North American Pro Soccer 2015

[Geoff]

No one's debating that. Except the 4th, 5th, and 6th tiers have multiple leagues.

As does every country in the world.

I was referencing you only including the PDL in the 4th tier

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I was about to point out that DC United was playing a 9-man Revs team and unable to score for 20 minutes, but they punched one in. 1-1 with ten minutes to go.

Jermain Jones is a really fun player to watch. It's such a shame he was gifted to New England.

EDIT: and the Revs hold on. After about 40 minutes playing with 9 guys, they came out with a tie. That's pretty impressive.

[jaker52]

I have tickets to Impact-Crew in Columbus in 2 weeks. First MLS game should be fun.

[raysox]

Jermain Jones is a really fun player to watch. It's such a shame he was gifted to New England.

I feel like the team itself isn't bad, but they're stuck in 1996 brand wise. It's hard to even consider Boston having a team.

[Breakwood]

No one's debating that. Except the 4th, 5th, and 6th tiers have multiple leagues.

As does every country in the world.

I was referencing you only including the PDL in the 4th tier

Fair enough. I'm not all that knowledgeable of the league system below the USL.

[TBGKon]

Also, talk to me when Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale average seven thousand, never mind seventy.

So far thru 3 matches, the Rowdies are averaging 6440. Not too shabby for a stadium that seats 7010 at sold out.

[4_tattoos]

Did I miss something? Why is the San Jose/Orlando game being played at the Niners stadium? Don't the Quakes have a brand new stadium?

[2001mark]

I don't really follow the whole debate between USL and NASL and I don't really get why the argument exists but it's pretty clear to me that the NASL is a much better league than the USL. Everything about it is better from players to owners to attendance. There's a pretty clear gulf between the 2, just as there is between MLS and NASL.

I'd say the USA has a pretty clear pyramid:

1. MLS

2.NASL

3. USL

4. PDL

There ought to be some CanAm FA Cup style tourny for all these teams from all pro/semi-pro leagues. Seeing as we'll never have relegation in our near future - not until MLS goes 40 teams or whatever & forces it.

[TBGKon]

I don't really follow the whole debate between USL and NASL and I don't really get why the argument exists but it's pretty clear to me that the NASL is a much better league than the USL. Everything about it is better from players to owners to attendance. There's a pretty clear gulf between the 2, just as there is between MLS and NASL.

I'd say the USA has a pretty clear pyramid:

1. MLS

2.NASL

3. USL

4. PDL

There ought to be some CanAm FA Cup style tourny for all these teams from all pro/semi-pro leagues. Seeing as we'll never have relegation in our near future - not until MLS goes 40 teams or whatever & forces it.

There is, it's the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

[2001mark]

There is, it's the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

That's right. mah bad

[Needschat]

I don't really follow the whole debate between USL and NASL and I don't really get why the argument exists but it's pretty clear to me that the NASL is a much better league than the USL. Everything about it is better from players to owners to attendance. There's a pretty clear gulf between the 2, just as there is between MLS and NASL.

I'd say the USA has a pretty clear pyramid:

1. MLS

2.NASL

3. USL

4. PDL

There ought to be some CanAm FA Cup style tourny for all these teams from all pro/semi-pro leagues. Seeing as we'll never have relegation in our near future - not until MLS goes 40 teams or whatever & forces it.

There is, it's the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

Hunt Cup is for US teams only.

Canada has the Amway Canadian Championship, Otttawa and Edmonton from the NASL, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver from MLS.

[crashcarson15]

Sorry, didn't understand your question.

That will definitely impact their positioning in the U.S. Open Cup. Higher divisions get byes to later rounds, so any NASL team will have to play more games.

I would expect that being a third division league will make it harder to bring in foreign talent. It's one thing to be a strong D2, another altogether to be D3 with no chance of promotion. It will also hurt their ability to not only lure additional ownership groups, but keep the ones they have. Whoever ends up in the third division will be playing against MLS reserve sides, which is hardly what teams like the Cosmos signed up for.

Having to play one more game in the Open Cup each year (against a semi-professional or amateur side, at that) shouldn’t be a reason to expand into a market without proper ownership.

NASL doesn’t have to admit MLS reserve sides if they don’t want to.

At the end of the day, NASL offers higher wages, has higher attendances, and has better-run clubs. Whether someone calls them D2 or D3 doesn’t change any of that.

[Gothamite]

I think you're absolutely wrong, but let's hope the NASL's Icarus complex doesn't put it to the test.

[NJTank]

The NASL is safe as the 2nd tier for one big reason. The have a hold of the strongest soccer hotbed in the US. The state of Florida.

And he's quick with a joke, or to light up a smoke...

And there talking to Davy who is still in the Navy and probably will be for life

[Corvus]

Perhaps the NASL should be more worried about their now suspended chairman being implicated in the FIFA scandal...

[bosrs1]

Sorry, didn't understand your question.

That will definitely impact their positioning in the U.S. Open Cup. Higher divisions get byes to later rounds, so any NASL team will have to play more games.

I would expect that being a third division league will make it harder to bring in foreign talent. It's one thing to be a strong D2, another altogether to be D3 with no chance of promotion. It will also hurt their ability to not only lure additional ownership groups, but keep the ones they have. Whoever ends up in the third division will be playing against MLS reserve sides, which is hardly what teams like the Cosmos signed up for.

Having to play one more game in the Open Cup each year (against a semi-professional or amateur side, at that) shouldn’t be a reason to expand into a market without proper ownership.

NASL doesn’t have to admit MLS reserve sides if they don’t want to.

At the end of the day, NASL offers higher wages, has higher attendances, and has better-run clubs. Whether someone calls them D2 or D3 doesn’t change any of that.

Playing less US Open games didn't help the NASL much on Wednesday with the USL sides sweeping the 7 games played between the two leagues.

[Gothamite]

And unlike MLS, the NASL takes the US Open Cup very, very seriously. Historically bad day for their league.

As for the scandal, it's not just their chairman. He works for Traffic Sports, which owns the Railhawks, holds the marketing rights to the NASL and oh yeah is the single biggest shareholder in the league. Traffic financed the league to get it off the ground and remains entwined in its organizational structure, and they were also involved in the bribes.

The NASL will need to find a new principal investor - expect the Cosmos' Sela Sport to step up.

[pcgd]

Wonder if they had any idea this was coming and that was the reason to somewhat "rush" the Miami expansion with their owners deep pockets and businesses?

[bosrs1]

And unlike MLS, the NASL takes the US Open Cup very, very seriously. Historically bad day for their league.

As for the scandal, it's not just their chairman. He works for Traffic Sports, which owns the Railhawks, holds the marketing rights to the NASL and oh yeah is the single biggest shareholder in the league. Traffic financed the league to get it off the ground and remains entwined in its organizational structure, and they were also involved in the bribes.

The NASL will need to find a new principal investor - expect the Cosmos' Sela Sport to step up.

Assuming the Cosmos don't just throw in the towel. I mean they've already run into a neverending roadblock in their efforts to get a stadium. Their attendance has been in steady decline. They didn't take the NY market by storm as they expected to. Might be a good time for them to cut their losses rather than double down on a league that is likely about to be thrown into total disarray. (and was just proven to be less a competitor for MLS than an equal or even inferior to MLS's minor league USL).

[Needschat]

If the Cosmos don't give up, I'd like to see a majority of the teams slide into a new league, MLS II, with promotion/relegation. Pipe dream, I know.....