I believe that's what's happening. This year is affiliations or membership in (the final season of) the Reserve League. Next year, the Reserve League will be dissolved and the wholly-owned USL team (essentially the reserves in the USL) becomes the "reserve team" option (not sure how the USL being a fully professional stand-alone league affects the ability of academy players who want to maintain college eligibility to play for the reserves, also there's the whole issue of whether guest players will be allowed or if the reserve team has to have it's own stable roster).
Few points. 1. Why did SKC and Orlando sign a 2 year agreement? If next season the plan is to have each MLS team enter their own squad why a 2 year agreement? Maybe I am reading way more into it than I should. 2. I saw a tweet from an MLS guy (Insider maybe?) that said college kids would keep their eligibility if they played in the new USL Pro. Not sure how but that's what it said.
MLS/USL: #Crew96 Reserves will face Dayton Dutch Lions on Sat, June 8th (Miami Valley Middle School?) and July 13th at Crew Stadium
My point is that if NEXT season the plan is for all MLS teams to have a USL PRO team this doesn;t make sense.
No, next year is affiliates or reserves in the USL-Pro. The only thing that changes is that reserve teams have to become USL-Pro franchises for next year. The affiliations are wholly unaffected.
Here is the USL-Pro sched release (I'll look for the Reserve Division sched once I post this) http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/690596.html Affiliations Sporting Kansas City/Orlando City New England Revolution/Rochester Rhinos Philadelphia Union/Harrisburg City Islanders DC United/Richmond Kickers Staying in Reserve League (USL-Pro opponent) Montreal Impact (Rochester Rhinos) Chicago Fire (Charlotte Eagles) Columbus Crew (Dayton Dutch Lions) Toronto FC (Pittsburgh Riverhounds) Real Salt Lake (Phoenix FC) Vancouver Whitecaps (Richmond Kickers) Los Angeles Galaxy (Los Angeles Blues) FC Dallas (Antigua Barracuda) San Jose Earthquakes (Antigua Barracuda) Houston Dynamo (Charleston Battery) Colorado Rapids (Harrisburg City Islanders) Seattle Sounders (Orlando City) New York Red Bulls (Wilmington Hammerheads) Portland Timbers (VSI Tampa Bay) USL-Pro Independents Antigua Barracuda Charleston Battery Charlotte Eagles Dayton Dutch Lions Los Angeles Blues Phoenix FC Pittsburgh Riverhounds VSI Tampa Bay Wilmington Hammerheads What the...? Chivas USA
I thought what another poster was saying is that next season all MLS teams will field a team in the USL PRO. Not have an affiliation where they send 4 players but have a FULL team.
It sounds like next season teams will have an option of fielding their own USL pro team (The way I hope we go) or affiliate with an independent USL team.
They would have to expand rosters for MLS teams to field a full USL team. I'm pretty sure every reserve side in MLS used academy or guest players last year when injuries and first team matches limited their numbers.
They'd just have to stipulate that you couldn't call up the other guys on the roster. Essentially you'd loan yourself some of your first team players.
Just like Chicago and DC have U-23 teams but they can't call them up, or we can't call up anyone from our super 20 team even if they weren't in college. All teams would have to sign them to a first team contract first.
I'm wondering if they will let MLS reserve sides in the USL-Pro still play under MLSRL-style roster rules?
I'm an idiot didn't look at the schedule, Pittsburgh and Toronto. http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/690596.html So Chivas just through a temper tantrum and doesn't have to do this at all?
Sounds like it. Maybe they affiliated with LA Blues, but somehow I doubt it (especially with what I am hearing).
If so then Chivas can just frak off south of the border where they clearly would rather be and we will get an owner who cares in the league. Roll it back to 18 teams. Screw those guys.
People that should know are indicating that that's about what happened on Twitter, either way they aren't in.
I think if the Crew ever does affiliate with a USL Pro club it isn't going to be the Dayton Dutch Lions. I worked with them and their main focus is youth academy and signing up youngsters, and then trying to get them to go overseas (DDLFC probably don't pump enough money into their academy or anything to make that ever happen, for one they double most of their players as academy staff, and most of those players at the time I wouldn't want coaching my kids if I had them). But, that's a discussion for another day. Yet this is there big pay day idea, is 5 to 10 years from now to find a youngster or two in their academy to send over to a Dutch Eredivise team and then receive a $1 million dollar paycheck or more in return.. Columbus also is pretty involved in their own youth academy setup. The two clubs are eventually going to get in the way of each other, not that I think DDLFC will ever compete with Columbus Crew (and I got to believe their ownership can't think they will either- and maybe they think Dayton has a big enough pop. that they don't have to).. But, if your going to find any players to sell overseas in Ohio, DDL is going to have to start trying to infiltrate the Crew's market and pick off the Wil Trapp's and etc. And I really don't think they would have any qualms about trying to do so. Because if there are any youth players that could have a future in Europe, from Ohio or surrounding states, there going to the Crew Academy right now. Really, I wouldn't be surprised if the Crew would hope the Dutch Lions would just eventually go defunct. At least, I wouldn't think there would be many eyes that need drying in the Crew FO if that were to happen. I got the feeling that DDL FC was sort of an annoyance for Columbus when I was there, maybe that has changed with Horton going there and etc. But, about 20% percent of the club's focus is on their USL Pro team (and that may be generous), 40% percent is their youth activities in Dayton, and 40% percent is on their youth activities in Texas. Not sure if you want your Reserves playing in that situation in Dayton on a high school turf field. Whereas, Pittsburgh Riverhounds (I've met their front office too) may be a more grounded option. They have a new stadium, nicer facility: I think our reserves rather be playing there and perhaps living in Pittsburgh.. I've been out in both cities and yeah Pittsburgh > Dayton. Further, Pittsburgh allegedly had 1,000 avg. attendance last season in USL Pro, Dayton had 582 in 2011 and didn't even bother tabulating in 2012.. When I was at DDL they were a PDL club that averaged 1,200. And really there are no Dutch players coming over now, all there doing is signing people that show up at their tryouts, their performance has shown that bottom of the league the last two seasons. Not that the Riverhounds were any better, but worse, in 2012. Yet, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds business is probably 90% percent their USL Pro side, which should be boosted with a new stadium, and their academy ambitions seem much more minuscule.
Nice to have you back, rose by any other blah blah blah. This is what I was getting at before, thanks for stating things better than I could.
