NASL adopts Spring/Fall seasons for 2013

Oh alright, I actually think that would be a good thing to have replay for

 

To be honest, i always felt like the top 20-33% should get into the playoffs in an arbitrary league. I think if you expand to 12-14, you should probably keep it at 4, maybe add a 5th with a play in game. Or at least don't expand any further from 6.

 

And that's why I believe they will be back in 2014. The quality of play seemed much higher than a regular NASL game. The playoffs made the 2012 NASL season.

The NASL uses poorer quality USSF refs than those in MLS. And those same poorer quality refs might decide an important regular season game that ruins a club's entire season and costs them money with no playoffs for that fanbase to look forward to. Are you complaining about that?

 

With this new format I think any team that enters halfway through (they don't play in the Spring portion) shouldn't be eligible to play for the Soccer Bowl.

 

Is that an option? While it would certainly open up the possibility of a team joining between the spring and fall season, I didn't get the impression from the announcement that they were seriously thinking about it. I got the impression that they'd be coming out with both the spring and fall schedules at the same time?

 

I doubt we will ever see this rule. Especially with the whispers about the Cosmos not being ready for the first half.

 

Imagine of FC Edmonton wins the first half and host the soccerbowl at the end of November. Eventually as NASL grows there will have to be games in Edmonton in November.

This is today.
https://twitter.com/FCESG/status/274293602388172800

 

That could happen in Toronto, Chicago, Vancouver, Denver or at Red Bull Arena as well (snort). MLS can deal with it so would the NASL.

 

WSW, again, this will never and should never ever happen. Referees' calls of fouls should not be subjected to instant replay. They are not in any other sport and they never will be. It would undermine the authority of referees on the field, and it would set terrible precedent for future use of replay. And that's to say nothing of the fact that replay would not have any effect on many of these calls anyway, as much of what goes into making a call has to do with what is going on and has gone on during the run of play.

And before you throw it out there again, this "field hockey" precedent you cited on another site has nothing to do with what we're talking about. Replay is used to adjudicate whether a goal has actually been scored when a referee is unable to physically confirm that the necessary criteria for a goal have been met. Replay is not used in any sport to overturn the judgement of referees regarding fouls/penalties.

 

I don't think it's necessary to make the rule, since it would actually incentivize the Cosmos not playing in the spring. It's not in the league's best interest to let them do that. It would look terrible for both the club and the league, and I'm sure the latter is already pretty pissed that the former have even suggested this notion.

 

Not being able to play for a championship is an incentive?

 

Sorry. I flipped the scenario. I was thinking of the league making a rule to allow the team to play for the soccer bowl without playing in the first half of the season, not the rule that was proposed (which would ban them from it).

My point was that it's not in the league's best interest to let the Cosmos skip the first half of the season. I'll amend and tag my earlier post to sort out my own confusing mess.

Thanks for the reply and the correction.

EDIT: Oops! Can't edit it anymore. Sorry about that. This post will have to serve as mea culpa.

 

Was this humor intentional?

I see your "snort" I'm assuming you meant to say that NASL has to learn to deal with it better than MLS.

 

ya sort of. Was obviously alluding to the recent fiasco at Red Bull Arena or whatever it is called and the playoff match between NY and D.C. being postponed a day due to snow.

Besides, the NASL well reinstate the playoffs eventually and it isn't as if Edmonton will have anything to worry about in that case.

 

https://twitter.com/Soccerwriter/status/275020532204830720

"NY Cosmos say they won't start their first NASL season until the fall part of the season."

Playing half a season: just another innovation from the NASL.

 

They should wait until 2014 then, IMO.

 

Meh, the ownership wasn't getting ready during the previous summer because they (as a sports TV rights company) were doing business at the Olympics. And then Sandy happened, pushing their plans back even further.

Even then, I thought 4 months would be enough time to put together a roster and find a place to train (Mitchell Field perhaps?), which are supposedly the quoted reasons for not being ready on time. I didn't go to the Q&A session today, so I may have missed something.

 

Again...as if those are the only two choices.

This from the guy who said he'd rather be NASL champs than Toronto FC in MLS and then admitted he'd recant that in a second if Tampa Bay was actually in MLS.

But, hey, whatever happens, you have a spin for it, that it's better this way, you gotta adapt to changes on the fly, this is the NASL innovating, they're on the cutting edge, MLS is watching. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah.

Which would be a problem because.....

 

Brian Quarstad of IMS said he talked to a number of big soccer journalists, when this was just a rumor, and they all said the Cosmos playing a half season delegitimizes the NASL. Even Brian seemed to think this would give the NASL a black eye if it happened.

I don't know. But it is going to be embarrassing and just confuse people. Hell, what are the odds they even play at all in 2013?

Baghdad Bob has nothing on you. And FCNY did eventually take the field and manage to play an entire season. Can't say the same for the mythical Cosmos.

 

So looks like a 30 game season probably for 2013 then with the Cosmos playing only half a season, 14 games first half season and 16 for the second half season. If one team gets on a roll in the first half season they may host Soccer Bowl. Go FCE go!