USL on the block

I'd heard rumors about Nike wanting to drop the USL. The particular article I find humorous. It suggests that MLS might buy the USL and we'll get promotion/relegation. And then goes on to explain that MLS didn't offer Nike enough and some other group is going to buy the league, so it's all pointless speculation.

What's left open in all this to me is "What USL is being bought?" USL1? The entire structure, including the Y- and W-Leagues?

Considering that the league continues to grow, with at least one NPSL team looking to jump into the USL (probably PDL) next year, it says that despite all the instability, there is something in it that attracts interest. (Historical note -- the NPSL was created by several western teams that left the PDL.)

There is, of course, always room for improvement.

And Holt's comments in the article concern me a little:

It seems to me that there are a few people in USL1 that have been asking that question for some time. It's not time to ask that question -- it's time to answer it so that firm plans can be made to make things work at whatever level they decide they are. And I sure as hell hope there are very few people thinking the USL can chase MLS. Because they have lost all the teams in the USL1 that can possibly do that.

This is all very confusing. I do hope that we hear something soon so that everyone knows what's what and the owners can start preparing for next season.

 

It's hard to imagine how USL could compete with MLS for top status. I'm not sure how that could come about. I think solid second division status would be good, emphasis on the solid. Is Atlanta ever coming back? I know they were supposed to be taking a year off, but those kind of things have a way of becoming permanent.

 

What do you think you're doing? Trying to get us to actually discuss something that matches the thread title?

How am I going to get my hourly fix of promotion/relegation arguments and the right time of year to play soccer if we have to actually discuss what the thread title says?

Well, OK.

As I said elsewhere, I'm looking forward to giving those future Atlanta and Birmingham USL1 teams a very hard time for any call that helps them. It'll be interesting to see how they manage to keep the team ownership separate from the league ownership.

 

Crap.

 

So of those, the Silverbacks are in semi-permanent hiatus, Miami FC is pretty much assumed to close after this season, SLSU and Tampa have yet to play a game, and the Whitecaps are off to MLS.

So that leaves the RailHawks, Thunder, and Impact as real players here. The Thunder have financial problems of their own, and Saputo and Montreal are a weird law unto themselves.

I don't know that I'd consider this group any kind of real threat to the USL operating structure.

 

Well, Traffic has a lot of money. It's possible that we could see something entirely different if they have more of a voice on how things go in the league.

...for one or two years. I still don't think they have a clue how to run a soccer team, and Miami will limp along the same as it has been, until someone with big money decides to put an MLS team there.

Saputo, if he can get his money from Quebec, will be in MLS by 2012. So, yeah, it's looking like the Railhawks are in the process of eating the hand that feeds them.

*sigh*

With Vancouver and Portland leaving, and probably Montreal as well, I guess this was kind of inevitable. The USL1 needing to reinvent itself. It just hurts to watch it happen.

The next three months will be interesting.

 

So, remove those teams from the USL First Division and next year you would have:

• Cleveland (struggling, second year franchise at this level)
• Austin (second year franchise)
• Charleston (solid)
• New York (first year franchise)
• Puerto Rico (solid)
• Portland (leaving USL at end of the year)
• Rochester (rebuilding)

Unless I'm forgetting someone, that's at most 7 teams with several question marks - not much of a league. It would also make it hard to bring in more sponsors for a league that was half the size that it used to be. But yeah, I'm sure they're gonna be challenging MLS for dominance in the U.S. market.

I don't have a dog in this fight, but the deal to sell to NuRock sure looks like it benefits a limited few parties at the risk of blowing the league up. Good for the other teams if they have finally had enough and decide to strike out on their own.

 

Um, I'm pretty sure this group is NOT wanting to challenge MLS for dominance.

It's the other teams that want to. The odds are good that this will be to the detriment of ALL parties.

Oh, and there's a small problem with only having 7 teams in the league. USSF Policies require a minimum of 8.

If this does come to pass, we're going to see a slapped-together Atlanta and/or Birmingham team next year with the other one coming in to take Portland's place the following year.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

I might be mistaken, but I thought I read in the NuRock press release that they planned to "take on MLS," which is why I made that comment. But w/e.

Francisco Marcos and Tim Holt have both at least made words to say that they were going to challenge MLS, but I think most independent observers don't take such talk seriously.

 

I think a lot of this is posturing for some sort of revenue sharing agreement. However, these types of things can really kill the whole deal. It would be fantastic if a couple of markets like San Antonio, Little Rock, Memphis, Nashville, maybe Tulsa could come up with something. You add those markets in and the USL becomes a tad weighted regionally BUT it might be stronger financially without some of the big trips....I don't know just thinking out loud.

 

You make some good points. No matter what, the USL-1 is going to be a bit regional anyways. Even if the owners can find a way to play nice with each other, there are going to be zero west coast teams, and if le Impact move into mls, then we can say adios to Canada.

 

It had to be regional in one way of another since travel expenses are hurting clubs financially.

Meanwhile I'm reading these 2 articles from Inside Minnesota Soccer on this chicken little mess.

United Soccer Leagues at a Crossroads –

Part One: Building USL

Part Two: The Struggle for Power

 

Read the articles too and I don't even know what to say. It sounds like a political struggle and something very petty.

I wonder why no one has thought to mention the management restructuring by USL yesterday: http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/361241.html

Looks like Marcos is now president emeritus. Good development or bad?

 

Another thought. Has anyone checked with the Aztex to get their position on this whole USL Civil War?

 

I doubt they're going to comment publicly at this time, or even privately to us knowing it would likely go up at BigSoccer.

Maybe in a few months when things calm down a little, or we ply Phil with copious amounts of free beer.

 

Here's some more specifics about his new role:

Considering how well things went with Pachuca, I don't think this new role is much of a help. But I'm not sure it hurts either. I guess we'll find out whether Papadakis and Holt are better than Holt and Marcos.

I understand, to a certain extent, the TOA's frustration.

But this has very strong echoes (to me) of the early years of MLS, where the APSL/A-League decided it would try and compete with MLS despite having failed to get the Division One designation from the USSF. It made all sorts of grandiose pronouncements, then, after only one year running simultaneous with MLS (1996) was promptly gobbled up by the USISL.

I've long thought that it was well-past time for Marcos to bow out. I have no idea whether Papadakis and Hoskins are the right people to move the league forward.

But I guess if they can hold it together this fall, that might say a lot about their abilities for the future.

 

Based on from Bill Archer's blog and the Railhawks' owner's message to their fans, this could get very ugly.

NuRock Soccer Holdings (3rd Party or Marco-ish-non-owner-run league) vs the Team Owners Association (owners-run league)

I would still like to know what is the Austin Aztex's position on this whole mess?

Oh and BTW Ottawa decided to join USL-1 instead of MLS for now. I guess they will replace Montreal as their Canadian USL-1 team.

 

Hate ta be Debbie downer James but it's not a certainty YET, the vote on the stadium deal is tommorow.

 

MIAMI (Reuters) - A new soccer championship, potentially an alternative to Major League Soccer (MLS), will be created in the United States next season unless a dispute between clubs and their league(USL) can be resolved.

The rest of the story.
http://us.mobile.reuters.com/m/FullArticle/p.rdt/CSPO/nsportsNews_uUSTRE5806LP20090901

 

...and another story.

"We have no say on the type of owners coming in," he said. "No disrespect to (some) other owners, but they don't belong in this league.
"But we have no say. We find out at the last minute that teams are coming in, like the Cleveland Stars. It makes no sense. We want control of our destiny. There's a reason the value of franchises goes up in hockey and baseball and every other sport. It's because the owners are working to bring the value of the league and the teams up. We're the only league that doesn't do that."

and the rest of the story
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ha6p3RTFJaqjJt6U4WHlJ2dSXa7g