Just guessing, but I think it's the landing spot for all of the teams except for NCFC (off to USL), Edmonton (dark for a year then to the CPL in 2019), Puerto Rico (gone to the dustbin unfortunately), San Francisco (also folding) and perhaps the Cosmos. Some of the NPSL teams that would have moved to the NASL will wind up here as well (Detroit, Hartford and Arizona with New Orleans for 2019). So it could look this way: 2018 Indy Jacksonville Miami Hartford Detroit San Diego Cal United Arizona Interestingly, the league could apply for D2 status and qualify with 8 teams since it's a first year operation, but I think it's unlikely. If they get D2 status (whether in 2018 or 2019) then the Cosmos would join. In 2019, New Orleans joins along with a Chicago team that Wilt is working on, if they can find a place to play.
Do we know for sure about Puerto Rico? I find it hard to believe that Rocco would let the Cosmos die after having paid so much for them. I know he said he'd never go lower than D2, but if the options are D3 or fold, I suspect he's the type of man who would go D3 and push for a return to D2 ASAP. Unconfirmed reports out of San Diego have them leaning USL, which I think would be a great move for them. I would also love Indy and Jacksonville, but I don't know much about the possibilities for the latter, and chatter is that the first may unfortunately not happen. I don't think they can, actually. They'd have enough teams to meet the first-year D2 requirements if the league lineup plays out your way. And they would meet the time zone requirements as well, since Years 1-5 would only require them to be in two separate time zones with no restrictions as to which. The problem I see is the professional league ownership requirements. Some of the teams you listed were among the ones that would have needed help from Rocco and Silva to join NASL, right? Under section g) of the current operating standards for all professional leagues, we find this passage: Note that it doesn't say "principal owner" (i.e., the person who binds the team), just "owner." And if Rocco and/or Silva are serving as behind-the-scenes money men for their ostensible competitors, you could make a case that the league structure is compromised. Something tells me that USSF, having just prevailed in the injunction battle, would be looking to apply their standards as firmly as they could against any new league that looks like it might be trying to pick up where NASL left off.
Yeah, re-reading this article, I'm thinking "reports" might have been too strong a word. The actual wording is "Some have speculated," which could mean anything from "My friend/source in the front office told me the decision is basically made" to "I have to fill up another half-inch of column, and this would make sense to me." There's also something on Twitter from a member of the Bold City Brigade (Jax Armada) that someone put on the NASL Reddit, but I'm not counting that. He could know somebody/something, or he could just be projecting. Looking over his feed for the last 48 hours, he seems pretty stoked about the injunction denial, and very interested in Jacksonville following Tampa Bay's lead. So yeah, sorry for the overly strong language. I admit that I really want San Diego in USL, and my wishful thinking may have blinkered my reading skills.
No worries, it’s why I asked. I’ve got my fingers crossed too that San Diego goes USL. It just makes too much sense for them to not do it. And reading that article I understand the jump you made. D2 seems to be a must for 1904 FC, and they intend to play in 2018... so by process of elimination that leaves them one option.
while I didn't write the twitter post, the majority of the teams will indeed join Peter Wilt. My guess is that Edmonton will not join, Deltas will likely fold and the Cosmos will take their show around the world on tour...
What about those teams like SD that have made it clear D2 is a must. NISA doesn’t fit that requirement.
Unless NISA applies for and is granted D2 in 2019. Then it's just a question of 1904FC using the year 2018 to build up for the big launch.
Yep. Lots of assumptions out there by most of us. I've been a big fan of waiting and seeing for a while now. Pretty much everything else is speculation.
Their are rumors that the NISA may look to start a D2 league first in 2018 and then move forward with a D-3 division in 2019.
I can't see it happening. According to the USSF, none of the NASL expansion candidates, including San Diego and OC, satisfy D2 standards for ownership groups. The USSF might be willing to grant some waivers, it I doubt they would grant waivers for undercapitalized ownership groups. Given that these would presumably form the bulk of NISA, it wouldn't be in anyone's best interest for NISA to be certified D2 right out of the gate.
It's November 2017, about four months from the start of the 2018 season. The USSF application deadline for league sanctioning was in August. Whatever rumors you are referring to are obviously false.
....and here comes the BS full circle. Whoever started the rumor is lying, is stupid, or is trying to stir up hits and manipulate the remaining NASL zealots. Unless the source is Peter I don’t belive anything....nor should anyone else.
To be honest, I feel like people are treating NISA D3 in 2019 as more of a given than it should be. Neither NISA nor the USL have much in the way of concrete progress for D3 in 2019, at least in the public eye. NISA made good PR hay out of eight "applicant clubs", none of whom are confirmed and three of which would be competing in established USL D2 markets. And based on the distribution of clubs, the travel costs would likely be worse than USL D2. For their part, there's not much to show for USL D3 except for some "barnstorming tour" type press releases. The USL gets a longer leash because they've been making mostly intelligent decisions at the D2 level for some years now (I'm sure that sentence sounds strange to any long-time observer of the US minor leagues, but there you have it). We'll find out soon who is able to put in place competent and reasonably capitalized ownership groups. For a successful D3 launch in 2019 from either league, you'd definitely want to make some announcements and put some key pieces in place before the winter is over.
I beg to differ with your opinion on these ownership groups. First, your quote is wrong about the ownership group from San Diego and Cal United. These group were not submitted for D2 qualification yet. So don't make statements that are half truths. Also don't shoot down too quickly the idea of the NISA going for D2 sanctioning. http://midfieldpress.com/2017/09/27...atically-if-it-survives-its-latest-challenge/
I'm not sure where to put this question, so I'll try here. Is there any confirmation of what the NASL as a league, or individual clubs, are going to do now? I mean fresh word since Saturday, when the ruling was published? Thanks for the news.
I agree that people are getting ahead of themselves a lot here. Until teams start being announced (and I mean more than a few) there is no league in place. That being said, NISA was shooting for a 2018 start and doesn't seem to be anywhere close to that unless they basically just take in all of the NASL teams last minute and add a couple of their own. USL3 had planned all along to start in 2019, and their tours right now are being used for PR generation. They have plenty of time to announce teams and still give those teams time to create local buzz while still hitting their 2019 start goal. I see the USL3 league as more likely due to that fact and the fact that they already have a lot of the resources in place due to the USL2 league. NISA is more of a long shot as they are already falling behind where they should be for their starting date goal, they don't have as much in place at this point as far as support and the they are likely in a holding pattern until NASL finally gives up.
As stated is SI "“They then discussed [California United and San Diego] ... But those two owners had not yet been qualified and to this day." These club have not yet been qualified. This doesn't mean that they don't meet the requirements as D2 ownership. This is my point.
Um... if they don't qualify, and still don't qualify for D2 financials officially... they don't qualify for D2 ownership under USSF. Nothing really ambiguous about that I mean I want San Diego to happen in any league (preferably USL) as much as you do. But they do have to qualify for ownership officially financially or it's not going to happen. Nor should it. Enough with half assed under capitalized ownership groups that are going to flash in the pan like the Deltas and so many before them. Now they may have the financial wherewithal.... but they need to prove it to USSF.
Educated guess. Teams have folded under far better circumstances than they face today. It will be years - not weeks, not months, years - before life there is back to any semblance of what it was pre-hurricane. And for all the talk about how sports teams can lift up cities experiencing hardship, ( a ) this was a cataclysm, not a hardship and ( b ) that's in places with the ability to clean up and with people whose emotional attachment to those teams runs long and deep. PRFC has been around for 16 months. They weren't doing great guns even before the hurricane - the financial situation there didn't help, but they also didn't seem to be a very robust operation - and with the island in a humanitarian crisis, it's not hard to see them going on hiatus and never returning.
But teams and leagues that don't yet exist are always more popular on Bigsoccer than teams and leagues that do.
So acting as the NASL funeral director, and reading stuff everywhere, is this summary of the teams "status" acurate? - SAN FRANCISCO- Gone. Would be so funny if they beat the Cosmos in the final. FC EDMONTON - To CPL PUERTO RICO - Probably gone. Is there a Caribbean league of some kind to play in? NCFC - Appear to be moving to USL INDY 11 - Inquiry to USL, nothing for sure JACKSONVILLE - New owner quoted as "no league to play in". I guess he hasn't called the USL yet. NY COSMOS - Gone again? Holding out for NISA? MIAMI - Who knows what this owner is going to do. His money would have been a good Beckham partner SAN DIEGO - After reading all the blogs, not sure if wait and see, or would reconsider USL ORANGE COUNTY - Really have not seen much of anything on this team ---- Truth be told, if egos, money, lawsuits, USSF and all other issues were put aside, INDY, NC, JAX, SD & yes NYCosmos would all make good fits into USL2 geographically speaking, more rivals than they have now, less traveling and frankly, their crowds are also within the USL2 range. Whether the "standards" issues would be addressed is another issue.