Except for stadium size and owner capitalization (which are obviously big issues), USL Pro and many of its teams already meet most D2 standards. We've been over this a bit before. Markets are smaller.
Exactly, so they do not meet the standards and would also need waivers. Owners worth is probably the biggest one.
I would not expect a division three league to meet all division two standards. And necessary. That's what's been a huge issue over the years.
How does this effect the "letter for credit" of $250,000 each team has to submit for the teams that decide they aren't playing this spring? Are they going to only have to pay half or the whole amount?
Which is why you announce it on the Friday before Christmas. It's not actually the worst possible pub, and its impact is dulled by the timing of its release and the fact it's still D2 soccer.
Well if they go with option 1 the only outcome I can think of is to try to force another shotgun wedding between NASL/USL and now MLS Reserves. Bring them all together in one regionalized D3 league. Then raise the standards for D2 and tell USL/NASL or any other future investors that they need to reach these new standards or stay in a regionalized D3 league. What you'd do is just never have a national D2 until you get clubs willing to meet those standards. You certainly know more about this than I do, I'm not sure how it works, if USSF can go without a D2.
We went without a D1 for years. "Going without a D2" is the nuclear option. Look at it realistically: what are USSF's possible responses, and what would the consequences then be?
Again you would know more than me, but I thought leagues need 8 clubs to be sanctioned. My understanding was that if they dropped below 8 then USSF wouldn't sanction them. If that is the case then forcing everyone into D3 seems to be the only option I can think of. Unless they can just give a waiver and let them play with 7. But lets say someone else goes under before March. How far could USSF let them go and still sanction them to play in the spring?
They sanctioned WPS with six. It was better than pulling the plug. ( a ) That's not true. First off, they were supposed to have 10 teams by year three, which is 2013. So they weren't in compliance anyway and would have needed a waiver. ( b ) Again, the split season is a unique situation that doesn't have an easy precedent. The NASL has a certain number of clubs. USSF was silent on the Cosmos sitting out the spring. Does sitting out half of a split-season format count as not being present when roll is called? I don't know. For years we didn't have standards and regulations. Now we do. Which means there will inevitably be extenuating circumstances because the standards are really high and should be. These scenarios are virtually inevitable in the transition years. Because, again, things didn't magically change overnight when Aaron Davidson and then David Downs and now Bill Peterson started calling the shots and Francisco Marcos stopped. There are certain things that are inevitable with this level of the game in this country at this point in time. Don't know. They already sanctioned a women's league with six teams. And, again, the split-season thing is basically unprecedented and makes the adjudication process a bit stickier. So, again, options: 1 - USSF looks the other way, given the forthcoming Ottawa, Virginia and (likely) Indianapolis teams and issues a waiver for 2013. I would think that would be in the best interests of everybody concerned, wouldn't you? 2 - USSF says, "Sorry, we were okay with you having nine teams in 2013 instead of the required 10, but the 120 or so days in there where you'll only have seven playing we can't abide. Either create two more teams [bad idea] or fund the Islanders and get the Cosmos a ticketing system and have them ready to play March 15." That would force the NASL to scramble a bit, wouldn't it? Is it really worth all that? 3 - USSF says, "Do what you like, but you're only going to have third division status for 2013." Okay, so what, really? Same teams, same budgets, most fans won't notice or care. There will still be a league. Nobody under contract is going to say, "I was okay playing here when it was a second division club, but now that the only thing that has changed is its USSF status, I'm out of here." Why would USSF do that? It shows they're serious about holding people to D2 standards, but it's like putting a letter in your file in personnel. So what? At some point, someone is going to have to ask USSF for an opinion. Since 2004, the USSF AGM has been held in February or March. That'll be too late for them to act on things if they're going to act. Someone's going to have to say something soon, I would imagine.
I found the timing of the press release rather curious (and deliberate) myself. Slipping it in under the radar quietly before a holiday was a smart move, and with the Cosmos already setting the precedent, the negative aspect of it is muffled somewhat. Having said that, I still don't think allowing this half season nonsense is a very professional way to run a sports league. If a team needs extra time to get its shit together, that's fine. However, it should be all or nothing. Be ready for the full season, or sit out until the following one. It now looks like the split season format was implemented just to accommodate their situations. Even if that's not actually true, the impression is still there. At this late stage, throwing another wrench into things would serve no purpose. Let them run their D2 season, and then sort it out. I would be curious to see some sort of official statement from the USSF about it though. Then again, I'm just a moron who wants to see the NASL fold, so what do I know?
I guess it's a good half-decade too late to repeat my request that USL should merge its First and Second Divions into one regionalized league; long before the Nike buy-out of Umbro; long before the TOA seriously talked of splitting off (and their failed bid to self-own the league, losing out to NuRock); long before the peudo-expansion into the Carribbean; long before teams went directly down from the First Div to the PDL (the USL was competing against itself in this regard); long before the one-off USSF-D2 League; long before....
It certainly is a unique situation. And, yes, there is the appearance that this format was concocted for this purpose, though, to be fair, they could have split the difference and started the season in, say, mid-May and no one would have been the wiser. They could have spun it any number of ways. I don't know that they split the season to give either or both of these clubs room to maneuver, but some certainly may draw a correlation. In any case, all someone has to do is be first in a seven-team double round-robin and they'll be guaranteed the right to host the league championship game.
Yup; win a 12 game 'season' ending in July, and you can tell your fans "get your tickets and make plans to be at the championship match...in November". Say whaaat? Also; with the spring season now being essentially four weeks shorter than originally planned, do you start later to keep that same scheduled July/August break in between? Or is it REALLY four weeks shorter than originally planned? (wink wink). Then there's the Cosmos, who after stating that being ready for the spring season wasn't possible, are now talking about scheduling friendlies...in the spring(?). A unique situation indeed!
At least the NASL protects the integrity of the game. Not like MLS, with its nonsense about financial stability and competitive balance and assurances that your team will exist another year. Who needs all that? NASL is about the essence of soccer.
To be fair, everything the NASL does is under the radar. It is not like any national soccer media was going to take them to task or rip them apart for the past month. They simply do not care much about minor league soccer. And probably even expect this nonsense from it. It is official. The Cosmos are a lot funnier than SNL these days. I look forward to their next hilarious bit.
I actually agree with Kenn (It's Christmas after all) Yes there'll be only 7 in spring but there'll be 9 in autumn and 11 in 2014, maybe 12. The league owned team just got bought. Things are moving more slowly than anticipated but they're still going in the right direction. Also, PR is the team in trouble and they're outside their jurasdiction. The USSF teams all seem to be okay.
I think as long as PRI is in a league sanctioned by USSF, they're kinda sorta still under their jurisdiction. Even though there's a PR FA (tee hee). Puerto Rico's relationship to the US is a bit squishy, too.
Oh, of course. Silly me! The Cosmos will snatch him up in one of those New York minutes. Because, you know, they're the Cosmos and stuff.
Toye told Pele that all he would achieve there is another championship where as in the States he would have the opportunity to win over a whole country. Stover is gonna say the same to Ronaldinho
Disappointed by this news. It is going to look even worse if/when the Islanders participate in regional tournaments despite sitting out the NASL spring season. I just hope they are ready to go in August and dont end up sitting out the entire year or folding entirely.