NASL Files Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against US Soccer

Have you tried CourtListener aka RECAP? If you have their extension, then whenever you download something from PACER, it’s uploaded to RECAP for everyone to view for free.

In other words, if you’ve been able to read a lot of the documents for free — you’re welcome!

 

I hope not.

 

From my reading of the ruling and Prof. Bank’s analysis of it, I think a lot of this stuff got kicked to the curb. The judge seemed extremely skeptical that the existence of PLS was a bad thing. Granted, a new judge is coming in, but I don’t think that means anything substantive changes.

 

I saw on the Rai (Italian TV) last week that Commisso is now back in America.

He only goes to Florence on occasion.

First to oversee the construction project and opening of the Viola Park training ground and secondly to watch Fiorentina in the Conference League along with a few league games.

I think he will be there more frequently during the summer transfer window to take over the duties of Fiorentina’s late GM Joe Barone who sadly passed in March of a cardiac arrest at 57.

 

I use PACER and Court Listener all the time and I have RECAP installed.

But if someone else hasn't downloaded a document from PACER, I'm not going to pay just so others can read it for free.

You're welcome Beau!

 

I noticed that as part of discovery NASL were looking for a ton of documents about Minnesota United, so it will be interesting to hear the full story if it comes out in court.

I doubt Minnesota would have stayed in NASL anyway.

 

Yeah, I think the court has already decided that PLS aren't anti-competitive.

 

Small update but appears the judge denied NASL’s motion to exclude evidence related to Davidson's and Traffic's indictments and convictions. Steven Banks has a whole break down of it on Twitter. Won’t let be post the link for some reason.

 

1851277835367022876 is not a valid tweet id

 

1856822859114713111 is not a valid tweet id

 

So they're not going to be able to bring up that Kessler was the lead attorney on multiple other cases against MLS/US soccer.

 

This is still going on?

 

I have to imagine that with the Professional League Standards being put off limits, Jeffrey Kessler has got to know he doesn't have much of a case left. The whole thrust of this thing was that the USSF collided with MLS to set the PLS to purposefully exclude the NASL. Considering how the Fed bent over backwards to accommodate them, and the subsequent ability of the USL to use them, I don't know what's left, especially since they're allowing the Traffic convictions to be addressed.

 

The wheels of justice turn really slowly everywhere but on Law and Order.

 

NASL seeking $500M in damages. Highly doubt they’ll win the case, but if they do I see a USFL type outcome.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisd...lion-dollars-from-mls-and-us-soccer-at-trial/

 

From that:

The result was also not surprising in that the other two applicants were the barely-there APSL and something called League One America.

 

League One America sounds like a Soviet era comic making fun of the Justice League.

 

"Half a billion dollars!"

 

It was table fussball on a small field.

 

At the time or in 1993 anyway, Jim Paglia's League One America proposal seemed kind of cool.

I didn't care for the game rules he came up with but building stadiums in shopping malls and making “virtual reality centers” seemed kind of awesome for that time.

I never believed then that 31 years later we would have 30 pro teams in place.

So glad those days are gone.

Body stockings, buzzers, microchips: League 1 America, the failed attempt to revolutionize soccer

 

David Downs would be a great witness for the defense. I understand that NASL's objective was to be "the best second division they could be" when they agreed to the PLS in 2009.

 

Guarantee you he'll be called. If the NASL would have continued with his vision I think they'd still be here and probably be what the USL is now. Downs had an agreement with MLS to be a feeder league similar to what the USL got, Davidson and TRAFFIC shot it down when the Cosmos decided to come on board. They were pissed that MLS wouldn't let them be NY2 (which Garber really wanted them to be but they wanted screwed up with their demands). So they wouldn't have joined up if they became a place for MLS reserve teams. In the end it cost the NASL everything by trying to be something they weren't for a bad cosplay of a team that the Cosmos became.

 

So in a way the Cosmos ruined NASL twice. The first time other owners thought they'd found the magic formula and tried to keep up, the second time with MLS envy.

 

I am curious to know, if in fact the NASL prevails and is awarded $500M in damages, who or which owner will actually benefit from it and will the league resume play?

I’m not discounting $500 million but in this day and age, after taxes, legal fees, league, club , startup costs and after it is all divided up, what amount will be left over?