Wasn't their first team, for what that's worth. It was their UPSL side, which, basically, is all they have for now. But here's the release on it:
I said this on another forum re: Penn FC, but it applies here too. If you're running a soccer team, especially a minor league one, in a state with multiple professional clubs, you cannot reasonably name your club after the entire ********ing state.
Like the Florida Panthers did. Or the California Angels. But, actually, yes you can. Because it's a picayune thing to bitch about.
Minor league. The Angels were founded as LA and reverted back to a city name after their misguided venture to represent all of California. The Panthers are named after a subspecies of cougar. California United is a stupid name. Club identity is not a petty thing to bitch about, especially when it makes a club look like a bigger joke than it already is.
More than two months after the oral argument before the Second Circuit, it's pretty clear that the court has de facto denied the injunction. An opinion will still come out, at some point in the next month or so. But the relief the NASL was seeking--D2 sanctioning for 2018--is something that needed to be granted two months ago, if it was going to be granted at all. At this point, as a practical matter, there isn't a league to sanction.
To be fair, they were the City Islanders, with palm trees in their logo. For a team in central Pennsylvania.
Sure would seem to be the case. I mean the league has defacto disbanded and several of its members joined other leagues. Yes they've tried to spin it as "2" teams and such, but reality is their "2" teams are their only teams at this point. And Miami in particular has suffered an unrelated fatal blow with the final granting of the Miami MLS side.
So IF Robert Palmer's Division Zero thing gets off the ground, will any of the other surviving NASL sides join in? Miami FC seems likely...at least until Team Becks begins play. Cosmos? California teams? Puerto Rico?
BREAKING: 2ND Circuit Court AFFIRMS District Court's Ruling denying preliminary injunction. #NASL v. #USSF pic.twitter.com/BRHAGQ8thk— Miki Turner (@turneresq) February 23, 2018 Decision PDF: http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisio...b844dea-4217-47ae-9993-dae8aabf802e/1/hilite/
The opinion does not give NASL much room for its argument if they continue the litigation. Basically, the court said that the burden of proof of conspiracy between MLS and SUM, which is what this suit rests on, is quite a bit higher than anything they have shown thus far. And, that's interesting, because the other suit filed recently attacks the same connection. Seems like legal spitballing to me.
NASL can just go forward with NY Cosmos, Jacksonville, Miami, San Diego, and an expansion team in Puerto Rico, maybe two expansion teams with one in the Dominican Republic.... that sounds like a great league with a great big future!
Paging @Bill Archer @Dan Loney : if one of you isn't writing NASL's obituary as we speak, why is BigSoccer even paying you (in Bolívares, but still)?
Speaking of ESPN, you might want to use their link to the news. I can't get to the NASL website anymore.