what teams are in for next season how many games are they going to play and what is the playoff format or what do you think the answers will be
NASL has 8 teams for the 2011 season as of now. They are: Strikers (formerly Miami FC, and name rebrand not completely finished yet) Tampa Bay FC (Rowdies) Carolina Railhawks Atlanta Silverbacks Edmonton Montreal Impact (headed to MLS in 2012) Minnesota Stars Puerto Rico Islanders (defending D2 champions) The Strikers season ticket package is for 14 tickets, so it looks like 28 games, each opponent home and away twice. I thought the sanctioning release said something about the playoff format, but I'm too lazy now to go look. LOL Go to the NASL.com website and look for the sanctioning press release, or just wait for someone else to post it up here, I'm sure someone will be kind enough to. Was it six teams making the playoffs next year? Eh, can't remember. LOL
What's going on with A.C. St. Louis? I read that they had lost one of their funders but Wikipedia and other sites have said there still is hope they will join the league. But with the addition of San Antonio and Baltimore, will there have to be another team to join or will they just play with odd number teams?
San Antonio is confirmed for 2012. Baltimore is a possibility for 2012. And there is another yet to be announced team joining in 2013. It wouldn't be much of a problem to add AC STL to the schedule for 2011 if they get their stuff together. With some midweek games etc. there won't be a problem with an odd number of teams. They'll figure it out.
Has there been any talk of the new New York Cosmos possibly joining the new NASL? I read somewhere that they are pushing to join the MLS in the future. It's be good for them to do this in the meantime, building up the fanbase and actually getting gears turning for the possible MLS move.
No chance of this. The people involved with the Cosmos rebirth are after the MLS, and the MLS only. Considering the fact that Garber is making no attempt at all to hide his lust for a second NY team, all the Cosmos need to get announced at this point seems to be a stadium deal. I also don't see any other group trying to put a D2 team in NY anytime soon. With two D1 teams, and a D3 team (if they ever do get off the ground) I just don't know if a D2 team there would be viable as well. Someone much more rooted in the soccer community up there could probably give a better analysis though.
The Cosmos should be joining NASL. Aside from my utter disgust at two teams in the same market in the same league(in the US/Canada), since it seems like NYC2 is a given at this point, from an organizational standpoint it would make sense for them to get a foundation going in D2 and then transition into MLS. Considering the Cosmos were NASL's marquee team, it would be beneficial for both sides(the new league and the team) to capitalize on the nostalgia aspect.
I guess I can say this now, since the guy who told me no longer works for an NASL team and the team he worked for is pretty much defunct: According to conversation I had with a high-level NASL team employee in December 2009, the Cosmos and NASL were in advanced discussions for the team to join the league at that point. This guy talked about it as if it were a done deal. Obviously it hasn't happened. And I know, it's just one source. But it's more evidence than you show for your sweeping assertion that there's "No chance of this". As far as I know, Paul Kemsley is not MLS-owner-caliber rich. Neither is David Beckham. If Kemsley wants to do anything with the Cosmos name, he either has to find a billionaire partner or scale down his ambitions.
I think that with the success of Sounders, and the anticipation of more of the same for the Timbers and White Caps, the idea of resurrecting original NASL franchises in MLS is a thriving concept. I agree with what you said, however, coupled with Garber's unabashed love affair with a NYC2, you have a group who thinks they can capitalize on that Cosmos nostalgia on the biggest pro soccer stage in North America. I don't see them having any interest at all in NASL, thinking it is beneath their ambition level. Just my take on it.
I don't have any "insider sources" I was just giving him my opinion based on what I have seen. Do you think Pele and all the hoops they've got people jumping through, and Garber every time he talks about anything does not fail to mention a second NY team - all of that points to the Cosmos joining NASL? I suppose you could venture the guess that they are the mystery 2013 team, but frankly I can't imagine it. I put the disclaimer in that someone more in tune with the soccer community in NY could say more definitively then I could though. I haven't been over to the MLS NY thread much lately, but last I heard going on over there was the speculation pretty much pointed to getting the Wilpons to agree to come on board (there are your MLS level big pockets) and then a stadium deal worked out.
this thread is for 2011, not 2012. but... i think it would be awesome if the Cosmos joined NASL in 2012 in preparation for MLS 2013. it would surely give the league a boost, would give the (future) Cosmos players and coaches a year of pro experience, and would continue the trend of MLS 'promoting' 2nd division clubs. however i've been following the Cosmos news pretty closely and i haven't seen any mention of the possibility of NASL yet. but if i were in the NASL offices i would be hustlin' to get the Cosmos on the fone, the new league needs all the help it can get...
I too think this'd be a good idea. But from what we're seeing, it doesn't look like Kemsley is particularly interested in actually playing any soccer at the pro level. I agree with those who have said that they believe he's only after MLS. They want a big, triumphant return--an enormous media event more than a soccer game--and they want it to be at the highest level of soccer in the US. I think that they'd see doing the smart thing--actually forming a front office, building a team, playing some games, building a fanbase--as a failure if it was at DII. Of course before any of they can even think about becoming a team in either league, they've got to figure out where they'd play. MLS or NASL, staging games at a temporary home is not going to afford the sort of media exposure they want.
The Cosmos is currently little more than an advertising agency campaign. NASL, MLS, USL, whomever, should stay far far away from the current group. Talk about "all hat, no cattle."
Cosmos could play at the new Giants Stadium. Fitting... the new New York Cosmos playing at the New Giants Stadium It doesn't get any bigger.
If that happens, I'll lose all respect for MLS. The whole point of a second NYC team is to have one in the city itself(supposedly). If the Cosmos were to play at the Meadowlands then we'd have the punks in NYC who are too good to go to New Jersey screaming for a 3rd team. If they can't get a stadium built in NYC, then they had better not award a 2nd team to the New York area. Still it's my opinion that since the original Cosmos were able to pull the greatest crowds in American soccer history in New Jersey, then NYC fans should be able to suck it up and either support the Red Bulls. And if they don't like that then they have FC New York(however long that team lasts).
Yeah, I thought Beckham was going to join up with his old pal (one of the Cosmos' owners) and they'd just walk right into MLS. But it looks like he's scouting other potential cities for his MLS team. Until the Cosmos take the pitch somewhere, I just can't be bothered. And God help them if Chinaglia is involved.
