NPSL Commish is meeting with the NASL...

If the NASL and NPSL were to get into the D-3 business, they'd need to build an infrastructure at that level because the NASL guys can't spread themselves too thin and there's little no nothing to spread in the NPSL, they're insubstantial as it is.

 

I think @mbsc is right, at most what I could see is a deal for plassing NASL reserve teams in the NPSL like the Silverbacks used to have.


Maybe trying to create some type of NPSL Elite where some of the better supported teams play a longer season, but even that would require regional set ups and I do not think there are enough teams for that, at least not yet.

 

I think an interesting system is a hybrid American/European model. A few other posters have hinted at it.

1. Each professional team owns a franchise in one of the leagues (MLS, NASL, USL-Pro). If you own a franchise in that league, you cannot be relegated out of it.
2. Each of NASL and USL-Pro (as a league) own a given number of franchises in the league above them on the pyramid. For example, The NASL (as a league) own two MLS franchises and USL-Pro own two NASL franchises. The two league A franchises owned by league B will be referred to as "slots".

From here, I'll proceed using the NASL example, but each point would apply in the USL-Pro case as well.

3. Each of the lower league's two best teams get to play in the league above them, provided they meet minimum standards (ie have a stadium with at least x seats and y amenities, etc).
4. At the end of season t, provided it meets the same standards as in 3., the NASL team playing in the NASL (NASL-NASL) with the best record (or the Soccer Bowl champion) has the option of promotion to MLS, filling the MLS slot owned by the NASL, and thus becoming an NASL-MLS team and playing the full t+1 season in MLS.
5. At the end of season t, the NASL-MLS team with the worst record gets relegated, becoming an NASL-NASL team for the t+1 season. If it meets the standards in 3., but the best NASL-NASL team does not, it remains an NASL-MLS team.

A few pros of this plan:

1. The teams that pay a franchise fee are protected. That fee guarantees a minimum division, below which they cannot fall.
2. A relegated team is not destroyed. Their fanbase will understand that their team is franchised in its original league, and the earned right to play in the league is a bonus, and is temporary in nature.
3. Fans of NASL-NASL teams have the excitement of promotion to root for, and the two NASL-MLS teams have an intense season-long rivalry.
4. The prospect of promotion makes each team in the lower divisions more valuable.
5. Since MLS owns 50% of each of its franchises, this would mean MLS would own a piece of NASL, or each franchise. I suspect this would benefit MLS in some way, particularly if the NASL franchises became more valuable as a result.
6. The three pro leagues would be interconnected, and have to work together.

edit: 7. Lower division teams don't have to accept promotion if they don't want to.

A few cons:

1. The relationships between team and league, and players and team, are very different in MLS and NASL. The former is very rigid and structured with players employed by the league, a strict salary cap, and control over the signing and moving of players. What rules would an NASL-MLS team be subject to? This is a challenge, for sure, and I have no idea what it would look like. It would probably involve some grandfathering and transitioning, all of which would have to be written into an NASL player's contract and activated in the event of promotion.

Is it a cool plan? I think so. Is there any hope of adoption? Probably not. Even with the above plan, I don't see a whole lot of benefit for MLS. The greatest benefits are for lower division leagues in terms of the value and attractiveness of their franchises, and for the fans, who have an extra wrinkle to follow in the drama of their season.

Attackers... commence...

 

There certainly is interest between the two. The NPSL page is the only other league liked by the NASL facebook page besides USL PDL. NPSL is following Indy Eleven (and perhaps the other NASL teams.)and likes their statuses. Speculations? yes. But they are friendly to each other at least.

 

Kartik on the NPSL/ NASL relationship @ 57:00.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/954tailgate/2013/08/15/the-tailgate-show-s2

 

Well, that was some fluff... I was kinda hoping to hear info comparing the NPSL/NASL relationship to that of USL/MLS and instead got a far-fetched discussion of pro/rel between a pro league and an amateur league... d'oh.

 

Pro/Rel between the 2 leagues is crazy talk. How could RVA compete in Richmond with the Kickers (with their history and solid fanbase) in USL Pro down the road?

I think the most that could be expected is some sort of development/reserve programme. I wouldn't imagine it's beyond the realms of possibility that NASL might be sounding out whether there's a possibility of teams like Chatanooga, Detroit and Tulsa finding investors to move up.

 

Yeah, the talk wasn't serious... and probably should be put into the category of "friendly banter".... especially the fun they were having about the Strikers getting relegated to NPSL.

I'm going to put it this way... it's in the NASL's interest to have a reasonable working relationship with the NPSL because they can't have a close relationship with USL's PDL.
And it's in the NPSL's interest to have a decent working relationship with the NASL if possible to offset advantages the PDL has being a part of USL.
And it's in NPSL Commissioner Michael Hitchcock's interest to have his organization (PMI) working closely with both NASL and NPSL teams.
http://www.playbookmanagement.com/

Keep in mind there are several people out there who could fit the role of "Johnny Appleseed of soccer"... (Peter Wilt, Michael Hitchcock, Curt Johnson, etc etc)

I wish there could be some sort of merger between PDL and NPSL at some point which would make a limited or regional version of pro/rel more economically feasible and alot of fun for the fans... but PDL's expansion fees (compared to NPSL) make that kind of move impossible.

 

The problem is this: single-entity

No MLS teams would want to finance this type of setup... which would leave a promoted USL Pro team in really bad shape-- and I'd love to see Richmond or Rochester or Pittsburgh "play their way in" .... as a fan....
But.... 1 year of financial losses in MLS = 10+ years of financial losses in USL Pro

Most of the teams in USL Pro simply wouldn't be able to cope with spending a single season in MLS, let alone finishing 21st or 22nd every year while their organization loses millions each year they compete in D-1.... compared to the $200k hit per year they might have been willing to take at the USL Pro level.

It'd be fun to see an agreement between MLS and the NASL for something like this in the next decade or so... for now, it's pie-in-the-sky stuff because the NASL's recent rhetoric doesn't match their current competitive and financial status as a 2nd tier pro league...

 

http://www.voxxi.com/soccer-reform-barriers-us-soccer

mostly interested in the article because of the blurp at the end. I wish it would be USL and NASl instead of NPSL

 

LOL, yeah right. That Alexander kid better check his sources.

 

I do remember Bill stating he is very interested in pro/rel on twitter once. but interest and actuality are two opposites

 

Pro/rel with MLS because that benefits NASL, I can't remember him ever saying opening up NASL for pro/rel from below.

The problem is the same.

MLS wants the 50+ Million expansion fees.

NASL wants the 2+ Million expansion fees.

 

If anything I think that the NASL would only be interested in pro/rel from below because of the different exposure the league would get.

 

Yeah, and that exposure would be "What were they thinking?" The problem is that most of the lower league teams could not handle the spending that is needed to exist in D2 level soccer. Are there a few teams that could be transformed and made into solid D2 teams, like Detroit City FC and Bavarian SC Milwaukee? Sure. But as there are a few teams that could become solid teams with the right investor (aka people with money they are willing to part with said money) there are 10x as many teams that would fold and sink the NASL into a league with failure teams.

Instability, even from teams that were promoted, will lead to the demise of any league. NASL has done a lot of work to shed off the weak teams. Guess what, they are still working on that very issue. To add an element, at this juncture, that creates instability is just a formula for disaster.

 

There is absolutely no way you can go from a $50k - $70k annual budget range to an annual operating budget of $2mil to $3mil, so there will be no pro/rel between the NASL and the NPSL... ever. End of story.

Sadly, the two divisions where pro/rel would make the most sense would be USL Pro and NASL but with MLS turning USL Pro into its own minor league, the chances of pro/rel at this level are becoming less and less likely, not more so.

I'd like to see a merger between PDL & NPSL in which pro/rel could be part of the business model... pay the expansion fee and join PDL/NPSL II and try to "play your way up" to PDL/NPSL I. But, as long as soccer leagues have a vested interest in pocketing expansion fees to perpetuate their own precarious existence, we'll continue to see nothing more than pub talk masquerading as "serious discussion" from league commissioners and team owners...

 

Basically and NASL is no better. They also want the pay to play (expansion fees) to continue.

 

Sorry to drag this up but a more likely scenario on this is NASL squads fielding reserve squads and eventually a national division between NASL and NPSL could be formed of the best teams. It's similar to he direction I see MLS/USL going in.

 

You think that this will be based on talent and not a city's ownership, venue & population?​

 

btw, just saw earlier today all or almost all of the NPSL teams are having representatives in Atlanta this week for the Soccer Bowl.

@NPSLSoccer supports the upper rung of the soccer ladder by bringing their owners & staff, 100 strong, to the @NASLofficial Soccer Bowl.

— Tim Sas (@Tim_Sas) November 6, 2013

 

there are only about 60 NPSL teams so I'm assuming almost all if not all teams have representatives. In reality its only probably $350-400 a team if they planned this in advance. Maybe $550-600 for West Coast teams.

 

I am surprised they can afford tickets to the match, frankly, let alone the trip.