http://thefirsteleven.com/the-nasl-your-new-favorite-american-league/ I've become a big fan of the NASL over the last year, and I caught this article this morning. Great appeal. And I'm of the mind that support for the NASL could be amazing for US Soccer. Maybe share the article or the sentiment around if you're of a like mind
When the grand top attendance is 6000 on opening week and the defending champ has an empty stadium, there's a long ride to compete with MLS. Very long.
But he is absolutely correct. NASL needs to be great at what they do not as a competitor with MLS. That's a losing battle and will only end one way. And don't let the recent news of network contracts fool you., NASL is likely paying for those contracts not the other way around.
LOL, in one breath you scold someone for "being fooled" by the network TV deals and in the very next admit you have no proof at all that NASL is paying for them. Good grief man.
Did you not read the article posted........? I mean, that's so directly addressed it's absurd. Of course they're paying for SOME of the deals (not all). It's how growing leagues gain notoriety. MLS did it for NINE YEARS before beginning to package their TV rights with US Soccer through SUM so I think that proves my point exactly. The NASL is taking the steps towards growing a league to possibly compete with MLS, it's up to American soccer fans to respond. If you're anti-NASL that's fine, but at least do youe reading.
IMHO the MLS and USSF being so intertwined is not beneficial to the growth of soccer in the US. There is a situation like no other here! There is a chance to grow the sport and have the US be one of the best in the world. Other countries already have clubs and leagues that are over one hundred years old. Here we are creating something, why should it only be what the MLS wants? No NASL supporters is gonna say " today we can compete with the MLS on every level". we know it'll take years, maybe a decade or two, we support our clubs throug good and bad, and just because we don't see the MLS as the end all be all doesn't mean we know less about the sport or we have some hidden agenda against the MLS. Yet we constantly see posters trash talk the league, it's teams and supporters. It takes "Cojones" to support a second division team, knowing full well they spend 1/8 of what an MLS team does, but you get behind the team and support no matter what. not because of its fancy stadium, or designated players or whatever designation they give to how they spen their money. At the end of the day a league like the NASL keeps things more honest, gives people an option, and helps to produce more players which in turn one day will help the national team.
I read your article throughly. All the things that are mentioned that are "wrong" with US Soccer is not so connected as you believe nor are they solved as easily as simply supporting NASL. NASL may seem like an alternative, but it is not. At best it can provide the highest levels of pro soccer in a market, and that's great. But in markets it's actually trying to compete with MLS it's not working. Reigning champ Cosmos proved this in their home opening this weekend. As for the network deals, history tells us that network deals like this are used by the leagues to gain exposure, sadly we aren't at the stage where NASL is desired content on a national level. If it's proven that NASL is receiving millions from these networks for broadcasting, I'll shut my mouth. But many pro-NASL realists on Twitter and other social media also question these broadcasts deals. Gaining exposure is great, but if your losing millions to do it, that might not be the best strategy. It's not my agenda to derail NASL support. I just prefer a more sane, sustainable approach than all out war on everything that isn't "us" which seems popular in many NASL corners, not all but some. I hope our community on BS also takes this cautious approach.
It's same to assume they pay for all the national tv deals, I don't know about the local ones at all thats outside of my knowledge. How much they paid is also a question we might never get the answer too. I would suggest having a Media magnate in the ownership group (Silva) certainly helps with negotiating the details. He also got Miami FC games broadcast to 100 countries. I wouldn't over blow all this as the crux of making the league compete with MLS, but I wouldn't brush it aside as meaningless either. The exposure is great, even if the ratings are low -which of course the will be- exposure leads to interest, sponsors and recognition down the road. I'd expect more teams will get professional shirt sponsors, or other local sponsorships for their home stadiums now that there is more tv exposure and awareness. Having TV exposure might sway a potential ownership group, who is stuck between the USL and the NASL, choose the NASL. I think however you frame it the NASL is exciting for soccer in NA. It will grow the sport alongside the MLS.
The talk about NASL challenging MLS for Division 1 status in the US is quixotic and one unsupported by actual events. The most damning piece of evidence is NASL teams moving from NASL to MLS (and not the other way around). With each passing year, and each additional expansion team, the goal of challenging MLS becomes more laughable. With that said, I love the NASL and support the "local team" (Jacksonville Armada, a mere 2 hr drive from the soccer desert in which I live). NASL is growing soccer in its markets and giving fans in non-MLS markets access to a fun product. Rather than challenging MLS, NASL should focus on maintaining its Div 2 status. Long term I see MLS trying to promote USL to Div 2 and in the process short circuit NASL.
This may happen as soon as next year. Things are going to get interesting in the lower divisions of American soccer, I can see the USSF granting 2 leagues D2 status.
I don't think that I ever meant to imply that supporting the NASL = a fix to US Soccer. More so that I personally think there's a lot wrong with US Soccer, they've been very interconnected with MLS, so NASL's new tv deal poses an alternative of support for American soccer fans who want to support a domestic league. I don't get how that doesn't make it an alternative. It's not like now that NASL has a tv deal they're able to compete with MLS financially/on the field, but no one is saying that? You're right on this I guess. If you're losing millions it sucks and it could really come back to bite the NASL in the ass. But I guess the precedent that history has set shows that this is the way small leagues gain exposure, and they have gotten huge national deals so I'm more excited than worried. I think you have to get out of the mindset that losing money is inherently bad because, as they say, you have to spend money to make money. It could be a gamble of course, but I think it's better to be supportive and excited of the NASL taking the natural steps of progression. The article is a call to action to inspire American fans disgruntled with the USSF/MLS to recognize the national deals the NASL has made and actually watch them play. I know that there needs to be caution, and I never meant to be a person saying that "NASL will be D1 next year because of the deal!" It doesn't have to be a war against them for me to support us. And I think I should be able to express being upset with the federation/D1 league without coming across as starting a war against everything else, so for that I apologize. Just an excited fan
NASL pushing for D1 while in D2... USL Pushing for D2 while in D3... This type of competition is good for soccer. I can hope that this competition will further solidify both leagues. Then again, as posters will correctly point out, hope can't grow or solidify soccer leagues...
But the article I quoted says "compete." Hence the laugh. There is no pressure on MLS from NASL. No competition. They are in a different league (pun intended).
Where is this pressure? The only pressure they put on the MLS, is in the race for 34+ year old signings. That's it.
I'm curious as to what you define as healthy pressure? Is this healthy pressure the same one that forced Minn Utd to join MLS and made Montreal jump ship as well? Or is this healthy pressure the one that made the league shutter ATL? What NASL need to do isn't compete but cooperate but I think we're past that point to be quite honest.
I'd define healthy pressure as gaining national broadcast deals and competing for eyes and support on a bigger scale. Ideally the NASL would cooperate, but maybe they'll be able to come back to the table depending on how this season goes. I agree, we're probably past that point. But you have to start the competition somewhere, to a point it's up to fans
...and now for the eyes of American soccer fans. Could not pan out at all, but that's the point of this whole thread so..... I guess it's more, "here's an opportunity to put pressure on MLS, go ahead if you'd like". It was wrong to assume fans would want to bolster this pressure.
Many people like myself want NASL to succeed but not if its at the detriment of other leagues. I'll also add that trying to go after MLS as a target is just asinine and looks to me to be more about pettiness, power and greed than "what's best for the sport". NASL past responses to actual pro/rel proposals speak volumes to me. Their not really interested but they'll gladly take support from anyone that has a common enemy. Not healthy for the NASL, not healthy for US Soccer.
I'm sorry but you keep bringing it back to pro/rel and that's not even in this conversation. I'm not supporting the NASL because I want pro/rel, I support the NASL because MLS is embedded into our federation in an aggressively unhealthy way and in my opinion it's holding US Soccer back. It's not like I'm targeting MLS just because I love trolling American soccer. I genuinely don't like MLS and think that it standing unopposed as the preeminent soccer power is bad for American soccer. You just keep trying to make this argument about what it's not about at all. Don't hurt yourself trying to defend MLS