North American Pro Soccer 2016

[DG_ThenNowForever]

You could do a 12-team USL division 3 league and an 18-team USL division 2 league, couldn't you?

 

Stick the "2" teams in USL-2 and move  the best of NASL and independent-ish USL Pro teams to USL-1 (like the Rhinos and Cosmos)?

 

That seems like the best way out of the current lower division mess, while also allowing the NASL teams to save some face.

[Gothamite]

That's pretty much what I expect to happen over the next couple years. 

[Nyk33]

12 hours ago, Gothamite said:

As for the Cosmos, I give them a 50/50 chance of folding if the NASL shuts down.  I think they're really only interested in D1, and saw the NASL as a way around MLS.  If that path is closed off, I'm not sure that their owners (whoever they are) are interested in the continued financial losses. 

 

I think I remember reading that Sela Sports (the mysterious group behind the Cosmos ownership) has a lot of money behind them and have ties in Asian soccer.

 

I'm hoping that once they realize that they can't get D1 soccer without playing ball with MLS they will find a way to get involved with RBNY.

 

12 hours ago, Gothamite said:

I dont see any reason why a team like the Bethlehem Steel

 

I thought the new Bethlehem Steel were basically Union II but with a throwback name.

 

9 hours ago, DG_Now said:

You could do a 12-team USL division 3 league and an 18-team USL division 2 league, couldn't you?

 

I don't know if you could do just an 18 team division 2. The USL has a crap ton of teams so I was thinking maybe making breaking it down to USL2 - East & USL2 - West and then having the MLS Reserves League.

[MJWalker45]

8 minutes ago, Nyk33 said:

 

I'm hoping that once they realize that they can't get D1 soccer without playing ball with MLS they will find a way to get involved with RBNY.

If they still insist on being in New York proper they won't go near Red Bulls. And if I was Red Bulls ownership I'd hold them to the fire with the sales price. I think the Cosmos biggest obstacle would be the league itself if MLS thinks they don't need the Cosmos name to sell seats. I think the league would bring them in, they'd just make sure they pay over the costs of bringing in a new team. Then they'd take the Cosmos logos, change them out for something else and bury them in a vault.

[Nyk33]

2 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

MLS thinks they don't need the Cosmos name to sell seats

 

I think an MLS Cosmos team would do a better job of filling up RBA or Belmont (if by some miracle they can get that stadium approved) than RBNY.

 

Like I said earlier RBNY needs some sort of PR spark.

[MJWalker45]

To most fans outside of New York, that team is just a name now.

[TBGKon]

On ‎9‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 7:09 PM, PacoRamirez said:

Thinks aren't looking great for NASL.

http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/09/21/nasl-shakeup-ottawa-fury-tampa-bay-rowdies-usl-bill-peterson

This is a strong statement when the Rowdies were one of the proponents of the revamped NASL.  As a Rowdies fan, I have no issue with this possibility.

[TBGKon]

19 hours ago, Nyk33 said:

My dream scenario out of this is that the remaining healthy NASL teams (except the Cosmos*) go to the USL and work something out where the independent clubs and "2" teams can play in separate leagues.

I think you're right, but I don't care if there's a merger where independent teams play the 2's.  If NASL goes kaput and USL becomes Tier 2, can we just eliminate Tier 3 at the pro level?

[Gothamite]

44 minutes ago, Nyk33 said:

I thought the new Bethlehem Steel were basically Union II but with a throwback name.

 

No, not really.  It's an affiliate team that the Union owns, not a reserve side.  There have plenty of players on loan from the Union, but the team also makes its own signings.

 

It's a competitive team, expected to connect with its market and sell tickets.   I don't see why they should be automatically excluded from D2.

[Gothamite]

3 minutes ago, AstroBull21 said:

I think you're right, but I don't care if there's a merger where independent teams play the 2's.  If NASL goes kaput and USL becomes Tier 2, can we just eliminate Tier 3 at the pro level?

 

I think we need a third tier.  I would keep the reserve sides in that third tier, along with any markets too small for the sprawling D2.

[TBGKon]

Just now, Gothamite said:

 

I think we need a third tier.  I would keep the reserve sides in that third tier, along with any markets too small for the sprawling D2.

Good point.  I project 9 NASL clubs would survive the merger with the Cosmos as a question mark to make 10.  Add that to the 29 existing USL clubs and that would be 39.

 

Which teams are true reserve sides?

[Gothamite]

37 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

If they still insist on being in New York proper they won't go near Red Bulls. And if I was Red Bulls ownership I'd hold them to the fire with the sales price. I think the Cosmos biggest obstacle would be the league itself if MLS thinks they don't need the Cosmos name to sell seats. I think the league would bring them in, they'd just make sure they pay over the costs of bringing in a new team. Then they'd take the Cosmos logos, change them out for something else and bury them in a vault.

 

The Cosmos aren't too concerned about "being in New York proper" - their new stadium is in the suburbs, arguably no more accessible than Red Bull Arena.

 

I don't think there's any particular animus on the part of MLS - they were willing to bring the Cosmos in, but it just didn't work out.  Had they struck the deal City Football Group did, we'd now be in Yankee Stadium or Citi Field chanting how New York is Green and White.

 

As for the Cosmos buying NYRB, this seems a pipe dream.  I presume that they have the money, but we don't know that Red Bull actually has any interest in selling.

 

1 minute ago, AstroBull21 said:

Good point.  I project 9 NASL clubs would survive the merger with the Cosmos as a question mark to make 10.  Add that to the 29 existing USL clubs and that would be 39.

 

Which teams are true reserve sides?

 

The 2s.  Galaxy II, Timbers 2, RBII.  They exist solely for player development, almost always play in the same market, sell no merchandise and don't have fanbases of their own. 

[MJWalker45]

1 minute ago, Gothamite said:

 

The Cosmos aren't too concerned about "being in New York proper" - their new stadium is in the suburbs, arguably no more accessible than Red Bull Arena.

 

I don't think there's any particular animus on the part of MLS - they were willing to bring the Cosmos in, but it just didn't work out.  Had they struck the deal City Football Group did, we'd now be in Yankee Stadium or Citi Field chanting how New York is Green and White.

 

As for the Cosmos buying NYRB, this seems a pipe dream.  I presume that they have the money, but we don't know that Red Bull actually has any interest in selling.

I occasionally here they are trying to drop the team, but that's been said for the last two years. 

[Gothamite]

Yeah, lots of rumors that they'd consider selling, but nothing firm.  And not even from great sources, as far as I can recall.

 

Again, seems like a pipe dream.

[Nyk33]

7 hours ago, Gothamite said:

 

No, not really.  It's an affiliate team that the Union owns, not a reserve side.  There have plenty of players on loan from the Union, but the team also makes its own signings.

 

It's a competitive team, expected to connect with its market and sell tickets.   I don't see why they should be automatically excluded from D2.

 

 

7 hours ago, Gothamite said:

Yeah, lots of rumors that they'd consider selling, but nothing firm.  And not even from great sources, as far as I can recall.

 

Again, seems like a pipe dream.

 

Well I did call it a dream scenario...

[Gothamite]

well, the USSF postponed its decision on the USL's application for D2 and the NASL's application for D1.  

 

 

I can't help but think that they're waiting for the chips to fall and the NASL to fold, so they don't have to be implicated in its demise. 

[winters in buffalo]

Why would they even entertain either request? Seems silly to even ask to have two leagues at the same level 

[Gothamite]

NYCFC clinches a playoff spot, with the Red Bulls victory over Montreal. 

 

The first time I've been happy about a Red Bulls win. 

[Nyk33]

1 hour ago, Gothamite said:

NYCFC clinches a playoff spot, with the Red Bulls victory over Montreal. 

 

The first time I've been happy about a Red Bulls win. 

 

Apparently Drogba got into an argument with a couple of Red Bull fans after the game.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

1 hour ago, winters in buffalo said:

Why would they even entertain either request? Seems silly to even ask to have two leagues at the same level 

 

NASL leaders are delusional. They believe there's a grand conspiracy against them; not that their current imploding status is a result of league mismanagement, poor expansion, and no strategic vision.