MLS launches new professional league

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by Doogh, Jun 21, 2021.

  1. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Year-to-year agreements does not mean one side can terminate an agreement. They generally automatically renew unless a certain criteria aren't met and without knowing what those criteria are...
     
    AndyMead repped this.
  2. Expansion Franchise

    Chattanooga FC
    United States
    Apr 7, 2018
    Seems like Columbia or the Triad could support an independent team, don’t they? In fact, High Point was talking to USL about expansion: https://www.uslleagueone.com/news_article/show/1083576
     
    superdave repped this.
  3. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    These were the average attendances of reserve teams in USL in 2019.

    The first 3 are hybrids so that model makes sense from a commercial viewpoint but I don't think most teams care.

    Reno 1868 FC - 4,313
    Rio Grande Valley FC - 3,812
    Tacoma Defiance - 2,636

    Real Monarchs SLC - 1,983
    Portland Timbers 2 - 1,899
    Atlanta United 2 - 1,754
    Loudoun United FC - 1,381
    North Texas SC - 1,367
    LA Galaxy II - 881
    New York Red Bulls II - 852
    Swope Park Rangers - 505
    FC Tucson - 961
    Bethlehem Steel FC - 478
    Orlando City B - 203
    Toronto FC II - 168

    Red Bulls 2 play in Montclair. But if an independent team started up in Montclair I think most local fans would switch.
     
  4. Expansion Franchise

    Chattanooga FC
    United States
    Apr 7, 2018
    Let’s say you’re right and USL can’t walk away from the agreement. Clearly MLS can and has for most of the teams so I don’t think it can be quite as restrictive as your painting it out as.
     
  5. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Hell they could put them in Davidson where the "Charlotte" Eagles used to play for that matter. It all depends on what they consider a "different" market. Both Fort Mill and Davidson are more less in Charlotte. High Point and the Triad, not to mention Asheville or even Asheboro are closer than Columbia. As is Greenville-Spartanburg - which is quietly becoming a major metropolis of its own.
     
  6. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's also a good way for third-parties to explore potential soccer markets.

    Let's say Charlotte FC go into partnership with Greensboro Grasshoppers and the team attracts 5,000 per match. You could see Greensboro saying tyvm, you've helped us prove that we can support pro soccer, we're going to start our own team.

    There are 180 cities with populations over 150k in the lower 48, so the more pro soccer teams we have the better.
     
    TrueCrew repped this.
  7. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    I mean if you go back far enough a group Winston-Salem was angling for an MLS expansion team, but some of you might not have been born in those days. I remember when they hosted MLS pre-season exhibitions in Winston-Salem and Greensboro in back to back years (both involving Miami FC which was run in those days by the late great UNCG alum Doug Hamilton).
     
    superdave and Neubill repped this.
  8. Doogh

    Doogh Member+

    Oct 5, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, just dishing out areas within a 100 mile radius of Charlotte, I think Gastonia, Fort Mill, or Kannapolis would be the best bet. Winthrop University in Rock Hill has a soccer field and as @Expansion Franchise mentioned, there's an USL1 ownership group for the Triad region.
     
  9. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In 2022 the New York metro will have 6 teams, 2 x D1, 2x D2 and 2x D3.

    New York City
    New York Red Bulls
    Queensboro FC
    New York Red Bulls 2
    New Amsterdam FC
    New York Cosmos

    NYC may add a reserve team, probably based at their academy/training center in Orangeburg.
     
  10. Yoshou

    Yoshou Fan of the CCL Champ

    May 12, 2009
    Seattle
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Couple of things.

    At the time the agreement between MLS and USL was written, USL was in the midst of a rather pitched battle with NASL and it was nip and tuck as to which side would come out on top. Getting an influx of MLS teams was hugely beneficial for USL, so the agreement may have been beneficial to MLS.

    There is such a thing as mutual consent. If USL no longer wants the MLS teams in their league(s) and the MLS teams don't want to be in the league(s), USL isn't about to stand in the way of them leaving.

    The issue at hand here is an MLS team that may not want to leave, so mutual consent may not be a factor. NYRBII also aren't necessarily like most other MLS2 teams. While they definitely aren't getting good attendance, the team itself has been competitive for most of its history. Last year was the first time they failed to make the USL playoffs and they've made it to the finals 3 times, winning once. This season isn't looking to be much better than last, so that may be changing, but if they can put out a team that, unlike the other MLS2 teams, is competitive against the USL teams, USL might not care about the attendance too much.
     
  11. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Cosmos? Really?
     
    sitruc, jaykoz3, JasonMa and 1 other person repped this.
  12. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Probably the reason RB2 are not as competitive is that they're promoting players to the first team at an earlier stage.

    Just to back that up:

    RBNY youngest starting XI by av. age:

    2021 - 22.7 vs. Nashville
    2020 - 24.5 vs. Miami
    2019 - 23.9 vs. Dallas
    2018 - 24.3 vs. Houston
    2017 - 25.6 vs. KC
     
  13. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They still exist.
     
  14. Expansion Franchise

    Chattanooga FC
    United States
    Apr 7, 2018
    Not really. I mean, according to John Prutch they are members in good standing in NISA, but so is Atlanta, so given that they don’t have a stadium or a team or whatever, they’re as much of active soccer team as the Rhinos have been for the last 3 years.
     
  15. Expansion Franchise

    Chattanooga FC
    United States
    Apr 7, 2018
    I guess I don’t really understand why we’re speculating over what USL might have recourse to do or not do over this comment:
    which is a far cry from “kicking them out” or even that USL would do anything.
     
  16. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Shuart and Belson Stadiums are still a possibility as is the Rocco D. Commisso Stadium (cap 3,500) at Columbia University in Manhattan.
     
  17. Expansion Franchise

    Chattanooga FC
    United States
    Apr 7, 2018
    Right, but there’s no team to play in them. There is no staff. There are no full time employees. This is the point: the only part of the Cosmos right now that is remotely related to the game of soccer is the ball on their crest.
     
  18. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wonder if CPL would accept the biggest name in world north American soccer.
     
  19. Doogh

    Doogh Member+

    Oct 5, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Quite a confidence booster there...lol
     
  20. Expansion Franchise

    Chattanooga FC
    United States
    Apr 7, 2018
    Rocco has an advantage that the other NISA owners don’t have: he can afford to mothball his team while the rest of NISA works through its prisoner’s dilemma with USL/MiLS or shows signs of stability (despite his sitting on the sidelines being a factor in NISA’s perceived instability). He’s rich enough that he can restart the operation on a moment’s notice, and his club is worth something for someone to have ideas and buy it and try to start a USLC club in the abandoned Staten Island stadium or in Brooklyn or something.

    There is basically no incentive for the Cosmos to return until NISA has enough clubs to try a D2 and he can come barnstorming back to his throne (setting aside that the Cosmos weren’t competitive at all in D3).
     
  21. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I believe the Cosmos are up for sale. We could have a gofundme on bigsoccer.com.
     
    Onionrings repped this.
  22. Doogh

    Doogh Member+

    Oct 5, 2019
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He is partially distracted with his new plaything in Italy. Also, he wasn't really interested into investing his team in Division 3, as its now a vehicle for legal fees. You guys don't really need the Cosmos to "shows signs of stability" - just prove it without them.

    (Also, again I don't get why you're so worked up about a developmental league, but sure, MLS definitely betrayed USL and NISA :rolleyes:, lol)

    Sure...this is all speculative. Cosmos historically had many owners past and present with...questionably bad business practices and leadership, thus further deteriorating the brand into a cross between Sears and an Atari.

    Anyone won't probably be so forgiving this time around.

    I mean...

    [​IMG]
     
    TrueCrew, Fuegofan, Gamecock14 and 6 others repped this.
  23. ElJefe

    ElJefe Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 16, 1999
    Colorful Colorado
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #123 ElJefe, Jun 25, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2021
    Why is the goddamn ******** are we talking about an NISA team on hiatus that shares a name with a team that died 37 years ago, as if they ********ing matter? Seriously. I don't even know if their Giorgio-Chinaglia-in-short-shorts fetishist fans even like soccer.

    Edit: The absolute funniest thing in the entirety of BigSoccer is when someone acts like the Cosmos name has any actual value in the Year of Our Lord 2021.
     
    Gamecock14, oknazevad, sitruc and 15 others repped this.
  24. Minnman

    Minnman Member+

    Feb 11, 2000
    Columbus, OH, USA
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Let's see what Charlotte actually does when, you know, they're a real team. Maybe their d-3 team plays games in a different market, maybe not. Maybe it's in another part of the state (or in SC). Maybe it's driving distance from their training facility. Which they don't seem to have yet, either. Nor do they have a coach (who may have an opinion about where the d-3 team trains and plays), and just a handful of players. So, maybe they'll launch their MLS team in Charlotte next season, then expand their Carolina footprint the following year with this d-3 team. All I really know about this franchise is that they seem to have commitments for a lot of season tickets, and that Tepper appears to have pulled a bait and switch regarding the playing surface at the stadium. I'll take a wait-and-see attitude regarding what they do with their d-3 team.
     
  25. DCW531

    DCW531 Member

    City SC
    Jan 31, 2017
    St. Louis, MO
    Minnman repped this.

Share This Page