Well, NASL and MLS aren't interesting with working with each other at the moment. I see a time in the not so distant future where MLS, NASL, and USL are all working together to improve US and Canadian soccer as a whole.
None of those leagues want to improve soccer, they want to make money, and they don't want to share the pie. The only reason they would ever work together is if its in all of their financial interest.
Well, well,well I guess the minor league definition goes out the window: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/report-york-cosmos-us-national-tv-deal-211800027.html
Isn't that a channel not a whole lot of people get though? I understand its good that they got a tv deal but you might want to reel back your enthusiasm a bit.
This is the first time I've ever heard of One World Sports. Looks like it's heavily geared toward Asian sports, with some billiards, squash, darts, archery mixed in. I see Indian field hockey. Asean PGA Tour. Anyway, good for the Cosmos. I'm waiting for the NASL to get a national TV deal on a channel I have.
Word. They could get one right now if they wanted to pay for the air time, like USL and WPS did a couple years ago on Fox Soccer. But I think their strategy is to get the stadiums full and rockin first, so they avoid broadcasting images of sparsely attended games to viewers across the country - like USL and WPS did.
The "keep it local" strategy is the only one that works. Even now we occasionally see half empty MLS stadiums on TV. I'm surprised NBC Sports isn't just filming Cascadia and RSL games at this point. What the NASL is doing is building a base. Which is exactly what a league that's been back 3 years should be doing.
As an alternate you could get a Roku box and download the Ustream channel to it. Then you can switch between the games on your TV with the remote. I do it every week.
This of course is the correct answer. NASL is a bit of a two-bit operation in comparison to MLS and as much as there are quotes attributed to Cosmos top brass that state they don't wish to be in a minor league, there are also equally pertinent quotes that suggest they are happy to be in NASL instead of MLS because "a rising tide lifts all boats". I would assume that if the NASL ever seriously threatens MLS as the top FIFA sanctioned league in the USA by simply offering more money to players in rented stadia, MLS wouldn't be forced to talk to them about a merger - they'd instead toddle off to FIFA and say "we haven't sunk billions of dollars into this game, into sensibly-sized soccer specific stadia, into reserve leagues and so on, just to see others benefit at our expense". And if FIFA took them seriously, they could cause all manner of problems to the NASL, especially as they could just revoke their sanction at any time. In fact, I'd be surprised if these sort of preliminary discussions hadn't happened already.
1. Last thing anyone would want is FIFA getting its fingers in your local league; they may find some discrepancies that can only be "fixed" with some hard cash. Like say multiple ownership of clubs, in our case 1 owner (in legal terms), free agency is another. 2. Before FIFA and Concacaf get their finger in our pie, the USSF would have to get involved and since Sunil also works for SUM is not hard to see how he would rule in favor if he had to. 3. Not that I think this will ever happen, but NASL is free to bid up player contracts if they want to, they can compete with MLS/USLPRO for players, sign college players that are drafted (as long as they did not sign a contract), as long as they are going after free players (in reality players MLS probably does not want) is all legal. 4. So I am not sure what rule/regulation you think NASL would violate for USSF to pull their sanctioning (Other than the D2 standards NASL has agreed to follow), could you please give me an example?
Not criticizing MLS just saying I don't trust FIFA. That organization runs strictly on corruption, and politics and completely ignores the reality, and what it looks like to the outside world (see Qatar 2022). Basically they make a decision based on what is best for FIFA and then figure out how to justify it later. So I have no confidence that in an hypothetical fight between MLS and NASL that FIFA would actually side with the genuine D1 league. They are going to side with what ever league (individual person) they see as being friendliest to FIFA and will care very little for which league is actually bigger or has done more for Soccer in the US.
If Blatter is still in charge of FIFA, we all know the first thing he will want American leagues to do in exchange of any FIFA backing (well he may want some donations first), he will bitch about "International schedule" and how all leagues should conform to it. That is enough for us to tell him to fuck off (in a PC kind of way)
Bless 'em for that. The NFL can't stand up against good old fashioned international intrigue. They'll probably respect the league that's been standing up for soccer for 20 years. The NASL
More on the NASL vs MLS subject from Cosmos COO Erik Stover in this podcast interview. Talks a lot about NASL's long term vision: http://www.beyondthepitch.net/podcasts/edition/index.cfm/beyond-the-pitch/2013/06/06/erik-stover/
Basically Stover said that they joined NASL because they don't have single-entity and soccer is growing in this country in large numbers and their is room for competition. and they want to bring NASL to all new levels, even though it's only in it's 3rd year.
Based on Seamus O'Brien's background, I think he's viewed by FIFA as more of an insider than Garber... However they all have their hands collectively in someones pocket I guess the analogy is whose hand goes deeper.
You think it's good to have a guy that's connected to all of the FIFA corruption? Garber has WAY more money behind him than O'Brien, if it came to that. There's no competition between the leagues. It's comparing a breezy day to a hurricane.
You put way too much stock in MLS and the Don.... If they had that clout why can't the US secure another World Cup bid? which leads to the next point... I would say that since FIFA sanctions Futbol across the globe every league is tainted to some degree... Just look at all the shady WC awards we've recently had... But I don't see anyone turning away from WCQ because of the stench of corruption...