USSF Meeting in New York with USL and Team Owners Association
In an brief article in today’s News and Observer out of Cary, NC, they are reporting that the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) is in New York and meeting with United Soccer League (USL) officials and members of the Team Owners Association (TOA). This confirms reports that IMS has received from several sources that Sunil Gulati, president of the USSF, has called a meeting in his home state of New York to attempt to resolve the conflict. These meetings are scheduled to start today. It was also reported that a representative of Major League Soccer will also be in attendance for some of these meetings.
As reported here on Saturday, Tim Holt sent a letter to players who were under contract with the Carolina RailHawks, Minnesota Thunder and the Miami FC Blues, all teams involved with the TOA and all USL-1 franchises. The letter sent via email told the players they were no longer under contract with those clubs because the teams had not renewed their franchises for the 2010 season.
Minnesota Thunder officials told IMS that they spent the better part of the day on Friday explaining to players that they were still under contract with the Thunder and not USL.
In an interview on Saturday with Brian Wellman, president of the Carolina RailHawks, he stated that Carolina were also doing damage control and telling their players that Carolina will play next season one way or another.
“It was harsh,” said Wellman in an interview on Monday and speaking concerning Holt’s email. “It only hurts the players, confuses the fans, alerts the media and worries the sponsors.”
Wellman may very well be correct. Up until the email sent by Holt to the players, support of the TOA seemed to be lukewarm. But checking in on message boards after the Holt’s email to the players, opinion seems to have swung very much in favor of the TOA.
However, Holt may have had a point with the contract. According to Holt and in an interview with the News and Observer in Cary, NC, he said, “The professional contracts are limited to just teams that continue to operate as professional property. The RailHawks notified us several times of their decision to remove themselves from the USL.”
The News and Observer story goes on to say, “According to the e-mail from the USL, the players’ contract reads that ‘Should the Club fail to operate a professional soccer team within USL, this contract shall be terminated.’”
“Our actions were taken based completely on the language in the players’ contracts,” Holt said. “… And this all stems from the team terminating their franchise relationship with the USL, not the other way around.”
There are 5 teams that have reportedly not renewed their franchises with USL-1 for 2010. Inside Minnesota Soccer has learned that several other clubs have not renewed their franchise fees yet for 2010 but have made verbal commitments to do so with the league. Wellman said in an interview published in the Triangle Offense on Monday that Montreal and Vancouver are also teams that will not renew their contracts at this time and he expects players from those two teams to receive letters from the league when their playoff season is over. Ironically, both Montreal and Vancouver are still alive in the USL-1 playoffs are competing in the finals which will be held the next two weekends.
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“But checking in on message boards after the Holt’s email to the players, opinion seems to have swung very much in favor of the TOA.”
Really? Interesting opinion. I disagree. I think things are pretty much the same as they’ve were before hand. TOA team supporters were supportive of their teams, and non-TOA team supporters were supportive of their teams.
And I think everyone is pissed off and concerned that this is happening, and wishes it weren’t.
“And I think everyone is pissed off and concerned that this is happening, and wishes it weren’t”.
Really? Interesting opinion. I disagree.
A stronger and more focused second league will be a good thing in the long run. We have to stop thinking about next year and start thinking more about the future of american soccer as a whole.
In MN many people complained about moving back out to the NSC, but when it was all finished, we now all agree, we have a much better product to show-off and invite our new soccer friends to. Our new stadium is now something to be very proud of.
The USL1 was having little success in developing players to move up and that is a big problem for any second league in the long run.
Have some faith, this is in both the USSF and MLS benefit to have a re-designed/stronger second league and now they also get to be involved in shaping everyones future, including their own.
This meeting can be the start of better player development in a larger, better organized US player market.
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http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/10167678/U.S.-coach-says-youth-missing-match-experience
Rongen said his players’ wobbly performance had only been made worse by the decision to scrap the MLS Reserve Division last year.
“None of our MLS players are regular starters, and there’s no reserve league,” he said. “We go from full-time residency to a black hole. … That’s the reason we are erratic from game to game. There’s no game sharpness, there’s no game fitness, and no game rhythm.
“Because of the MLS dropping the reserve league the black hole will become deeper and darker.”
“Out of chaos, comes opportunity” – old chinese proverb
Good stuff Brian!
Unfortunately I don’t think anything will come out of this meeting. USL/Nurock should have approached the TOA as soon as they took over in order to make peace and open dialogue. Instead they ignored the issues and made the situation worse. USSF should have intervened earlier too.
“Rongen said his players’ wobbly performance had only been made worse by the decision to scrap the MLS Reserve Division last year.”
That and the fact that Rongen has never really won anything his whole coaching career. Yet US Soccer keeps bringing him back.
“And I think everyone is pissed off and concerned that this is happening, and wishes it weren’t”.
“Really? Interesting opinion. I disagree.
A stronger and more focused second league will be a good thing in the long run. We have to stop thinking about next year and start thinking more about the future of american soccer as a whole.”
I just can’t understand this way of thinking at all. If changes need to be made, they should be made cooperatively. Have the teams shouldn’t disappear and then we have to separate entities working at it in different ways. It’s hard enough to get people to take minor league soccer seriously.
I’m really hoping this is just really hard ball negotiation and things get worked out before next year.
Half the teams, that is.
If 50% of the team I coached said they did not want to play in the upcoming game, then I would not think their play would be all that good even if they all agree to go out and play. I don’t see them just talking to sort out problems and then kissing and making up at this point.
The USL1 as we knew it is now gone. Face the facts.
The question is what comes next, and can it do a better job in the all important job of developing players for the US National Teams (U20, U23 and MNT), and MLS which should be the main role of a second league.
That is where we all gain the most in the long run.
The best thing is that the talks involve MLS, TOA, USL, and US Soccer All the people that have a stake in improving what currently is not working. We need to hold our reps responsible for creating a more effective second league at developing better players for every level of fan support. WE need to be pressuring US Soccer, and MLS to give us something better, or else realize this chance was wasted and ended in a colossal failure for all US fans that support the game.
Start sending e-mails to MLS, and US Soccer and demand something better for us, the fans of our sport.
http://www.ussoccer.com/About/Federa…ontact-Us.aspx
http://www.facebook.com/officialussoccer
I think change is good.
Then again, I use a sledge hammer for thumb tacks.
I appreciate your theories and optimism.
The new season starts in six months, and currently we kind of have two sort of half leagues. And that’s before the off season really starts in earnest (in which, in every season I’ve been following, a team has folded or threatened to fold). Ask the Arena Football League how things went after they took a season off.
Do you really not see the possibility for disaster here? If not, good for you. I’m envious.
And I know that USL as we know it is gone. I think it was gone the second Nurock took over. But I am still hopeful that the sides can get together and go forward as one, in one way or another.
MLS is probably not going to sink any money into a second league since they barely pay their bottom tier rostered players enough to survive. This whole TOA thing is a debacle and the USL needs to go back to being a regional league in order to survive. The travel budgets for USL1 put it in a precarious situation from the get go. Part of the issue with players being developed in the USL is that MLS is not willing to pay for them case in point Mac Kandji. Hopefully the TOA and USL can put aside their differences in order to keep professional soccer alive in the US.
I probably agree with you more than anyone else Chris. I have also said the same thing for quite a while in that the travel expenses absolutely kill this league. We are in a very unique situation in the US with the great distances. As well, close proximity promotes regional rivalries which = fans at the stadium.
I’ve been told by Thunder owner Dean Johnson that it costs more to send a team on one away game than it they will take in on most home games. Unless of course they can draw big numbers like 5,000 or better.
So here’s an idea I passed by Thunder management recently. What if the league did add a few more teams so each region had a division and you played those teams once, but only more distant teams once a year? I haven’t really sat down and figured all the logistics of that but the concept seems good. Than again, what is close?
Minnesota’s geographical loneliness, soccer-wise, puts us in the most precarious position of all. We’re all alone up here.
I would think that not everything is as it seems. USL has new ownership, and I cannot imagine they did not do their research on what was happening. I think, whether this is a new league or USL, that expansion into regional territories is a “must do” strategy. The travel expenses are a major cost to each of these teams.
Thanks Brian and I like your earler comment about Rongen as he is hasn’t won much of anything although he still remains in the US coaching system. To lose those games the way the US team did to Germany and South Korea was ridiculous. He should have promptly resigned his post as opposed to making up excuses. What did he need out of that South Korea game a draw to advance? I digress and having played in the USL at the time when it was known by another name and the current name I think regional division rivalries are the best for the fans as well as the teams. Hopefully the NuRock group can expand the league on a regional basis. I think a 20 team league whether it be minor or major would stand a better chance of getting noticed.