What if it had been the APSL or League One America instead of MLS?

Good question. There's lots of land in the Salt Lake Valley that, in effect has a "Free To Good Home" sign in front of it.

And various levels Utah government have a track record of subsidizing pro sports teams.

Check out the various Utah/Salt Lake City threads on the Expansion and Stadiums boards for more info.

Wow, I had no idea how the league process began for MLS (and died for its competitors). Granted I was 12 when this report came out, so I think I have an excuse

While League One America's concept of the league was aweful, the name sounds very cool to me.

"MLS" isnt bad, but it attempts to copy MLB. As we've seen in almost everything on this board-- americanizing the sport isnt as popular as "Europeanizing" the sport (at least with bigsoccer folk)...

In the end though, I agree with most of the posters here that MLS was the best way to go; the happy medium of sorts.

League 1 America sounds like a more appropriate plan for an indoor soccer league.

Frankly, without the APSL folding, there would not have been a USISL.

Indeed. The USISL was going along doing it's thing well before the merger. In fact, had the APSL and it's clubs just gone away without a merger, Frank Marcos' circus might have been stronger as it wouldn't have tried to have a nation-wide level.

Jesus, what an amazing lack of knowledge of history.

The APSL didn't fold. And what became the USISL started in 1986 and went outdoors in 1989.

At the time of the merger in 1996, the APSL had 7 teams and USISL had 34 amateur teams, 48 professional teams and 23 women's teams.

IMO, better, as the USISL had preofessional teams in a lot more markets then they do now, which could have provided stable, professional regional leagues, something we don't have now.

Don't forget that MLS had some hand in those franchises failing.

I agree, it was mostly the fact that you can't hardly make money on soccer in this country anyway, and a great many of those owners in the alphabet soups of leagues were underfinanced.

But MLS took the best players away (it sure as hell hurt the indoor game in a big way) and in some cases, took the market away (Colorado Foxes, hello). When there was no D1 soccer in this country, the one-eyed men were kings.

Indeed, but regional leagues would have allowed some the underfinanced that much more of a chance to gain a foothold with lower travel costs, etc.

In the lower leagues, they're competitive and survive because they don't pay the players and because there's a supply of them coming from college every year.

Not paying the players (and the workman's comp costs that come with that) and minimizing your travel costs are the way to survive in soccer in America unless you've got incredibly deep pockets.

The fact the Des Moines Menace survives doesn't invalidate the sheer fact that dozens of other franchises above them have gone under since 1997. MLS had a hand in that...not the only hand, but a hand nonetheless.

Hey thanks a lot guys! I must have opened up a can of worms in remembering League One. Its good to see all the feedback and information. I can't believe the League One concept was so long ago. I've been living abroad for the last four years and have noticed the downtown soccer stadiums so I thought it was kind of cool to have the same type of thing back home. Here in Europe most of the games are either played on Saturday night or on Sunday when all the stores are all closed so it wouldn't make much of a difference where the stadiums are located. They don't have to market soccer here like we have to in the US because the game sells itself. I think Jim Paglia anyway, was the front runner to the SSS concept, so if nothing else came out of it , he deserves credit for that. Too bad he had nothing else to show for it.
I do think after re-reading the ideas, some of the ideas were kind of out there. The MLS could use some of those League One innovations, however. Hey I think the MLS as a rule can use all the help it can get in marketing the sport of soccer.

Q: What if it had been the APSL or League One America instead of MLS?
A: Fans would be doing the same thing they are to MLS: complaining about the quality of play, the differences from soccer in the rest of the world and the lack of adequate television coverage on ESPN.