How long until USL is D2 / Who will be D3?

Player wage increase isn't required though, right, just likely to happen? And what is required that would increase travel costs? Is there a # of technical staff required on the travel party? I think I remember some additional staffing just don't know to what degree.

Thanks!

 

You would be hard pressed not to see player wages rise in a competition of more or less equals (at least in nomenclature) unless you are going to ( a ) collude or ( b ) convince yourself you don't need good players to have a league. Somewhere between have to and need to.

Travel costs vary by proximity to other destinations, the accessibility of those destinations, which teams go up to D2 (assuming not all do). Arizona United would probably not have a bus trip to Carson, but a plane trip to other places. Certainly more personnel and likely an upgrade in accommodations, especially if a union is successfully established.

Also, D2 standard is that the various required front office positions be held by full-time people during the season, while the "full-time" caveat is not specifically spelled out for D3. (I am certain there are full-time positions in D3, I had one or two, but I am also certain both the requirements and the market will insist on bigger and more experienced front office staffs to generate the revenue and professionalism necessary for D2 vs. D3.)

 

USL applied for '17, did they not?

Things have to play out a bit more before we have a better idea what things will look like in '17 or '18, right?

 

Are the SF Deltas supposed to start next year? If so that will suddenly make an interesting regional competition out here in NorCal. SF, Sacramento, and Reno, should make for great traveling support/atmospheres and elevate the sport.

 

Deltas are slated to join NASL next season, not USL... Unless NASL goes under completely this offseason and the Deltas switch leagues, there won't be any rivalry involving them..

 

That's what I was alluding to, they would be in the same league, be it USL or whatever they c all a merged D2 league.

 

So.. how 'bout them Rowdies and Fury?

 

What is minor league soccer?

 

Hey now, we're not supposed to say "minor leagues." It's "lower divisions"!

 

That person was probably Bill Edwards and he just took his Rowdies elsewhere.

 

In fairness, Edwards tried to be the AEG of NASL and take over Ft. Lauderdale, but because of USSF's one owner per team per league rule, he wasn't able to.. I really hope he isn't blaming NASL for that...

 

I don't know.

Supposedly USSF tabled the application for now. Whether they pick it back up at their AGM later this year, we'll see. I don't know that they necessarily have to act on it for 2017.

Sports mergers are rarely peaceful, as history has shown. While this skirmish has been far less bloody than past ones, it has been chaotic.

USSF has - as most of you know - forced the issue before with a D2 league of its own making, but they made it pretty clear at the time this was not a strategy they wanted to continue long-term or repeat.

I'm not sure "death spiral" is a truly reasonable descriptor for the NASL. It certainly doesn't bode well, but it seems too early to pronounce them just yet.

The regular season ends this weekend. If Rayo OKC makes the playoffs, that prolongs their existence for another week. If they don't, what happens with them and Fort Lauderdale will be telling. If they announce the closing up shop of both of those clubs, coming hard upon the defections of Tampa Bay and Ottawa and the departure of Minnesota, those would be a lot of body blows to absorb in a short period of time.

They claim to be having substantive expansion talks with several groups (leagues always seem to be having substantive expansion talks with several groups), but you'd have to wonder how this turmoil plays with those groups. You'd have to really be trusting - or know a distressed asset when you see one - to jump on board. And the start of the 2017 season is less than six months away. It's tough to start from scratch and be successful in that short amount of time.

Now if they rip the bandage off all at once right after the final, announce that Rayo and Fort Lauderdale are done and don't lose anybody else, but announce a couple of teams for 2018, okay, that's something. But if the uncertainty lingers into the winter, that's a different story.

Meanwhile, USL is enjoying a renaissance and if they only lose Harrisburg (while gaining Tampa Bay, Ottawa and Reno) - though to get to 30, someone else has to go, right? - they're definitely pulling ahead in the horse race. They still have some trouble spots, to be sure, but nothing like what the NASL is going through at the moment.

 

Wilmington was already announced, no? I thought Harrisburg is simply what everyone is inferring based on the 30 team comment.

 

With D2 requirements for market population size, I'm very thankful for the number of bigger markets in the league.

We will be the smallest market in the league (gotta play into that "Biggest Little City" wheelhouse, right?) so thank you to the "actual city" sized markets!

 

Wilmington was announced as dropping to the PDL, but if their USL rights move to Baltimore, that's still one more club than 30. Maybe they won't do that for 2017 and have Baltimore come in with Nashville to make 32 (pending any other losses) in 2018.

 

From that:

Well, no. If you consider time beginning in 1967, sure.

I wish we could get past this.

I mean, seriously. Capitalization, players, stadiums, coaches, fan support....all are lesser in the NASL than in MLS and (in most places) are lesser in USL than in the NASL, though that gap has narrowed.

The leagues do fit into strata, and they know it. Else USL would not be applying for D2 status and the NASL would not have been saber-rattling about D1 status.

 

Maybe not next year, but eventually.