Rochester Rhinos Switch Leagues: What Now for USL and NASL?
And then there were…very few. The announcement today by the Rochester Rhinos that they were joining America’s Great American Soccer Independence Movement of 2009 by quitting the USL for the newly revived NASL leaves the status of America’s lower league structure in quite the pickle.
On the one hand, we have the previous Division II league, USL-1, down to just four teams confirmed for 2010 (with Portland set to leave by 2011). It’s hard to see how USL-1 is not finished as a Division II league, with rumour already spreading that Puerto Rico will jump ship soon as well. It’s clear that the purchase of the league by nuRock has been a failure in terms of keeping the structure together and the USL-1 team owners who were agitating for change content (as Brian Quarstad said in a comment here, Nike should be ashamed for the role they played in this mess to begin with).
On the other hand, we have the new NASL up to ten members, but they have yet to be approved by the USSF for play as a Division II league for 2010. They have just a few short weeks to get that permission, or April 2010 will be an impossible start-date for the new league. They remain long on worthy ambition and short on the prospect for profitability, but presuming they do get the nod from the USSF, they will have a big opportunity to follow-through.
But while the dispute has become bitter and hardly reflects well on either side of the fence, there is a way for USL to survive and the NASL to exist simulatenously: the former should focus on its core, unusually profitable (in American soccer) business of being the essential development structure at the semi-pro level for men and women, with a still strong enough nucleus for a decent tip of the pyramid in USL-2.
The NASL, meanwhile, can with sensible investment and smart decisions be a successful replacement for USL-1 and perhaps take us to the promised land of something like an MLS-2 in, say, a decade. Or two (let’s not get greedy, folks). It’s a long way off, but there is plenty of room for the growth of a strong Division II if they can survive what are bound to be difficult teething pains (just as MLS went through).
Indeed, some might say two separate entities makes more sense than the previous structure anyway, given that the priorities of the USL’s ownership for their broader umbrella and the elite ambitions of a few USL-1 clubs had long become increasingly difficult to reconcile.
I’m not saying this is going to happen, and it’s far easier to say than do — there are many lawyers with a lot of money they could make out of this mess salivating right now, and egos at stake — but it should be the priority of US Soccer to do whatever they can to facilitate a resolution that protects the existing, essential part of the USL structure and gives us a nationwide second division for 2010 and beyond. And it now looks like the latter has to be the NASL.
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Damnit, I hope this new NASL works. I do appreciate what USL has been able to do to sustain the sport, but it really seems like it’s time for a new professionalism for Div. II soccer. I cannot see how any true fan wouldn’t want the NASL to succeed.
This whole thing is absolutely terrible. I have no idea where my team, Cleveland, will be playing next season, if they’ll be playing at all.
This mess reminds me of the pre-MLS days where soccer competed with itself more anything else.
Reviving the NASL brand is exciting. Great teams and tradition in Vancouver and Portland will soon all be in MLS however, Montreal, the Rowdies, Atlanta etc. form a pretty solid base to build more success.
All I ask is that they get a western division and put a team in USD’s Torero stadium in San Diego. Maybe Phoenix, Albuquerque, El Paso and ‘Vegas (Austin?) can round out the division
Of course, we need more Paulsens and Saputos to model teams after. These are the Anschutzes of the USL-1 and we need their vision, pocketbooks and stability.
Good luck NASL!
This is good news. I really don’t understand all of the complaints. We are getting a serious D2 soccer league and folks should be excited, not pessimistic. The USL1 was a joke – if you didn’t know that you haven’t been paying attention for the last 10+ years.
That is what US soccer needs another pro league that pays players semi pro wages. Yes, there should be a pro league. But the league should have at least 200 pro teams with 10 divisions. There should be a min. fee to enter and not a $200,000 or even $35 million fee. The money should be spent on paying players and not making money for the league owners. The US Soccer Federation has been sleeping on the switch for a longtime. They need to revolutionize soccer and not allow the status quo to rule. But guess what there is no accountability. That is why soccer in the US is at best Helter Skelter. You have pro leagues that are joke, youth soccer is one big day care program, college soccer is just there, and a Federation that only cares about the national teams and the MLS. Yes we need a soccer revolution in the US but until we get rid of the Madison Ave Suits and bring in people who truly have lived the game then we will continue to get what we get and that is mediocrity.
You had me until the whole reference to MLS-2, which is vaporware. And it’s not the “promised land.”
What do we have to do to get people to stop insisting that American soccer will be just fine and dandy and hunky-dory if and only if and when promotion and relegation is instituted?
As to the general point of the post….it doesn’t look good for USL-1, now does it?
My thought this morning is that they’re going to have to “combine” what’s left of USL-1 with USL-2 into a “pro division” or something. But that’s just off the top of my head.
KT — what is vaporware? Eh? Your sarcasm sensor was obviously off for “promised land”, as well. Not sure where I said everything for American soccer would be hunky dory if we had pro-rel, either.
Yep, it looks terrible for USl-1.
AS a former Player in the USL at multiple divisions, it was just a matter of time before the teams jumped ship. There really needs to be more of a regional Divison 2 that is the lone sub league of the MLS and they need to play closer games to decrease costs and allow for teams to survive. If teams can survive then they can create fan bases and make enough dough to pay players decent money. Eventually moving to a relegation system so that cities have the oppurtunity to support a team and help them move to the top tier.
It will never work with these rotating leagues and teams. It frustrating for players and fans.
Many people talk about the need for a wider talent net in the US for soccer players, but until the first and second division start offering respectable wages and stable employment, world cup qualification will be the goal and advancement the dream (come true on occasion).
Honestly other than lawsuits, what choice does the USL have?
Bankruptcy?
The league will probably lose Austin, Portland and PR, the NYC team seems dead in the water and although they can make the current USL-2 teams the “first Division” of the USL, that is not the best outcome either.
So it’s best that the USL just give in, lick their wounds and play the current USL – 2 and PDL teams as some sort of combined league where possible. Concentrate on building a solid marketing plan, which seems to be one of the issues that the NASL has, and then try to expand the brand again but smartly.
One of the biggest issues I’ve had the last 15 odd years of following the USL is how many teams have folded because of bad management which seems obvious to all but the USL FO….like the Edmonton Aviators – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_Aviators – a few years ago and the current NYFC fiasco.
The USL does the developmental leagues best and that may be their future but as a professional league, I think they are finished.
I’ve been following the saga from across the pond and I have to say it is an intriguing situation to say the least.
The first English championship was played with 12 teams and has gradually expanded to where it is now, going through growing pains at each stage and facing similar dilemmas. Similarly the Japanese soccer structure has undergone reforms in outlook as it has laid down stronger roots – so there is plenty of precedent in trying to work out potential ways forward.
For example the principle of open competition gained support as giant-killings continued to occur in the various challenge cups (including the FA Cup) and the popularisation of the sport was aided by establishing a truly meritocratic basis. It took 12 years to increase from 12 to 40 member clubs and just over another 20 years to expand to 88 teams, but it is only in the past few decades that membership of the 4 division heirarchy of fully-professional ranks (the current 92 league clubs) has become awarded on the basis of automatic right determined from end-of-season positions rather than by election as sufficient clubs at the non-league level met the criteria for entry (mainly stadium conditions – minimum capacity of 5,000, fulfilling media and corporate requirements etc).
Reading the complaints coming from each of the owner groups it is clear there are divergent issues each with economic origins that were pulling in opposite directions. On one side there seems to be a desire to fulfill untapped potential for a stronger national league, while on the other there are several clubs which don’t have the resources or infrastructure to support this and are heading towards greater regionalisation.
In particular travel costs has been a big criticism of the smaller clubs. For Miami of PR this makes little difference, but at the level of a Wilmington, Richmond or Carolina it makes more sense to consolidate the league on a geographic area.
My feeling is that USL should has been failing the clubs by providing insufficient matchdays in the schedule as revenue generators (primarily ticket-sales – in Europe 15 guaranteed home dates is seen as the absolute minimum for professional survival – English clubs below the premiership have 24, an immediate increase of over 50% in earning potential) and they will increasingly focus on the regionalisation aspect.
Inevitably the structure will continue to evolve, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the PDL merges with the NPSL – consider the oddity of Reading United and Reading Revolution playing in parallel 4th tier divisions on opposite sides of the town!
But my first piece of advice would be to push for an end to play-in games in the Open Cup in order to broaden the participative base and give greater opportunity to demostrate that what matters most is what happens on the field, not who owns the facilities and contract rights.