no, you have to choose sides in america in 2022, and the side you have to be on is whatever side passes the authenticity test by bucking the establishment. college players at a high school stadium is where it's at, to many of these people.
I like how depending on who you ask the USL is either the authentic good guys of real soccer or part of the same evil empire of MLS. Also I suspect there's some local pickup team at the park who thinks they're more real and authentic than NPSL.
=============== Sorry, been watching the game for too long in this country and the endless leagues and teams coming and going is just ridiculous. I know pro-rel will never happen in my lifetime because off all the money invested especially at MLS level, thus the joke that the lower levels (NASL-NISA-NPSL) thought somehow they could pull it off. I just think with a country this size, we should be getting a lot more out of the system if it were a little better organized and defined. Everybody doing their own thing is not the best for the game. Perception matters and when we think (especially the general public and the media ) soccer is only MLS, we loose a lot. I totally get MLS stepping away from all the noise and having each of their teams have a straight forward process. MLS Next , MLS Next Pro, MLS. That is business model to develop players for your team and sell onward. I think this is good. Now think if we could could at least get USL-C to do that or in a real fairy tale, USL-1. Now think if each of these 3 leagues got to 32 teams. You would have 96 professional level teams You would have 96.reserve teams You would have 96 academy programs THAT I would would generate player development and pathways unlike anything we have ever done in this county. That is the professional pyramid. At that point, I would almost care less what happens with USL-2, NISA, NPSL, UPSL, NCAA, NAIA, JC etc, etc, etc. ----- all of this needs to be under a amateur pyramid and organized differently. Much like youth soccer needs its own pyramid of sorts and different goals to aim for. Will always love the game, just don't like the way we go about it.
That narrative of the USL being part of the evil empire that is MLS/USSM/USSF is quickly becoming more and more popular - from what I see on social media. I'm a wrestling fan, and I have no shame in saying that the pro/rel for USA people/Eurosnobs are more toxic than today's tribalist wrestling fans.
The timing of the narrative's increased popularity is ironic since MLS is increasingly pulling out of (at least the pro levels of) USL.
The USSF doesn't have much of a say in the way leagues are organized. Leagues are private organizations, the USSF is a governing body. By comparison the European feds are almost quasi governmental organizations. I guess USSF could create a commission on how the professional organizations could work better together but given the improvements we've seen over the last 26 years it's not imperative.
I guess it depends where you look. USL as the good guy seems like it’s been gaining steam to me. Maybe because even those who really wanted to believe in NISA don’t see much of a future there.
------------------ Blue ribbon commission with everyone in the room, all leagues and they work something out that doesn't include lawyers or the government Would be nice, but until then, the circus continues.
the more people you put in that room, the less chance they "work something out." do you think they are going to say, "look, i know we have had 100 years of everyone believing their way is the best, but now that we're all in the same room and there is a blue-ribbon commission, let's get 'er done?"
--------------- I guess my sarcasm didn't come through on my post I know dam well its not going to happened Pro Rel will not happen Even a baseball style set up. A-AA-AAA-MLB will not happen now especially with MLS going their own way. As much as I would like otherwise, the MLS model is what we have for D1 IF anything similar happens in the lower levels, thats a bonus I just hope USL-c and USL-1 continue forward as stable as possible
According to a source, what is holding up the NISA schedule is a federation audit of the financial health of several clubs. That audit is focused on the clubs’ ability to finish the 2023 season. Given the track record of clubs from previous seasons, seems like a necessary action.— Knights Who Say NISA (@KnightsWhoNISA) January 5, 2023
More bad news for the league. The PSRA is calling on @NISALeague to immediately pay all Match Officials in full for past game fees earned and travel expenses incurred while working NISA matches. pic.twitter.com/XUxYaSgcmR— PSRA Officials (@PSRAofficials) January 12, 2023
The financial health of "several" clubs. That's half the league. A handful is half the league. A few is a third of the league.
Even in parts Europe it took a century to organize a pyramid the incorporated all levels. In Scotland for instance the Highland and Lowland Leagues were totally separate from the Scottish Football League. After 100 years of existence clubs started defecting to the SFL but the two leagues were only incorporated into the pyramid in 2014. West Germany only introduced a national league in 1963. I think Spain had independent regional leagues that were gradually incorporated into the current system. You can't replicate what took a century to evolve in Europe overnight.
That was one of the issues that led to Detroit City leaving NISA for USL ... not a good sign for NISA if it has continued
-------------- Maybe its time NISA, like NASL (part 2) can be added to the ash bin of all the alphabet soup league names we have ever had. With NASL gone, NISA maybe to follow, wonder what if any effect on NPSL? My dream would be NPSL teams to find new homes in USL-1 , USL-2 or even UPSL and leave us with a little less clutter in our league(s) set up. Strong clubs to USL-1, most to USL-2 if you believe its fairly equal to NPSL and weaker clubs to UPSL. Doubtful though...
Possibly USSF could start work on making it easier for amateur clubs to turn pro, or as they call it in the UK semi-pro but as long as they're being continually sued it's not a priority. And of course the ability to sell alcohol legally is huge in terms of potential revenue.
From my foxhole, USSF has been very patient with lower leagues and the only lawsuits came from Commisso. It looks like to problem with NISA and NASL before it has been improperly resourced and/or vetted owners. You couldn't make up some of the stories such as Rayo OKC's pitch theft and the SF Delta owners chastising their own fans. NISA hasn't had as much drama but teams folding midseason shows they didn't vet owners. The good news is the both leagues have incubated viable teams who were able to move to other leagues. Maybe Chattanooga and Cal United can join USL or MLS Pro Next. In the end, it should be about good teams in sustainable leagues providing paths for players and generating interest in soccer in local markets.