USL and NASL Reach Agreement to Ensure 2010 Professional Soccer Season

League will consist of 12 teams

AUSTIN, Tex. (Thursday, January 07, 2010) – The United States Soccer Federation announced today that an agreement has been reached between the United Soccer Leagues and the North American Soccer League that will ensure a 2010 professional soccer season for the Austin Aztex. The new league will consist of two conferences with six teams in each for a total of 12 teams for the upcoming season. The 2010 season will kick off in April and run through late September.

After months of deliberation between the USL and the NASL, the USSF took it into its hands to bring the two sides together. The new Division II league will be administered by USSF and will play a schedule consisting of 30-32 matches. The USL Conference will consist of the Austin Aztex, Minnesota, Portland Timbers, Puerto Rico Islanders, Rochester Rhinos, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The NASL Conference will consist of AC St. Louis, Baltimore Crystal Palace, Carolina Railhawks, Miami FC, Montreal Impact, and the Vancouver Whitecaps. The schedule will include interleague play.

“I’m very delighted that we have a resolution for a second division soccer league,” said Aztex president Phil Rawlins. “I want to thank the United States Soccer Federation for stepping in and allowing common sense to prevail in this situation. With 12 quality teams in our league, we are looking forward to a very competitive and very exciting season.”

I think most people in Green Bay and the state of Wisconsin would claim to be owners of the Packers as well!

In other cases, and this is the more prevalent, teams are owned by voluntary membership clubs. For example, Lake Wobegon Soccer Club from the town of Lake Wobegon, MN has paying members. Most of these are residents of the town, but not necessarily, but they are all soccer fans and want to support this team for which they have affinity. All the paying members for the Club Membership Assembly. Once per year they elect a Board of Directors, who are all still serving as volunteers. The Board of Directors in turn hires and fires coaching and other staff, and are responsible for the management of the clubs finances. In this system, the fans actually support with their dollars and votes and volunteer participation their local team. This is how teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United, etc are so successful. They have supporting members throughout the world.

Of course, the reason why this is possible in Europe is because they have a very large market. Almost everyone supports soccer in their town. I lived for a short period of time in a small city in Sweden. That team was a very good team in one of the lower divisions (3 or 4). The size of the city was just not large enough for them to move to the 2nd division, even though at times their team was good enough. So, instead they concentrated on playing great football in the lower division, but they concentrated on developing young talent. Every year they developed 1 or 2 great players who moved to the 1st division, and the club made great profit on the transfer. Anyhow, I’m getting too long now. Perhaps this clarifies some of what I meant.

fotbalist, I’ve stopped trying to preformulate anything anymore. Every time you think you have something figured out in this story, it changes or someone throws a curve ball. It’s been a fascinating ride, but I think its time to get off the roller-coaster.

I think there will still be plenty of exciting things happening in Division II soccer over the next year a half. Add that to situation MLS needs to get through right now with the players union and that it’s a World Cup year, this is going to be one hell-of-a-year to be following the sport in the US and Canada.

Needless to say, I’m anxiously waiting for Fri morning’s news. I’m sure that BQ is already formulating the wording on the two possible outcomes.

Come to think of it, I don’t ever recall USSF ever running a league of its own throughout its long history. Similar to the way the English FA does with the Championship and Football Leagues today. Perhaps if it had done so during the early years of soccer in America, there would have never been so many disputes between USSF and countless leagues that have come and gone, eventually damaging the sport in the long run.