Re: Usl? www.theresnowaytheserumorswilleverbeconfirmed.com is saying that the Aztex are moving to Glodeni in Moldova, and will compete in the Divizia Naţională next year. I hear a heated rivalry with Dinamo Bender is imminent.
Re: Usl? We'll kick their butt. Bender haven't been the same since they lost Igor Bugalov to Lokomotiv Astana.
Re: Usl? Bugaiov was last with Bender 6 years ago man. I can't believe how far behind you are on your Moldovan football. It makes me weep. What kind of fan are you?
Re: Usl? Are you referring to his time with CS Tuligul-Tiras Tiraspol or FC Choronomorets Odessa? Because if you are you can stop right there! He was underutiliized and underappreciated by team management and those were his "lost" years. It wasn't until he got to Ceahiaul Piatra Neamt that he really found his stride.... Maybe the Aztex can sign him after they get settled.
Re: Usl? Same here. And I'm sure most of the players would do whatever they could to move to a D2 team. I guess it's still too early to say anything for sure.
Re: Usl? I'm not worried. (what? Did I really say that?) If the NASL is sanctioned or the USSF decides to run D2 another year, the Aztex will be there. The only way the Aztex end up playing 'D3' in USL PRO is if the NASL is *not* sanctioned and the USSF decides they don't want to run D2 another year. And if that happens, well, it'll be the top league under MLS. What else could the Aztex do?
Respuesta: Re: Usl? How 'bout just joining the NASL now instead of having an owner who just wants to grab the spotlinght for 15 minutes? jeez... talk about rowing against the current.
Re: Respuesta: Re: Usl? Why should a team join the NASL, other than everyone else doing it? What details exist that show the NASL has the ability to fulfill the requirements for league management of D2? Everything that I've heard is that they are not at the point of being able to say they fulfill all the requirements. In that light, why jump? I don't think the USL has what it takes either, however, jumping from one group to another is not the answer. Oh, and it's not about "...an owner who just wants to grab the spotlight for 15 minutes...". If that was his desire, you'd see a lot more press on him than what you've seen. He'd follow the Impact, Railhawks or Rhinos route. I for one, am glad that Phil & co. have not made a mockery of the organization by making comments that make little or no sense, and do nothing for the organization than embarrass it.
Re: Respuesta: Re: Usl? Yeah. I agree with mgrayscale. If there are comments that make little or no sense we are perfectly capable of making them here, ourselves. What say we let Phil & Djorn run a class team that will be a huge plus for whatever league they end up in and then you crawl on back to N of your DB?
Re: Usl? Well, the question then is, where would all the NASL clubs wind up under such a scenario? They're not going to go dark for a year. And I doubt USSF would want to back them into a corner where they had to go renegade. I'm not worried either; but a "top league" that doesn't have Rochester, Carolina, Montreal, Puerto Rico, Tampa, and Austin... isn't a D-2 league.
Re: Usl? If the USSF doesn't sanction the NASL and doesn't decide to run D2 themselves, the choice is pretty clear. Play in USL PRO or don't play. With Montreal going to MLS in 2012, I can see them taking the 'not play' option. Not liking it. But taking it anyway. The rest, though, would (at various levels of kowtow) end up crawling back to the USL. At least this year, we should know in less than two months, rather than it dragging on past the New Year.
Re: Usl? That is an interesting question. For most of the players I don't think it would be an issue. Kieron and Lawrence, though, get national team time. If they play in a non-FIFA sanctioned federation does that disqualify them from national team play? I've often wondered what is to stop someone from starting a league and telling FIFA to sit and spin, except for the possibility of the players in said league not being able to play in FIFA sanctioned international matches. Presuming we're talking D2 class players, for the most part, what does that really matter to them? If FIFA makes the argument that playing in a non-FIFA league disqualifies you from EVER playing in a FIFA league, then I have to believe that there would be a number of lawsuits that would fly, especially in the EU with their restraint of trade laws. It would be interesting to say the least...
Re: Usl? My understanding from last year is that if you play for a non-FIFA sanctioned league/team, then you are ineligible for FIFA sanctioned competitions. You wouldn't be banned from friendlies or from making a move to a FIFA sanctioned team/league in the long run. There are some countries (such as Greenland) that are not FIFA sanctioned who cannot play in FIFA sanctioned tourn. like the World Cup, but they can play international friendlies against FIFA sanctioned teams. EDIT: BTW, I checked out why Greenland is not FIFA sanctioned. According to Wikipedia (okay, group groan) it's because they cannot grow grass for the FIFA requirement for natural grass pitches.
Interesting, where's that from? Let's see who we've got there: ? (don't recognize the 1st one) Real Maryland Monarchs Pittsburgh Riverhounds Austin Aztex Charleston Battery Charlotte Eagles New York FC Harrisburg City Islanders Portland Timbers (!) Richmond Kickers the Orlando Coming 2011s (awkward name) But those must be just a selection, right? Per their press release, "USL PRO will consist of as many as four geographic regions in 2011."
I'm not a practicing attorney -- I just dabble in my spare time -- but I'm not sure a JPG of unknown origin contracturally obligates the Aztex to play in the USL-PRO. But I'll organize the away trip for the match against Antigua.
This is the origin of that jpg. While I'm starting to think that it's more and more likely that we'll be playing in USL PRO next year, I do think that this particular image is a case of someone doing something that they would like to take back but can't (unlike the image that was posted on the USL website, then changed).
I am hoping that situation the Aztex are in is just biding their time right now, content to see if NASL gets USSF D2 sanctioning or whether USL PRO applies and then gets it. We then (presumably) would either jump to the NASL or just stay where we are in order to play in the official D2. (Barring USSF not sanctioning either league, which I don't think will happen.) It would suck if the NASL gets the D2 sanctioning and we stay in USL PRO. Imagine the likes of the Rhinos, RailHawks, and Islanders and other teams we've developed rivalries with carrying on without us while we are stuck in a league with Harrisburg and Real Maryland (no offense to either team, I'm just sayin'...)
USL PRO won't apply for D2 sanctioning. The teams that will make up USL PRO are so far behind the NASL in meeting the D2 requirements that it would be a laugh riot (ha ha!) for them to even try. If it included Austin and Rochester, then there would be a grand total of two teams that met the requirements. Rochester and Charleston. Maybe. Now that I think about it, I wonder if the Charleston owner is worth $20M and can handle a $750k yearly fee. If the NASL gets D2 sanctioning, we won't stay in USL PRO. I'm sure of that. I just have serious doubts that the NASL will get sanctioning. And if they don't, I can't see any logical argument that the USSF can use to argue running the league themselves again. Which leaves me with only one likely outcome -- no D2 next year.
VC is right, USLPro wont apply for D2. http://give-em-no-quarter.blogspot.com/2010/09/usl-restructures-professional-division.html And some back ground on the Charleston owner. Tony Bakker could easily make the $20M, He founded Blackbaud software but sold a majority stake for $24M. The company then went public and he retained 14% of the company, equating to 9 million shares. Idont know what it is trading for today but it a crapton of money. Oh yeah and he sold the company, not the property so he leases the buildings and warehouses back to company, at a tune of close to $1M a year. He also recently bought a house in charleston for nearly $6M. This doesnt count his hotels, restaurants, and other investments. He also built the Battery stadium with his own funds (already had the land but the stadium itself cost more than $6M) and has since added tons of improvements to keep it in top shape. He is a very private guy in the media, but is a great guy and the type of guy you enjoy drinking a beer or two with.
Letter from Brian Quarstad from IMS I received regarding the USL banner/logo: It is true someone received that logo in a newsletter. According to Mr. Preble, that logo has been in use since last February. USL called all of their pro teams ULS Pro before they merged their remaining D2 team and all the D3 teams to create the new league called USL Pro. Mr. Preble said that someone from USL took the Puerto Rico logo off the banner recently and then used it in several emails that went out. Preble felt it was best to pull the banner and not use it at all for the exact reasons that has happened in this case - unwarranted speculation. So there's your story. Nothing more, nothing less. Pretty anticlimactic and pretty much what I figured it was all about.