Pawtucket, RI gets a USL Championship side for a new SSS stadium. Target date of entry is 2022. https://www.uslchampionship.com/news_article/show/1068623
BREAKING: The Miami FC is close to joining the #USL Championship, sources tell @TheAthleticSCCR. The club will buy Ottawa Fury’s franchise rights and play under the existing #TheMiamiFC brand. More on a potentially seismic move in U.S. soccer: https://t.co/02e1U5xCLO— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) December 11, 2019
I heard this today on Jason Davis’ US of Soccer. He too stated this was huge.....other than saving an existing USL franchise, why do they think this is a “big” deal for US soccer???
Miami FC's owner, Riccardo Silva, was one of the dead-enders of NASL, and was (until recently) a big proponent of #ProRel, and one of the only ones with an actually functional and viable club. So the ProRelots are all hopping mad that he "went over" to USL-C.
Also, Silva hates MLS. H-a-a-a-a-a-a-tes them. So his ability to uproot the Fury and plop them down in a stadium named after himself that is actually IN Miami is a giant middle finger to MLS.
Thanks for the explanation SS! Something about Miami seems to bring the drama to every soccer story. Must be frustrating for the fans there.
Conference alignment remains the same as last year, with SD effectively replacing FRS, and MIA replacing OTT. Sides are 𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐃 ⤵️. pic.twitter.com/PuiA4tI48v— USL Championship (@USLChampionship) December 19, 2019
Sacramento will make only one appearance on ESPN 2 & ESPN News national broadcasts, on Weds Sept 9, hosting COS.
Excerpts from a December article in The Athletic on the USL winter meetings "...the league will hold its first all-star game this June. While the format is still being finalized, the sources pointed to the most likely scenario being a roster be (sic) comprised of players from across both of the USL’s conferences playing a foreign club. This mirrors MLS’s long-time format, which the league recently abandoned for a matchup against the Liga MX All-Stars in 2020. The inaugural USL All-Star Game would take place at Toyota Stadium in San Antonio, seen as one of the league’s best soccer-specific stadiums. " That would be pretty cool. Then there's this tidbit for the strategy nerds... "One common topic of discussion with USL sources was a growing disparity between the East and West conferences. Some differences are aesthetic: as illustrated in last month’s USL Championship final, the West is building a reputation as a more technical league while the East tends to prioritize athleticism and 'Route One' approaches." I'm glad we're in the West. A couple of more East v. West references... "Another point of contest (sic) is the total lack of cross-conference play...Sources indicated the league is exploring a preseason game, like the English leagues’ Community Shield, where the top teams in the East and the West would face off right before the start of the regular season. This game could take place as soon as this coming season." That would be cool, too, but I've seen nothing announced, so maybe next year. "One other request from clubs was the advent of two sets of awards to honor players and coaches from each conference. Currently, the league awards one MVP, one goalkeeper of the year, one defender of the year, one coach of the year, and a unified Best XI. Given the lack of competition against each other, sources from numerous clubs said they would like to see an Eastern MVP and a Western MVP to recognize a wider array of standout personnel." An excellent idea. A no-brainer, in fact. Edit: Oh, and I forgot to include this: "...the league is close to finalizing an agreement to sell Fresno FC to a new group in Monterey, California, ...The new team would play in League One and likely kick off in 2021. Also working toward that timeline is the Rochester Rhinos, entering a second year of sabbatical... the Rhinos still have committed ownership and are on track to resume play after this upcoming season. The future isn’t as bright for Penn FC...with the club having officially ceased operations. The club no longer has any employees, which may explain the lack of official announcement.
Thanks for the article, mangerson! A few thoughts...... 1) I'd rather see a quick preseason 4-team tournament of nearby rivals than a pre-season interconference game. I'm not gonna get excited just because an Orlando or Tampa Bay team is coming to town. Wouldn't be hard to do, and it wouldn't be too taxing on the players - Play 2 games and you're done. Allow a 22 man eligble game roster and play everyone over the 2 games. As a fan i get to see the new guys play and get to see if our bench players are capable. 2) if the league notices a divergence in development between conferences, they have to be interested in studying the causes, right? It would be interesting to see what is driving this......fan expectations? Different referees? 3) the awards idea is overdue considering the number of teams added to the league in the last five years. Season is getting close, and I'm ready to see the new team!
Portland, Philadelphia, and Orlando will pull their affiliates from the #USL at the end of the 2020 season, sources tell @TheAthleticSCCR. That’s two from the Championship and one from League One.First: @thebgnfm— Jeff Rueter (@jeffrueter) October 13, 2020
Philly is a bit of a surprise due to the amount of players playing for the Union that went through Bethlehem. Other two not so much. I assume this means that the "MLS requires an affiliate or full team in USL" isn't a hard and fast rule anymore. There were a few more clubs this year that I don't think had connections. I honestly hope this isn't a push from MLS to get a Reserve league started. Would much rather see SKC II drop to League 1 than to completely get out. I also don't think a new U23 "MLS Academy" level is comparable. The USLC level is getting tough for MLS2 teams to be as competitive as they once were (SKC the top MLS2 team in the east coming in 12th ... granted, completely random year based on crazy COVID schedules being unbalanced). Galaxy in the West in the playoffs, but dropped out quickly as the 8th seed. Interesting times.
USL Cup title game CANCELED due to positive tests in the Tampa Bay Rowdies organization. The head coach and one player tested positive on Friday, and other players tested positive on Saturday. League One title game was also canceled when ten members of Omaha Union tested positive. Greensville was declared champion anyway since they won the regular season title and League One has only one table. They did not break up into regional groups. https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/10/31/usl-championship-coronavirus-phoenix-rising-tampa-bay-rowdies
Welp, the Donner Pass Derby was fun while it lasted. Thank you. Thank you to all the fans for coming out and the community for embracing us for these four years.Thank you!#AllForOurCity | #VamosAzuleshttps://t.co/lF9T6RJkKD— SK Holdings (@SKholdings_) November 6, 2020
Cross-posting from the RGV thread... Another clue that MLS is pulling back its involvement in USL in favor of some form of reserve league - if what you read on the internet is to be believed!
This has more to do with Houston as an organization than the MLS/USL relationship. That being said, the trend is there and looks like they're moving apart, but I don't think this is a sign ... just a sign Houston is trying to lower costs across the board.
Interesting... Rumour: @LAFC will be taking over @lvlightsfc. Team will practice in LA and play in LV. Even the team know LV is a place to visit not to live. Let me be the first to welcome LAFC Lights 2. A 2 team with silly gimmick nights, we truly are in minor league baseball territory. pic.twitter.com/oN2rlei0yd— USL Memes ⭐ (@USLMemes) February 4, 2021