First of all, I am new to the forum. That said, I am a huge fan of soccer developing in our country. I love the MSL, but they aggregate me with how clubs are limited on who they can sign and pay. Also, there choices in apparel, limited by Addidas, leaves a lot to be desired. Now, the NASL. I really like what they are doing, but can they become a relevant enough league to challenge the MLS dominance as far as market and fan attraction?
I don't know who the MSL is, or why they "aggregate" you. (Were you behind 2-0 after the first leg? Away goals are the first tiebreaker.) But, no, as currently constituted and likely to evolve in the immediate future, the NASL does not have the resources to challenge MLS. MLS has much, much more money and resources and owners who are far more capitalized than the NASL does and has a 16-year head start and all the markets they'd want (or need) and the sponsor and TV contracts. There's a religious figure who would like you to believe that the NASL Game of the Week on ESPN3 is better than MLS' multi-outlet, multi-language TV deal, but he's an idiot. The NASL's present is looking good. Its future is potentially brighter than any D2 conglomeration of the last 20 years. But that upside does not include challenging MLS.
I don't see how they could. The difference between the ownership alone, and funding for teams, is huge. Also the media in the local markets is lacking on some markets; just look at the Silverbacks. Last year the games where shown delayed on standard definition on a Spanish channel. This year we don't even have that (and watching the game on Saturday on ESPN3 made me jealous of the Rowdies' tv deal). Advertising is also severely lacking; I haven't seen any advertising for the games at the rec leagues my kids play at, and you would think that would be a no brainer. Personally, I like the parity model of MLS; it gives me hope that after Atlanta gets in, they will have a chance at the title. I also like the Silverbacks, but watching the MLS team from the beginning will be special.
That won't happen for the NASL just like MLS can't come close to being on the same level as the NFL ,MLB,NBA,etc ....there are guys on Bigsoccer that fantasize about it I know (maybe when MLS gets a blip in TV ratings then they'll be gaining ground on the Major US sports) but in the big picture, soccer in the US is still a niche sport ( nothing wrong with that either).....if an NASL or USL club can be extremely relevant in their own market, then I guess that would make a successful organization.
As of now, no, the MLS although in the world of professional sports has a very small ESPN TV contract, and an even smaller latino broadcasting contract and games you barely see, that's still better than NASL's non existent TV contract. The USA is an NFL fan first country, Soccer is automaticaly 4th tier with the general public and casual fans, and trying to get those fans without a TV contract to spark interest to get the ball rolling is a huge hill to climb. Thats why typically NASL clubs and they're fans love them locally (San Antonio, Minnesota, Ottawa, INDY) and perhaps regionally, The cosmos as Ill always be a cosmos fan, but that's the extent of it on a large scale.We have embraced the men's national team always and its gets better every world cup and have started to embrace the mls more, but it still lags behind other top USA sports leagues I went to EMU and we had to get rid of 2 men's sports for gender equity reasons, Title IX. Although Golf was more expensive to keep than soccer, EMU dropped Soccer and Tennis. America in most states still grows up with school sports Football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring at least for most guys sports. The NASL has it's work cut out for it, I hope it succeeds and becomes the top tier in american football as it's league, player and ownership set up is more suited for a professional and progressive league in the USA. But patience is needed and we'll need another 10 years at least to know
Jurassic Park part 5 — Atlanta expansion to NASL? https://medium.com/@nipun7c/jurassic-park-part-5-atlanta-expansion-to-nasl-787ceb07b9f7#. The new Atlanta NASL franchise is reportedly being assisted by Georgia Soccer to help find an appropriate stadium.
https://atl2018.com/our-plan Beginning in 2018, First Team SC is bringing professional soccer back to the east side of Atlanta. In the spring of 2018, we will stand up a men’s professional team to compete against some of the best competition in the land. In 2019, we will bring women’s soccer back to our community, and bring Atlanta the franchise our city so richly deserves. We will be playing in a new 15,000 seat stadium, surrounded by more than 20 full sized soccer fields. A unique place that will be home not only to the soccer heroes of today, but also to the next generation of the game. We are going to bring you a soccer experience unlike anything seen before in America. One that is both traditional and nontraditional, in all the right ways. Real teams that our community can stand behind, in place where our children can play the game right beside their heroes.