Just some random thoughts about marketing AC St Louis and the league. After the great buzz created from the naming of the league NASL, the naming AC St. Louis to now the lawsuit being filed. There has been a lot of buzz created about the new league and AC St Louis. However, this buzz has seemed to drop over the last few days because no new information has become available. It seems to me like the gag order is maybe final becoming a factor. With all the leaks from Rhinos CEO Rob Clark, the USSF maybe finally shut him up. With the USSF giving one crappy press release that really didn't say much, it seems to be that everything has come to a stand still as far as information. If Cooper wants to keep all parties excited and still buzzing about the new team and league. We need something to happen before Christmas. Anything. It could be a design for new merchandise (which would make awesome christmas gifts by the way wink, wink), updates on the team and tryouts, updates about where Anelk and Filho are, or what we all are hoping for the league being sanctioned. Cooper, give us something that will keep us happy. Anything. I'm dying over here wait patiently for something to happen.
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WOW, they revealed a new logo and team name like 10 days ago along with naming a coach and a head of player development. 10 freaking days and you "dying over here wait patiently for something to happen"????? It's going to be a long road for you.
What happens now if USSF forces NASL teams back into USL1, will there still be an AC St. Louis? Is this still the route to get to MLS? Cooper must have terrible dreams with Don Garber in them!!!
Even in the worst case scenario of NASL being forced back to the USL, which wont happen, IMO they would have to take AC St. Louis because of how well Cooper put together a quality product here in St. Louis. Either way AC St. Louis plays next spring. If not I'm hunting down Sunil Gulati for killing the dream.
But Glavin owns the STL territory rights for a USL-1 team, a compromise would have to be reached on that.
Yeah, put with the product being put forth, Glavin hopefully be willing to sell his rights to Cooper and maybe even become part of the AC St Louis umbrella as their PDL team. That would actually be really cool if under the AC St. Louis/St Louis United name we had D2, PDL, WPS, and youth soccer all under one roof.
After going out of his way to try to buy them then create a competitive league against the USL, I can't see Cooper becoming very involved with USL. Best case scenario, USL "allows" AC St Louis in for 2010, makes Glavin happy and then in 2011, Cooper finds another option.
But who then would control the AC St. Louis. Galvin has the rights to the USL so he would have to take over control (Cooper won't let that happen) or sell his control to Cooper. I agree that I don't see Cooper working with the USL but I don't see him giving up on his baby just cause they are in the USL. IMO if he is forced into the USL, he would do everything he could to prove St Louis can support soccer and try for the MLS again with more fan support and more better investors. And then leave the USL behind.
Part of USL's compromise to get 2010 to work will be to (force) give Glavin's rights to Cooper. Cooper's compromise will be to bring his efficient, stadium-owned, franchise into the USL for 2010. Sounds like a legit compromise. Maybe USL can give Glavin some Wal-Mart gift certificates for his inconvenience.
Under the idea that dmelsh mentioned of the NASL being forced back into the USL, USL-1 would still exist.
Will if it goes towards USL, then this is the way I hope it goes. But I also hope Galvin and the Stl Loins join and play under the AC St Louis umbrella. Would be nice to have all teams in St Louis playing for the same team. Then Francisco Filho would be able to help develop the Lions too and better all of soccer in St Louis. Also Classic quote about Walmart gift cards
NASL and USL1 will be forced to form One Compromised League. That is what the USSF said. Either one or none. So NASL/St Louis go off the reservation and forms a un-sanctioned league or they compromise. I don't see any other options here. Maybe NuRock can just give up and sell USL to Cooper. That would solve everything.
"One or none" doesn't necessarily mean a merger, it could mean one, as in, "only NASL gets D2 sanctioning." (USL could be paid off, existing USL teams would drop down or be allowed to switch leagues, something...who knows.)
Not according to the USSF press release. They said they won't give sanctioning to anyone unless they work it out. Otherwise, USSF could have just sanctioned the NASL already (what would NASL do different at this point?).
I'm not even disappointed. I ran out of disappointment long ago. I fully expect the next announcement to be that they came together into one happy league, but St. Louis was left out.
You can be sure there will be some trade-offs, and some give-and-take. I would bet though, that since ACSTL is already up and running, more or less, that they would be the team in St. Louis. That's where the negotiating would come in. The final product will be somewhat of a mish-mash, but I hope it ends up being the best for all. I'm not so sure that this doesn't end up being the best outcome, in that it forces the USL and the TOA to do what they should have done to start with. All of this could have been avoided.
Just a question: why was maintaining the status quo "what they should have done to start with"? USL was hemorrhaging upper-level teams even before NuRock. Ten years ago, the A-League had 30 teams; last year USL-1 had 11. Does it really seem like they were doing it right? Doesn't the boat need to be rocked sometimes?
I don't think the USSF forcing NASL to work with the USL is going to solve anything. I mean, in a rainbow bright fantasy world, maybe it works out. But seriously, all of the NASL owners have a beef with the USL. No way they go back to cutting checks to them again. Even if they do the "right thing" and work with USL to make 2010 happen. I think its a given that the NASL and USL clubs/owners will be working behind the scenes to cut the others throat and be ready to be the only Div2 league in 2011.
It wasn't. Nurock should have gotten together with the TOA, and hammered out a deal where Nurock handled the office crap, and the teams ran the league. If that's not rocking the boat, I don't know what is. It's been a while, and you may not have seen it, but my plan for a compromise was this: - USL brass (Nurock) oversees the operation and administration of the league, and appoints a figurehead President (Papadakis or Hoskins, whichever). - The respective divisions elect/hire their own commissioner, and each team [owner] has a say in the running of that division. - Each division is represented at the league level by a Board of Governors, two elected from each division. Nurock blew this deal, plain and simple. They had a chance to right the wrongs of the previous administration, and they didn't do it. They did, however, have the right to take action against those teams who had contracted with them to play in their league. But their case has been closed, for what reason I don't know. It could be that they thought it better to compromise and get out with something, rather than risk the possibility of losing everything. Whatever the outcome, I'll bet ACSTL will be in the mix, and you'll be sitting the stands cheering them on come April.
Found this: http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2010/01/03/tony-glavin-speaks-concerning-usl-1-rights-in-st-louis Sounds to me that Glavin is more then willing to work with Cooper to make sure a team happens in St.Louis. I would still love to see both teams in Div II, what a fun Derby that would turn out to be.
Why wouldn't he? If he had the money to go USL 1, he would have done it. It hasn't happened. Is he even part of the picture anymore? With USSF refusing to sanction USL, Tony's rights are most likely worthless.