Just saw this announced on the MLS website: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/01/23/mls-usl-pro-reach-deal-restructured-reserve-league There are too few details for me to decide whether I'm excited or not, but I'm cautiously optmistic about.
Anything that leads to more than 10 games a year for the reserve side is a good thing. It's gonna cost more, but that is about the only negative I can see.
I would certainly consider going to see a double header at DSG with the Reserves/USL game before a Rapids game.
I think this announcement is good, too-- however, what evidence is there that this will mean that the Reserve League plays more than 10 games? Or, well, 12, if you include the home-and-home with a USL Pro side? When the news first broke I thought this meant that the Reserve teams would effectively become teams IN USL Pro-- but that's not the case. The two leagues remain separate-- they just have this "crossover" match that amounts to 2 games.
Sounds like a lot more games to develop players, 26 to be exact: All 13 USL PRO teams will compete in the MLS Reserve Division, playing two games each against MLS opponents. The MLS teams that choose to have exclusive affiliations with USL PRO teams will not take part in the actual MLS Reserve Divisions (with those teams having four or more players in season-long loans with their USL Pro affiliate. http://www.soccerbyives.net/2013/01...e-milestone-player-development-agreement.html
USL Pro Teams: Antigua Barracuda FC Charleston Battery Charlotte EagleDayton Dutch Lions Harrisburg City Islanders Los Angeles Blues Orlando City PhoenixPittsburgh Riverhounds Richmond Kickers Rochester Rhinos Tampa Bay FCWilmington Hammerheads Upon further review it becomes clear there is little or no advantage to MLS west of the Mississippi River accrued by the proposed MLS/USL Pro relationship. With the exception of a few East Coast teams, NE, NY, Philly, DC & maybe Columbus, none of the teams are close enough to offer a cost saving opportunity for regular regional competition. Unless MLS teams significantly expand their roster size, extensively use Academy players or pump more money into reserve team travel the same players will take the field for 2 extra matches of limited quality competition. Whereas East Coast teams could schedule local "friendlies" not even this benefit accrues to all othe MLS sides. Whereas the straws may have been grabbed, the real thought process has yet to begin! This MLS/USL association is all about rabbits/hats, hocus/pocus, cost savings and other nonsense! However, the days of a grateful and largely uninformed fan base are gone. Once the dust clears, MLS will have to conclude that they have accomplished little or nothing towards the development of young players. Whether the Rapids reserve get 10/12 matches per season is far too few. IMO, this is a totally misguided effort or it is a hoax. This association will delay the development of truly competitive atmosphere for a meaningful reserve league.
Jason after looking at the Ives posted by Steve, do you have link to something saying just 2 total games becuase in Ives post its seems that each of USL's 13 teams will play home and home series against MLS reserve sides.
I posted all of this yesterday in two posts, but I guess I will post it again in this thread. I don't think that is the case. I think we just have 2 games against USL Pro teams. From the original news release: So the Rapids Reserves will play in the MLS Reserve League, not the USL Pro league. So there are two more games for the reserves Also this: So, clubs had to choose between having a Reserves League team where you can play more than four people, or you have an affiliation and you send four guys out on long term loans. With four teams choosing the partnership that means MLS Reserves will be 15 teams. USL Pro is 13, so I don't quite see how that is going to work out either. Maybe there is one more MLS team considering an affiliation to make it 14 and 14. EDIT: That doesn't work either, two more teams need to affiliate to make it 13:13. Otherwise 2 USL teams will have to play 2 home/away sets against MLS teams. That doesn't seem fair. Having an affiliation would be good for the four players that go on loan and get more playing time than the reserve league, but if you have more than 4 players that you want to develop it isn't very good. This seems like a chimera of several well-intended plans and instead has turned into, we have a partnership YAY, but right now it is a mess YAY!
I don't think they've released enough info to completely write the concept off, but as of now I'm a little disappointed in the scope of the effort.
I think the key will be what happens in 2014. It seems like the people who are really bally-hooing this are either misinterpreting what was put there or they are speculating about what this could mean in coming years where they expect more formal integration between the two, which would be something big.
Agreed. A complete integration of USL Pro and the MLS reserve league would be great, but it seems like they rushed the announcement just to get something out there for 2013. Hopefully over the course of the season a more formal plan will come to light.
Hopefully this is an interim step. It would be nice in 2014 to have a fuly integrated league ala the lower divisions of the Bundesliga.
People have already posted what I was going to, but it appears to me reading the article that each USL PRO team will play 2 games against a MLS Reserve side, not each MLS Reserve side. So each MLS reserve side will play 1, maybe 2, USL PRO teams.
Thanks all, seems MLS/ USL needs to clarify but I agree, pretty short notice if its really adding 26 games with travel this year.
All over they are saying there is a media call this morning with MLS/ USL to explain partnership. So more news should be out today.
I'll be disappointed if it stays the same in 2014 but if they go full integration and extended the league schedule it will be fantastic
Apparently one of the revelations of the conference call is that MLS teams CAN decide to have their reserve team play in USL Pro instead of the Reserve League-- but it looks like nobody is taking that option this year. It'd mean a lot more games for the reserve team-- but also the reserve team would pretty much have to function independently from the First team and have a budget big enough to get it to Orlando, Harrisburg, Antigua, etc etc during the course of the season.
But if this does happen in 2014, now you have a proper development route for young players that didn't exist before. I could also see MLS go after more 18 YO's for draft or HG, etc to provide an option outside of College. Wonder if MLS teams might combine for single USL team to reduce/ share costs.
Rapids Reserves will play a home-and-home with Harrisburg City Islanders: https://twitter.com/BrianStraus/status/294506296173010945/photo/1
The City Islanders' schedule confirms this home-and-away with the reserves. The game here is on Sat April 20th at 7p, after the Seattle game. The game away is Sat Jun 8th at 5p MDT. Wow, I never thought my two teams would play one another, let alone twice in one season (sort of, it being reserves). My dad lives closer to City Island than I do to the Dick. It looks like I'll be supporting the Rapids reserves on the road this year?!? Is there a pill for my condition?
Of course, it makes no sense for either MLS or USL to incur the additional travel expenses this would require. Therefore, it is clear that an MLS/USL 26 game schedule was never being considered. USL has no money & MLS currently has none to spend on this scheme. In the near-term regional leagues are needed to provide a first step to improving player development. MLS has dropped the ball and hopes the neither you nor I realize the folly of their ways!