their senior team and with the now defunct reserve league setup banished to history, this bold new step by both soccer organisations grows the stock of player development across the continent and will hopefully enhance the abilities, the awareness and product that currently emanates from the USL Pro teams.

Creating a proper MLS Reserve League is a real positive step towards growing the credibility of soccer in the USA. The next step would be the promotion-relegation issue that currently resides in the soccer pyramid. That’s a problem that doesn;t have a quick fix solution though and while huge financial differences remain between franchise opportunities in the various leagues, the problem isn’t likely to repair itself any time soon.

This new partnership should be seen as a brave step forward by both organisations though and with the quick announcement that MLS side Sporting Kansas City will affiliate with Orlando City, talks have already been taking place between parties within the both leagues as they scramble to join forces.

Without a USL Pro partner, the MLS teams will need to format a proper reserve team setup in order to legitimize this new formulation that has been announced. Without a MLS affiliate, the USL Pro teams could be seen as unworthy or not professional enough to warrant a MLS affiliation.

Affiliation talks are ongoing and further details will come out in the coming days but today is still a big step forward for the future of soccer in the United States & Canada and can be viewed as an inspirational leap of faith by both parties, one that should be heralded and welcomed by everyone involved in any form of soccer.

One party that could feel the downside of this is the NASL. As an organisation, they have worked hard at creating a professional second division league and sometimes compete with the USL Pro in terms of market share, players and commercial partners.

The USL Pro sides suddenly have an advantage in terms of drawing players from the professional level. Being partnered with the MLS offers players a more media aware market, offering them better opportunities to progress their careers.

There are several pros and cons for this new partnership and only time will tell how it affects everyone involved but for the soccer pyramid, this move and announcement is tremendous.

You can follow Region 3 Soccer on Twitter @Region3soccer

http://nasn.tv/2012/mls-working-with-usl-pro-on-reserve-league-integration/ (Author: Jason Davis)

It is important to note that these are merely rumors and nothing concrete has been decided. However, if this move does come to fruition then it represents a significant shift in the structure of club soccer in the United States.

Before addressing the three major details listed individually, it is only fair that I identify myself as a supporter of promotion and relegation in the United States. I believe that there enough cities in this country capable of supporting a top flight team and the only way to give all of those cities a fair shake is to open American soccer up to promotion and relegation. I believe it would encourage and foster strong financial commitment to the sport nationwide and that can only help the game grow long term.

And because I believe all of that, I take issue with some (but not all) of the details outlined in the article above.

1. If an MLS city has a USLPRO team nearby, MLS will provide 5 players and pay their salary.

“Nearby” would have to be more tightly defined for me, but I am torn as to how I feel about this particular detail. Let’s use Columbus (my favorite MLS side) as an example. The Dayton Dutch Lions are only 90 miles away from Columbus. If this is in fact “nearby”, then I think this move would make sense. It makes sense because I have intimate knowledge of both clubs and I know that Dayton is not capable of supporting a team on its own. It would provide a great opportunity for Columbus’ younger players (like  new homegrown signing Wil Trapp) to play competitive matches immediately.

However, most of the teams currently in USL-Pro are not anywhere near an MLS city. Los Angeles Blues are certainly within the backyard of LA Galaxy and Chivas USA and it’s hard to believe that even a city of the size and stature of Los Angeles can support a third  potential top flight team. I don’t know much about the Rochester Rhinos and Richmond Kickers, but I think they could potentially survive with the revenue they earn from MLS’s revenue sharing structure. The rest of these teams I’ll address with the third detail.

2. If there’s no USLPRO team, the MLS reserve side will become a new, permanent team in USLPRO.

I have no problem with this because it’s already currently being done in Spain, where many of the Primera division clubs’ B teams play regularly. Of course, if this agreement is reached, promotion and relegation goes right out the window. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be bad for MLS reserve squads to play competitive matches against teams who are directly competing with their parent clubs.

3. All USLPRO teams will have an MLS affiliate.

Whoawhoawhoawhoawhoa!!! Slow down! Here’s where this potential agreement breaks down.

Why does Orlando City need to be a feeder team for Colorado Rapids?? Orlando City won the USL-Pro title by a comfortable 16 points. MLS needs a presence in the Deep South. The only reason Orlando isn’t an MLS team right now is because they don’t have their own soccer specific stadium. Neither does the now infamous “NY2″ club that MLS is trying to set up in Queens despite local opposition.

Why do the Charlotte Eagles need to be a minor league affiliate of FC Dallas; a team they went toe to toe with and defeated in the US Open Cup this past season? If they can defeat a current MLS side on the road, are they not worthy of at least a chance to earn their way to the top?

That’s the question a lot of fans in these USL-Pro cities need to ask: why not us? The 2012 US Open Cup was full of lower division sides defeating MLS sides. The US second division, the NASL, does not appear to want to huddle under the MLS single entity umbrella and they feature teams from major US cities like San Antonio and Atlanta that are more than capable of building a strong fan base if promised at least a puncher’s chance at reaching the top flight.

All signs (outside of MLS TV Ratings) indicate that America is becoming a full fledged “soccer nation”. More and more cities are clamoring for a chance to join MLS. A new generation of fans is emerging as a recent survey found that kids 11-18 listed soccer as their second favorite sport behind the NFL. Americans everywhere have televised access to the world’s best leagues and players. Now is the time to have a serious discussion about the sport’s future at the club level here in the United States.

Whatever happens, the US is at a crossroads and a tipping point is fast approaching. FIFA nations are required to cap their top flight at 20 teams. If NY2 is indeed going to be the 20th MLS franchise (and all signs indicate that will be the case) then a lot of cities that have been lobbying for entrance into MLS over the last few years will potentially be left out in the cold. Cities like Saint Louis, Miami, Tampa, Baltimore, Detroit, Indianapolis, San Antonio, etc will all be cast aside and told they are not welcome.

I don’t believe that’s right.

This is America! What sets us apart is our ability to make bold, innovative decisions that fly in the face of conventional wisdom. The promotion/relegation issue is no different. Yes, it defies logic and yes it does not appear that current MLS owners would ever agree to it. But it’s the only way to unite America’s soccer fans under one domestic roof. If I’m an Austin Aztex fans, why would I ever support MLS, knowing full well my team will never have the opportunity to play in the top division? And why would the owner of my team want to invest in the club if such potential is not available?  Promotion and relegation will encourage investment in major cities like the ones I listed above and it will give each the opportunity to play their way to the top. Isn’t that the very definition of “competition”?

So keep a close on the MLS/USL-Pro relationship. Because one way or the other, it’s going to go a long way in shaping the future of club soccer in the United States.

After a good deserved win against Puerto Rico two weeks a go we all hoped Montreal was ready to fight the playoffs and leave the NASL by the front door. I warned in my post game analysis, the Islanders played with their B team and the Impact had still a lot to improve for next matches. As expected, we lost 1-3 and tied 3-3 the next two games and don’t forget we were playing at home.

There are only 11 games left in the NASL regular season and Montreal is last in the standings and 9 points behind the last playoff qualification seed, Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

It’s an uphill road from now on and we have our last chance to build up a positive momentum with this 5 games at home. The recent inclusions, Ryan Pore and Cameron Knowles to the roster reveals the management’s commitment on this current situation.

Pore (#32), 4 years of MLS experience with Kansas City, 2010 Most Valuable Player in second division and 2009 golden boot, is on loan from Portland Timbers until the end of the season and can be the type of player that can boost the attack for this last half of the season. I personally remember him being remarkable good while playing against Montreal and have lots of expectations on his debut today.

Today Puerto Rico visits Saputo Stadium in 2nd place on the standings with 29 points Montreal has 12pts only) and as current champions will be a tough opponent.

Game will be on TV on the waves of Radio Canada and will be a nice chance to boost the soccer passion in a beautiful summer Sunday on Montreal while preparing our debut in MLS next year.

See you guys there!

Here are the pre-game comments.

Global Football Today was at Impact’s preparation training before his trip to Edmonton. We were able to talk with David Testo and Leonardo Di Lorenzo about current tactic situation in the midfield.

I asked about who is more comfortable with in center midfield.
D Testo: “I have 2 years already playing with him [Antonio Ribeiro] and we know each other very well”.

About Amir Lowery.
D Testo: “We had an awesome game in Puerto Rico playing next to him”

So basically he is willing to play with any of them, he is positive he can get results in either situation.

I also asked about if he might be comfortable playing next to Hassoun Camara in center midfield?
D Testo: “Absolutely, he is got a great right leg and I am more towards my left, so it could be a great combination”

David Testo also confessed the defense needs more adjusting, since “the goals against are not great goals, just  little errors”

Impact’s players after training.

We also had the chance to talk with Leonardo Di Lorenzo, where we asked questions regarding his place in the midfield.

Tomorrow Marc Dos Santos will reveal his intentions towards FC Edmonton’s game – Stay tuned!