Just a hypothesis........................... Lets say during the Seattle, Portland, Montreal and/or Vancouver MLS expansion talks a question from one of the teams says something along the lines of "why don't you work closer with the USL?" Lets say during the Seattle, Portland, Montreal and/or Vancouver chit chats down in Tampa with Marcos one of the teams says something along the lines of "why don't we work closer with MLS?" Suppose that the TOA is a group of owners who want to integrate closer into a single pyramid with MLS. It might make sense they try to throw there weight around. What doesn't make sense is Portland and Vancouver (possibly Montreal) luring 5 other teams and expansion owners into a 'league' that doesn't exist when they will be joining MLS in 2011 (possibly 2012 Montreal). Portland and Vancouver (possibly Montreal) see a way to either keep or build a great youth system (this was a stumbling block with Vancouvers expansion). MLS loves these developmental players and their 'peanuts-for-pay' contracts. MLS hates USL and the ability to pay more for the developmental guys. MLS sees a way to finally get one structured pyramid and USL finds a way to integrate into a established league. So the peace talks between the USL and TOA would then include Sunil (who if he's doing his job would naturally be there) and Garber also. or the whole thing is atypical of US soccer. A fiasco-wrapped-in-a-disaster-encircled-by-a-$***fight with no winners only losers and everyone pointing the finger of blame at the other.
Your wild-ass theories might be contemplated with some interest if you didn't have glaring errors like including Portland in the TOA side of things. It's also pretty tiresome for you to start a new thread when there's already an obvious place to put your ideas.
Merritt Paulson has said that he is sympathetic with the goals of the TOA, but changing leagues isn't an option. I believe changing isn't easily considered because the contract with the city states "United Soccer Leagues" instead of just any old soccer league or outfit. I'd think the contract could be changed, but with so many irons in the fire right now, that's something for which Paulson would prefer not to spend valuable time.
I assume the contract with the city you speak of is for the use of PGE Park? If so let's say a TOA breakaway happens. Does Portland self relegate to USL-2 next season? Or not play? I doubt with the kind of fan support the Timbers have they'll not field a team at all. The only teams that aren't in the TOA camp, or sympathetic to the cause and likely to join the new league as well(FCNY and PR), are Charleston, Rochester, Cleveland, Austin and Portland. Barring an insane expansion there may not be enough teams to field a USL-1 next year. What do the Timbers do then? Granted, taking the year off isn't the worst thing in the world, since MLS is coming, but still, when you're pulling 10K fans per game shutting things down seems silly.
USL-1 could make it through 2010 with these 5 by adding NuRock's Birmingham team, the Ottawa Fury, and Crystal Palace Baltimore (who wants to go USL-1) and getting a couple of teams (likely GR and Indy) added to USL-2 quickly to get it back up to 8 (I don't see the Hogges answering the bell in '10). The prob;em would be the need for an 8th team in 2011 to replace the Timbers. Hopefully Hamilton would be ready by then and not going to the TOA league. btw, I know that the Rhinos and Battery are persona non grata in the eyes of the TOA and would have no chance to but to play USL-Pro (i.e. USL-2) soccer if USL-1 can't keep going, but what about Cleveland and Austin? Which of the following do you think would happen in each of their cases if USL-1 goes bust? a. team goes to TOA league b. team goes to USL-Pro of own volition c. team goes to USL-Pro because TOA won't take them d. team folds Remember, Cleveland is under new, local, ownership, so the ties to the USL may not be as strong as they were under AIS/CSF ownership. btw, this question is directed at anybody with an opinion on the matter, not just the quoted poster.
OK sorry Violet. Don't want you having to read more than one post. My bad. Next time you see my wild ass theory just jump to the next thread, thats the best and only advice I have for you. I could point to your continual insistance that NYC2 and Atlanta were certain to be admitted to MLS in the last round of expansion. You would harp on how you knew the guy from Stoke who ran the USL 1 team and had inside info............none of which came to fruition. I might agree with you that the Rhinos and Battery are in the other camp but this is one situation where I think each side needs the other. A breakaway league and USL-1 each trying to operate independant of the other is a nuclear option for both sides IMO. I think they both need the other and realize it.
I've mentioned many times that my memory is crap. So I'd love to have you point to where I continually insist "that NYC2 and Atlanta were certain to be admitted to MLS in the last round of expansion". With my tendency to speak conditionally, I have a very hard time believing that I've done that. Especially continually. I hope you're not confusing me with Alejo.
No worries so far. Let's ride this thread-train and see where it leads us. We are all about discussion here at BS. Carry on.
I'm sorry but I really do not understand this whole TOA, the USL and MLS situation or for that matter, NuRock and Nike's involvement.
In two minutes or less: Several USL-1 clubs have long had issues with the way the league is run, including the fact that unlike every other sports league you can think of, the league was not owned by the clubs (most recently it was owned by Nike). When Nike decided to sell the league, some of the clubs (led by Traffic Sports, owners of Miami FC) put together a bid to buy the league. That bid fell short, but Traffic and those team owners discovered a lot of common ground with the guy who submitted the highest bid, Jeff Cooper of St. Louis Soccer United. The teams were working with Cooper to iron out plans for the USL-1 while Nike was doing due diligence into Cooper's finances. Suddenly, from nowhere, Nike announced that the league had been sold to NuRock, a company headed by a college roommate/teammate of USL honcho Francisco Marcos. The clubs were not consulted, or even informed, of the sale until the public announcement. Nobody - not Nike, not NuRock, not USL brass - has explained why the league was suddenly sold to a party who had not submitted the highest bid. Cooper was never given a chance to match whatever NuRock put on the table (and we still don't even know what that was). The TOA clubs decided this was the last straw and announced they were "aggressively pursuing all options" for 2010, including forming a new league. The signatories to this press release were Minnesota, Miami, Carolina, Vancouver, Montreal, the expansion Tampa Bay Rowdies, the former Atlanta Silverbacks, and the aforementioned Jeff Cooper of StLSU. Minnesota, Miami, and Carolina did not re-up for USL membership in 2010. The USL responded by telling all the players for those teams that they were now released from their contracts. The USSF countered that no, they were not. Players for Montreal and Vancouver would have gotten those letters, too, had they not been playing in the USL playoffs at the time. The current discussions are over whether the TOA teams can be brought back to the USL-1 fold; whether MLS is interested in affiliating with a breakaway league, presumably absorbing it as a second division; whether a new independent league will have USSF sanction; and God knows what else. Make sense now?
Wicked sticky. Wicked pissah. I wish I had a mind for all this stuff. It's interesting in a way. Like the protocol for shuttle launches. But cat this point I am just dying to see how 2010 unfolds in American soccer.