Looks like NASL will be holding a Combine next month in Jamaica. http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20131111/sports/sports2.html
And that's why you don't smash the ball when you're that close to the goal. Does anybody have any updates, or know what was discussed between the NPSL owners and the NASL before the Soccer Bowl?
I assume it was some future plans about having NASL field teams in NPSL (if they can afford it), maybe some deal to have OKCFC in NPSL for a year.
I wonder if NASL clubs without reserve teams might be assigned an affiliate NPSL club, similar to the MLS and USL agreement?
Wouldn't mind seeing the Rowdies partner with the Marauders here in Tampa Bay, or buy them outright. But hope they keep the name. NASL partnering with the NPSL could be fun.
From TheSoccerObserver.com: Whether the Puerto Rico Islanders will return to the fold in time for next season is still unclear with the league set to finalize its scheduling by the end of November. “They’re desperate to get something done, but it’s not in place yet,” Peterson said. “They have people lined up, and it’s a matter of whether they make the commitment or not. “The passion for soccer is growing in Puerto Rico. It’s overtaken baseball down there, so it would be great for that whole region to have a team.” http://thesoccerobserver.com/2013/1...valuating-season-structure-says-commissioner/
I'd love to see the Islanders back, but only if they are stable. They were always a force to be reckoned with, not to mention basically a guaranteed NASL spot in the CCL.
NASL Commish Bill Peterson was on Vancouver Whitecaps FC Daily today : http://feeds.feedburner.com/TEAMRadio-WhitecapsFCDaily Talked Soccer Bowl 2013, Atlanta, Puerto Rico Islanders, Expansion, and Stadiums. Starts at the 29 minute mark.
I don't have a transcript but this is what I recall: Peterson praised the split season format, saying it made every game like the playoffs. He talked positively about the soccer bowl, and the rise in NASL attendance this year. When asked about what the eventual ideal league size for the NASL would be, he said it would depend on how things developed, implied that around 20 would be ideal but that he could see anything from 18-24. He said he doesn't think an MLS team in Atlanta will impact the Silverbacks, that the market should be big enough for both and that competition could be good for both teams. He talked about expansion, naming the 5 teams we already know are joining in 2014 and 2015. He said that there were more groups they were talking to and that there's a 4 to 6 month window if anyone else will be added by 2015. Since it's a Whitecaps show, he was asked about future Canadian expansion and he said there were two possible additional NASL Canadian markets. (I'm going to assume those are Calgary and Hamilton). On the Puerto Rico Islanders, he said they are still trying to work things out to return, but didn't give much detail. He mentioned there will be announcement in the coming months, I believe regarding broadcasting and sponsorships. He also said every team either has a SSS or is negotiating to improve their venue situation, and that there should be announcements in the next year or two.
Thanks for sharing! No it didn't. Flight 19 counted up the number of games that were completely meaningless this year compared to 2012. It was something in the area of 10x the number of meaningless games for one or both teams on the field. That's if you don't consider any of Atlanta's Fall games as being meaningless. This would depend on who they played and when, as in which teams were still in the hunt for a championship at the time Atlanta played them. Otherwise, with several rounds left, there were only three teams truly in the hunt for a Fall title, and many games before that involving teams that were eliminated already. Nice try, Mr. Peterson. Fair enough. Good attendance at the championship game and attendance across the league is indeed up. I'd be good with a league this size, but I worry about the USLpro vs NASL war. Then again, I remember teams like Phoenix and VSI Tampa Bay and realize once again how much of a joke the USLpro can be. This is a LARK. He is delusional if he thinks the Silverbacks will survive having a MLS team in Atlanta. Add this to the list of ridiculous things Mr. Peterson has said this year. I didn't realize that mentioning five teams already announced really constituted expansion talk. I feel like we'll be doing good to get all five teams up and running over the next two seasons. Will be interesting to watch for any teams being announced for 2016 and beyond. More Canada! More snow, turf fields, and awful weather in March, October and February! Yippee! IOW, forget about them? Sucks for their fans. Also, is there any validity at all to Mr. Peterson's claim that soccer has overtaken, or is overtaking, baseball in Puerto Rico? I'm calling bullshit, but maybe there is some sliver of truth? For who? Puerto Rico or the league? If the Rowdies make us wait two more years for a stadium announcement, much less an actual stadium built and ready to go, I'll...I'll...I'll shout about it on social media.
No prob. I agree. I think the split season format is stupid. Well, okay, I don't mind the split season part, but I really don't like that the playoffs is only the winners of each season. Add in a semifinal round also including the two teams with the best overall records not already qualified and I would be fine with it. Indeed. Looks like OKC is the next 'battleground' but I bet the NASL team will win out. Agreed. But an Atlanta team hasn't been announced yet, and even if it does they probably won't join until 2017. At this juncture, with NASL not having a ton of teams and with Atlanta just having hosted the Soccer Bowl, saying anything except expressing total support for them would come off like throwing them under the bus. I'm not sure how talking about the 5 upcoming expansion teams isn't expansion talk - it's talking about the league expanding from 8 to 13. And as I said, he said over the next 4-6 months there could be other teams joining for 2015. Well, the league doesn't start until April, so I don't think weather is a huge issue, though it does hinder the ability to expand the season, so I'll grant you that. I think Calgary and Hamilton could work for NASL. They could help add to the stability of the league since those cities wouldn't any illusions about MLS membership. Calgary would be a rival and travel partner for Edmonton (teams could schedule weekend-midweek road trips to both cities). There's a big push by Toronto FC and the Toronto Lynx for an MLS Pro side in Hamilton though, so they might win out. No idea. The league. Haha, fair enough. That section was vague though. The subtext to me was "we hope to have announcements" which is probably why he gave a long time table. After all, looking at how long some MLS teams have taken to get SSS, I wouldn't be surprised if also took NASL teams a while (though NASL teams do have greater flexibility since cheaper 5K to 10K seat stadiums would serve your purposes)
and now MLS is headed to Antigua...coincidence??? http://www.socceramerica.com/articl...rectly-to-caribbean-source.html?edition=10806
LITERALLY EVERYTHING MLS DOES IS A REACTION TO THE NASL AND THERE IS NO WAY THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PLANNED IN ADVANCE
My post was super serious. I saw on the NASL sub-reddit that the Jamaica thing is in hold. Any word on that?
Well they are quoting the coach of Atlanta so it sounds like its off now, due to security issues. It also sounds like they were implying the Indy 11 coach jumped the boat by announcing it before it was official.