https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2024...on-flower-city-union-has-departed-the-league/ Flower City Union, which captured the National Independent Soccer Association championship with a Cinderella run last year, has left the league. NISA announced the Rochester, N.Y. team’s departure on Thursday.
https://www.frontrowsoccer.com/2024...RAJUq22io4MpaBSA1g2ropZn08VTgGr4rROhNasELralk The season will kick off March 23 in Georgia for inter-conference matches. All nine clubs will participate in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and NISA Independent Cup. Nine teams will play in an East/West Conference format with a focus on regional play. The East will play 20 intra-conference matches, the West will play 18. East clubs will play four inter-conference matches. West clubs will play five inter-conference matches.
Doesn't seem to be much regard for NISA players in here... Go attend some games if you can. Ask higher level coaches if you can, colleges are not developing players for next level, I would say same for USL2-which is a shame players need a viable pathway up the ladder especially for players 18 to 22. Support independent soccer!
I think that this has always been the way of lower level football in the US and probably always will. The clubs will moves to the leagues that suit them best at the time. You can argue that NISA, by definition, is a club incubator more than anything else. I truly enjoy the fools calling for the death of NISA; as if this role [being a step in growing a club] isn't of importance. And yes there will certainly be more Bay Cities and Edmonton Aviators in the mix, and the mix is crazy, and it's fun to watch both the successes and the failures; and they will continue.
Meanwhile, expansion fees help weed out the riff-raff. There's a benefit to that. I'm not sure how much benefit there is today in the constant churn (like what we saw in the 90s), especially since we are in a golden age where it doesn't have to be as bad as it is in this league of riff-raff. How's the whole "testing the waters" thing going? Teams were supposed to be able to use the money they weren't paying in expansion fees to bolster their organizations, so the prawns said.
The prawns will be even more upset if MLS Next Pro becomes the new NISA. No entry or exit fee, enough teams to be viable and regional conferences to reduce travel costs.
The irony of NISA's "no expansion fees" and "no territory rights" is that the league relies on fly-by-night suckers operating teams that usually fold or switch leagues after a season. NISA has the highest turnover of clubs compared to USL and MLS Next Pro. Detroit metropolitan area once had three NISA teams. It's illogical.
---------- NASL v2 is gone NISA should be gone NPSL should make nice with USL-2 and maybe UPSL, merge and make a really huge, regional league. Cut travel, create rivals etc. Get USSF to certify it as a league and let's move on from our endless churn of clubs. Set (or confirm/agree ) on reasonable standards and lets move on. For the near term I would be happy enough with== D1. MLS D2. USL Championship --------------- D3. USL- 1 MLS-NEXT --------------- D4. USL-2. (Greatly enlarged with NISA survivors and UPSL***) ***Not sure what standards UPSL has. I have had people tell some teams literally play in public parks and sports complexes. So not sure if we have UPSL up their standards to D4 or do we need a D5 for them? All strictly a fantasy on my part, unless I run for USSF president !
That D4 couldn't happen because the step from amateur to pro is an expensive one. NPSL Pro didn't happen because USASA provides insurance for amateur teams but pro teams have to provide their own. I suggested the USSF/USASA should try and merge USL-2, NPSL and NISA Nation but was shot down. There are politics. I think the USSF/USASA could create some sort of long-term strategy for a non-pro pyramid but current strategy is to sanction multiple competing leagues at the same level.
More drama at NISA. Inter-conference kickoff matches pushed back from March 23rd to 31st while the regular season schedule is pushed back to April 6. Reason? Because there's four expansion teams with outstanding issues (no surprise) Meanwhile, Georgia Lions withdrew from the 2024 U.S. Open Cup. Hundreds of people that will watch the first round of the US Open Cup must be disappointed by this news. Media Alert : Georgia Lions SC to Withdraw From 2024 U.S. Open Cup
Georgia Lions not playing in the Open Cup and the schedule being pushed back says maybe they won't be a team this year ... which is funny, NISA wouldn't have pushed some teams to "join" in order for them to get D3 sanctioning ... to keep a team like Flower City to not be allowed to join USL (they would have been allowed if their former league would have not played, but can't since NISA is D3 and got sanctioned).
EAST Club de Lyon FC Georgia Lions FC Maryland Bobcats FC Michigan Stars FC Savannah Clovers FC WEST Arizona Monsoon FC Capo FC Irvine Zeta FC Los Angeles Force Have Capo joined USL2?
Interesting. On their website they say: PATHWAY TO PRO CAPO FC Senior team will be participating in USL2 & NISA! https://capofc.com/
NISA Engages Xara Soccer as Official League Ball Just about four days left from their supposed kickoff, NISA partnered with a no-name brand owned by one of its team owners. Take a gander to their website that charges $30 for cheap, horrible design knock-off jerseys.
Did they make those really cheap-looking MLS fashion (i.e. not a replica of the on-field jerseys) jerseys in the league's early years?
Not only does the promo for the NISA+ platform look really bad but you click on it and it takes you to the wrong story.
Latest NISA news: Georgia Lions rebranded to Georgia FC at the last minute. They play at home on Saturday. Georgia FC is now league-owned. Several clubs paying little (Savannah, Club de Lyon, et al) to no (Capo FC) wages to players. Just heard from a @ClubDeLyonfc1 player. Situation is dire. Most players are making less than $250 a month with no housing or cost of living aid. This “professional” league is exploiting the players that fill its rosters.— Dan Vaughn (@THEDanVaughn) April 9, 2024
NASL V1 = Gone NASL v2 = Gone NISA = Sounds like gone soon NPSL = Clubs should disperse to USL-2, MLS-Next Pro Independent, UPSL.... basically whatever fits ---- Our "pyramid" would look a little cleaner and hopefully more stable.
Or they create a D4 that allows regional pro leagues. That might be the best way to encourage "community owned" clubs. But then that may not be much different to USL-2 or NPSL. I saw a comment that said the NISA was the result of the USSF standards that are designed to discourage "community owned" clubs. In fact those standards are in place to discourage the sort of fly by night clubs we're seeing in NISA.