Tim Holt, President of USL Speaks About the Future of the League
The United Soccer League has seen its share of ups and downs over the last 24 years of existence. The league started in 1986, while the modern era of USL is said to have begun in 1997. It certainly wouldn’t be a stretch to say that none of those years were as eventful for the organization as 2009 and the beginning of 2010.
The USL, who had been owned by Umbro, a division of Nike, sold the league in late August to NuRock Holdings which was owned by Rob Hoskins and Alec Papadakis. While league founder Francisco Marcos stayed involved with the organization, he now has a more limited role. Tim Holt, who had served as USL Executive Vice President and COO the prior two years was named President.
At the same time a group of USL-1 team owners calling themselves the Team Owners Association eventually formed a rival league called the North American Soccer League (NASL). The NASL caused enough tension within US Soccer that President Sunil Gulati finally announced on January 7th that neither the NASL or the USL would be sanctioned for 2011, but instead the USSF would sanction the league for 2010, giving both sides time to prepare for the opportunity to try again in 2011.
Tim Holt and the USL have been very busy of late. This past week the USL officially announced they will make a bid for sanctioning of Division II soccer in the US in 2011. This was solidified by the announcement of a new USL-1 franchise to operate in Orlando that same year. “This is the first of many important announcements we will make as USL moves forward with its plans to re-establish the USL First Division in 2011,” stated USL CEO Alec Papadakis.
Although the announcement was received well in the Orlando area, it was not without some controversy. Not because the USL made public their decision to move forward in attaining sanctioning but because Steve Donner is leading up the franchise. Donner, who has been involved with many successful sports franchises throughout the US, left his recent venture with the Rochester Rhinos, another former USL-1 soccer team, amidst controversy.
On Wednesday, March 9, the USL will hold another press conference in New York City to announce the head coach and technical director of one more USL-1 expansion team , FC New York. USL originally announced FC New York as a USL-1 expansion team in April of 2009 but the organization ended up passing on the 2010 USSF Division II Pro League season. Tomorrow’s press conference will also serve as an opportunity for the expansion team to show their intention of joining USL’s bid for sanctioning in 2011.
Tim Holt took time from his very busy schedule to respond to questions from Inside Minnesota Soccer. The USL President addressed the changes that have taken place in USL this past year and the future of the organization including an expanded USL-2 for the West Coast.
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IMS: Tim, the USL seems to be making a lot of moves recently to be more visible in the media, adding a Facebook page, twittering more, and adding a new blog where you and others from USL headquarters are giving us some insights into the organization. You’ve recently hired a PR guy in Jay Preble to coordinate some of those efforts. I’m also hearing there are internal changes within USL since NuRock Holdings have taken over.
From a business perspective can you tell us what is going on internally with USL and how those changes will affect the leagues you run and the fans of those leagues?
USL President Tim Holt
HOLT: It has indeed been an eventful six months since NuRock acquired USL from Nike. Immediately, our new ownership group embarked on an evaluation of the overall state of the organization through in-depth meetings with team owners at all levels, leaders in American soccer, and our staff. After taking stock of our strengths and weaknesses and weighing those against the marketplace opportunities and challenges, we spent considerable time discussing and reshaping the strategic vision for our entire organization and each component part.
Two areas identified for immediate attention are:
1) The manner and frequency with which USL communicates (to teams, fans, media, etc.)
2) The need to increase the level of services provided to our teams.
The recent changes from a communications and personnel standpoint are part of the execution of this reshaped strategic vision. In social media, what was in the past merely passive presence on social networks like Facebook and Twitter has become a daily commitment to actively communicating through these media and creating a more “open” USL for all of our fans. Another important feature of this initiative is the creation of the USL Free Kicks blog where everyone from our CEO to our interns regularly contributes on relevant issues.
From a personnel standpoint, it has been an especially active time over the past 45 days. For starters, adding someone of Jay Preble’s caliber and the perspective he brings from over a decade in the NHL has been a major plus; yet of equal significance is the appointment of Seth Witkowicz as our Director, New Media, which underscores the fact that we intend to dedicate real resources and focus in this realm. On the competition side, we have added Peter Mellor to serve as USL’s first National Technical Director. Peter is a highly-respected coach both domestically and internationally, and has committed his career to developing elite players and coaches during his time with USSF, NSCAA, and MLS teams. In addition to overseeing the curriculum and structure for all league player activities (showcases, combines, ODP, etc.), he will work closely with all teams as a resource at their disposal. Further, we have added Casey Armstrong from the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a full-time Director, Creative Services to boost our in-house graphic productions and do the same for our teams. Additional staff will also be added prior to the season in operations and league growth.
These are just the beginning of a series of exciting moves we will continue to make to enhance our overall communications and bolster service for all USL members. It is a real credit to league ownership that they are willing to make the investment of resources necessary to support and benefit our teams through the improved year-round service they will receive.
IMS: Some people have been critical of the franchise system that USL has used in the past for USL-1 and the old A-League (1997-2004). Why do you think that system was effective and do you think the league would have survived for 12 seasons if not for the franchise system?
HOLT: USL has been continuously operating since 1986 at all its levels because it provides a reliable structure by which team owners can develop soccer players and offer exciting yet affordable family entertainment in their respective markets. There hasn’t just been one single governance approach or model which has served USL-1 (or USL overall) during this period. It is constantly evolving, and every season there are modifications to the structure of the league and the relationship between the league and its teams.
Despite what some may profess, there is also not a single “right model” for professional soccer in the United States. MLS has a different model than USL, and both have different models than that employed by NASL. Our franchise model allows team owners to have nearly full autonomy within their markets on and off the field, whilst allowing for centralized support in areas such as marketing services, TV/internet exposure, player registration, officiating, operations and club growth. Most importantly, our quarter-century of expertise and economies of scale allow us to provide a high level of service for tremendous value in terms of what teams annually contribute to support league office operations. If this were not the case, we would not have over 120 senior franchises and 500 elite youth teams across 100 U.S., Canadian, and Caribbean markets actively participating in our system.
Whether the historic achievements in the A-League/USL-1 since 1997 were because of or in spite of our franchise model of our league is a matter for debate. The more important issue is identifying an economically viable model in 2010 and beyond for domestic professional soccer below MLS. We believe that the direction we are going as a result of some of our recent changes will ultimately be the most effective in serving the marketplace and attracting prospective new soccer team owners. Is there room to improve and make further changes? Always, and this process never stops.
IMS: The USL was pretty quiet throughout this past summer and fall when there was an attempt by NASL to take over the sanctioning of second division soccer. In the end, there were only three out of the remaining eight teams from 2009 that ended up affiliating themselves with USL and one team that dropped to USL-2 (Charleston Battery). You lost the sanctioning of the league to US Soccer for 2010 and it appeared at that time that the USL took a public relations hit. In retrospect, do you feel it was a mistake not being more vocal?
HOLT: From a public perception standpoint, we clearly took a hit by not responding to the various public attacks and associated misinformation which was out there late last year. (For example, it was alleged that USL-1 was not “in compliance with FIFA” because of its operating/ownership model. This is simply false, which is the reason why no specific statute or bylaw was ever cited to support this.) While we do not regret the decision to take the high road and work through the proper channels to combat the various propaganda so as not to further publicly escalate the dispute, we do recognize that this approach allowed for those who were shouting the loudest and most vociferously to control perception, at least in the blogosphere.
For the record, USL ownership (first Umbro, then Nike, and finally NuRock) were willing to collaborate with the disenchanted team owners on the adoption of a reformed USL-1 business model. However despite the various proposals advanced by USL, it became clear that at least several of these team owners would not be satisfied or continue in USL-1 without ownership and absolute control of this property ceded to them.
Frankly, it doesn’t benefit anyone to delve into any further details or rehash the past. We have moved on and look forward to applying for sanctioning and re-launching USL-1 in 2011.
IMS: I’ve heard that USL-1 did not bring in much money to the league although there were some profits, but overall it was a pretty expensive endeavor. If that is true, then tell me from USL’s perspective why you are even interested in 2nd division soccer? Is it the high visibility that the league has?
HOLT: Although I am not at liberty to get into specific financial details, it would be fair to state that since the merger in 1997 USL has invested substantially more into the A-League/USL-1 than it has generated in revenue from this property. This includes taking responsibility for teams mid-season to ensure the continuity of the league and limit damage to the sport of pro soccer in those communities. It also includes making the major investment in important USL-1 marketing/broadcast initiatives such as the Fox Soccer Channel package and our broadband network USL Live.
One of the primary business objectives for USL is developing the sport of soccer at all levels. USL-1 is a very important property for our organization, but it is also one of six different important properties. All of these properties play a key role in the overall success of USL in terms of its financial and other business objectives. There is no question that the visibility of USL-1 has allowed us to educate others as to the important work being done within the PDL, Super Y-League, etc. In return, our developmental leagues have served to develop hundreds of players for USL-1 and create a defined pathway for future pros through the USL system. Again, our ownership and management of USL-1 has always been more than just a bottom-line exercise and viewed as a long-term investment for the organization.
IMS: If your goal is to be the sanctioned 2nd division soccer league in 2011, how do you plan on bringing teams back into the USL fold so you have the support you need to run a league?
HOLT: We are fully committed to apply for sanctioning as a USSF Division II Men’s Professional League for the 2011 season. Currently, USSF is going through an internal process of reviewing their standards for leagues/teams at this level. Once this is complete, the league application process will commence and we intend to be prepared to submit an application compliant with these revised standards.
Our well-received announcement in Orlando last week represents what we expect to be the first of several during the next couple of months regarding teams that are joining USL-1 in order to compete in 2011. (We are in serious discussions with a half-dozen other groups on both coasts.) The Orlando Titans have done an exemplary job connecting with not only the lacrosse community in Central Florida but the overall sports community. The overwhelming turnout by local media and soccer leaders alike is a great sign that the time is right for professional soccer in Orlando. (It should also be noted that the PDL / SYL club Central Florida Kraze has done yeoman’s work in building interest and awareness in USL over the past decade.) All of the pieces are coming together at the right time in Orlando.
In the wake of the USSF decision not to sanction a Division II Men’s Professional League member organization for 2010, our new reality is that we are faced with a new series of questions about USL-1 and its future by prospective team owners. We are answering these questions through the development of a very thoroughly analyzed business plan which demonstrates how USL-1 will be successful going forward for all of its stakeholders. Not only does this include the aforementioned concerted emphasis on team services, but also the creation of a clearly defined economic model for team operations. What we set out to achieve over the next several years is a disciplined, economically-viable model for professional soccer that avoids the reckless overspending of failed leagues in the past, whilst providing a highly competitive and entertaining on-field product.
IMS: The USL also lost some teams in USL-2 this past year. Charleston dropped from USL-1 to USL-2 but that still is only 6 teams active for this season. FIFA normally requires 8 teams to run a league. I am hearing that you are working hard on an expansion of USL-2 (D-3). Can you give us any insights into that and where will these teams be coming from?
HOLT: USL-2 is the only USSF-sanctioned DIII Men’s Professional League and the longest-standing active American professional soccer league. No different than USL-1, the main characteristics for USL-2 include a high level of on-field competition, teams positioned to achieve profitability through the support of the USL office/structure, and a connection with our fans in all markets. Although it typically doesn’t get the same spotlight as USL-1, USL-2 is a very important league within our structure and the one which has the most immediate growth opportunity.
We will be expanding USL-2 to form a Western Conference for 2011, which will be comprised of some current PDL teams and expansion teams. At this base level of professional soccer maintaining regional competition and controlling expenses is imperative so there will not be teams traveling coast-to-coast with any regularity except for the post-season. Most USL-2 teams operate on a low to mid six-figure budget and are heavily reliant on local sponsorship, ticket sales, and camp revenue to cover expenses. The current roster of teams for 2010 includes amongst the best operated organizations in the USL system including the likes of the Charleston Battery, Charlotte Eagles and Richmond Kickers and boasts an average of 12 years of USL pro league participation. We believe that this regional competition format model is ideal for lower division professional soccer and that the next 3-5 years will represent a renaissance period for USL-2.
IMS: What direction does the organization see itself going and why? Specifically, do you have a plan on focusing more on PDL, W-League, Super-20 and Super Y or on the leagues (2nd and 3rd division) you have just mentioned?
HOLT: We have always been focused on our “developmental leagues” (PDL, W-League, Super-20, and SYL), but have never focused on them at the expense of our professional leagues or vice-versa. The same will be the case moving forward. Again, we genuinely believe that the success and longevity of USL is a function of the fact we operate a system of leagues that interact symbiotically at both the macro (national) and micro (local) levels. For instance, about a decade ago we repositioned the PDL as a predominantly under-23 league for collegiate and newly post-collegiate players. This led to meteoric growth in the league which now is almost 70 teams strong. Some of this came as a result of USL team owners relocating from USL-1 or USL-2, however a lot of this was also borne out of SYL and Super-20 members that expanded their clubs “up the ladder” – a positive development for the sport.
The W-League’s development mirrors that of the PDL in many ways and provides an excellent proving ground for top female players who aspire to compete professionally in WPS or abroad. Our youngest league, Super-20, came as we recognized that there was a gap for an organized national competition for those players not quite yet ready for the PDL or W-League but too advanced for SYL. Super-20 is now at nearly 100 teams and has development programs from within the USL, MLS, and WPS ranks. While the youth landscape has changed with the advent of the USSF Development Academy league, the SYL continues to represent the elite clubs and players between the ages of 13-17 even as we look at ways to further refine this program in the coming years.
Despite last year’s public dispute within USL-1, the USL system of leagues remain healthy and well-positioned for continued future success. With the active support of our committed partners at Nike within the Umbro brand, we are intensely focused on a 2010 marked by aggressive league growth, exemplary service to our teams, and frequent communication with all those who follow our leagues.
Comments are closed.
I realize that a lot of folks who don’t like USL may poo poo Tim Holt’s comments to Brian’s questions, I must say that this is the first frank response I have heard from USL in many, many months on their state of affairs.
Whether they are right or wrong, the future will surely tell if an organization this big will be able to adapt to the future. It appears, based upon Holt’s comments, that the owners are focused on doing what is best for the overall soccer interests.
Good article.
Please, I love the USL but lets not revisit the soccer wasteland of fighting the Sanction War 2.0. Us fans are over it.
Please settle your disputes with the NASL before the 2011 starts. Please?
I would respectfully disagree that this article had anything to do with Division II soccer. As I read it, this was about USL in its macro element.
In spite of my philosophical differences with USL at the Division II level, USL does a great job in developmental soccer at all levels.
Give credit, where credit is due.
I agree with NASL Soccer Fan about this being a promo for hte USL macro element, and it has done well to grow many leagues across the continent. More importantly, between the youth and developmental leagues it has created a great ladder for many pros. Having said that, I still like the NASL model a little better.
Interesting read. I just wish he would have said something about the status of Cleveland.
Sorry for being off topic but man I didn’t even pay attention to who is gonna be the owner of the Orlando franchise. Wow.
smatthew,
Actually, I don’t think Donner is the owner but he is the president of the Titans Lacrosse team and will be the president of this new soccer franchise as well.
BQ- good work. Any chance we can hear about Cleveland, FC Clip Art’s major delays and the USL’s vision of Div. 2 soccer in 2011 and beyond? All I see is a few press releases that fail to address the problems the league has in terms of making this work (perhaps 6 new teams for 2011…). USL has done lots of things, but these claims seem a bit stretched to be the solely sanctioned division 2 league. A lot more question marks than the Nasl teams in my opinion.
How does the USL think they can pull it off?
Good interview Brian!! I’m really curious to see which markets are going to be in their west-coast USL2.
“All I see is a few press releases”
Really? Thats all you see?
What’s up with the Cleveland thing? I’ve not heard anything about it. By the way, for those of you not getting superrookies too-cool cryptics, FC Clip art is a sarcastic referral to FC New York.
SR, yes, there are still plenty of questions and I don’t think your going to get all the answers at one time whether we all want them or not. Holt didn’t need to answer some of the questions I had but he chose to address them which I thought was pretty cool of him. There are still plenty of questions about NASL as well. So lets just say that US Soccer will most likely have their hands full again this fall.
Superrookie, did they say they wanted to be the “only” sanctioned D-II league in 2011? I guess the bigger question is, has US Soccer ever said they’re only going to sanction one league?
Cleveland= the rise of the franchise as a fairly successful division 3 squad into division 2 for one year before ccompletely disappearing from the soccer landscape, seemingly at the behest of the USL who were orchestators of their move to division 2 in the first place. I just want to know how the USL will wash their hands from that disaster, because that’s really what it was (along with; California Victory, the Mariners).
You really think you’re going to get an answer to that? LOL. It was a colossal mistake in my opinion. I’m sure they would have other things to say about it. But I think we’ve all moved on from that. I do agree that there needs to be some concrete things put into place to assure there are not so many teams folding. But that will be true of any league and that is what USSF is currently working on…besides preparing a team for the World Cup and preparing a bid for a World Cup and …. Busy times at US Soccer.
Organizations usually thrive in times of pressure. The pressures the USSF experiences now (D2 sanctioning for 2011, World Cup year, World Cup bid, and surely others we don’t know about) will actually create more concrete standards and practices. In fact, I think it’ll weed out some of the unsustainable programs/ideas. I just hope they don’t leave the D2 (and even D3 for that matter) sanctioning work until right before the season again. My hunch is: ‘they’ve learned their lesson.’
good
BQ, continuing the good work.
Maybe USL should have made you a director for the pro level like the other league did with the other guy…
Anyways, while I realize the need to move forward, Mr. Holt’s “let’s not reshash” statement forced me to think back to Mark MacGuire and John Harkes similar statements. Neither of those inspired much confidence.
Just as Mr. Donnor running an Orlando franchise, doesn’t inspire with much confidence. After what happened in Rochester, if I had access to that sort of capital, there is absolutely no chance, Lance that I would get in that boat with that particualr captain. I realize that he is a great salesman but there is no sales pitch that he could give me that would convince me to invest in that project. if you have done your “due dilligence” (I am so sick of that two word phrase), then how you could still go in for any amount that you are not willing to say “goodbye” to, I will never know. As I worte on the USL Free Kicks Blog, I sincerely hope that it works out in Orlando.
New York, press conferences and having named a coach or not, doesn’t inspire much confidence either.But that is another subject for another day.
The recent changes in USL which involve the pro ranks (minus the announcements of Orlando & New York because I am not ready to buy what is being sold, no quite yet)–are encouraging. I hope and pray that they are successful. NuRock and Mr. Alec Papadakis seem to be putting their money where their mouths are. Mr. Chris Economides will have an uphill battle trying to encourage more sailors to board what appears to be a sinking ship but it is very much a numbers game. If the USL-1 can bring some good franchises in (and I don’t mean another California Victory, “one and done” or Syracuse “here for 2 years and then gone” type club with serious venue issues…
-Yankiboy
even more grandstanding by the Artist Formerly Known as Pro Soccer.. it is unfortunate that he chose what I thought was an ex-parte venue to do so… I would like to know how the USL stepped in midseason to “save” teams like the California Victory or other struggling teams… and as far as FC Clip Art is concerned … well two airline people using their miles to travel around the world does not a professional franchise make
The USL has stepped in and kept so many teams alive long enough to finish the season over the years that I can’t even remember them anymore. Hopefully someone with a better memory than mine can fill in the blanks.
Of course, you can argue that those teams shouldn’t have been in the league to begin with, but the reality is, that’s the state of things in the US for lower division soccer. It happens in other minor league (and major league) sports as well.
Not that this wonderful interview clears up all my doubts about USL1 in 2011. There’s still a very steep hill to climb. Assuming the Aztex and Puerto Rico stick around (and with Mellor joining the USL in the capacity he has, I think the Aztex are at a minimum riding the fence rather than leaning NASL), adding in Orlando and NY and talking the Battery into going back up, the league still needs three more teams for the USL1 to have eight teams, and three more for a minimum 8-team USL2 east.
And then you have to have the USSF agree to sanctioning two leagues, which they didn’t seem to excited about this time around.
I can’t wait for the season to start so that I can be distracted from this crap.
My ‘wonderful interview’ tone isn’t intended to be as sarcastic as the rest of my comment possibly sounds. Good job, Brian. Your hard work is very much appreciated.
Well, USL-1 might be short a few teams, but NASL is not in any better boat now than it was in November when it announced it had the 8 teams it needed to pass the USSF threshold for a Division II league sanctioning.
In spite of all the posturing, both USL and NASL are short, as of today, for the 2011 season. I agree that I doubt if USSF will sanction 2 leagues either.
Bottom line, at the Division II level, the stakes are still high, for USL at all other levels, it seems that they are steady and on course, which IS good for US soccer.
I don’t think the NASL is short.
St. Louis
Carolina
Baltimore
Miami
Montreal
Minnesota
Rochester
Tampa Bay
I count 8, and that doesn’t include Edmonton.
Am I wrong about Minnesota?
It seems to me that the USL is trying to do an end-around on NASL. They are trying to get new teams in for 2011 like Orlando and the other “1/2 dozen or so” new franchises to force the hand of USSF to get them to recognize USL as the “one true league” and not the NASL. This also counts for USL-2, as there are no teams on the West Coast, but it seems they are going to force PDL teams to move up and then add 1 or 2 new franchises in expansion.
This is a power play. The NASL owners need to recognize this and get new franchises for next year on their side. Remember, NASL is losing both Vancouver and Portland next year to fight this.
@Bo: Teams that the USL had previously helped keep afloat that jump to my mind are: California Victory, Edmonton Aviators/FC, Calgary, Virginia Beach Mariners. Those are just since 2004.
@Bart: As far as the sacntioning goes. NASL is looking way better from where I sit. They have a lot more teams.
@Chad: I thought that Portland was USL. USL is going to take the hit on that one.
@Eric: Can they convince Bell & the Battery to move back up? Usually when teams move down, they never move back up. Losing the Battery was a big PR blow in my opinion. They are solid and bring a lot of credibility to the USL pro ranks.Sounds like Bell & company may have had enough after last year. Which is too bad for the USL-1. The Charleston Battery are a jewel.
Jay
the nuisance called the USL did absolutely nothing to help the California Victory or the mariners back in 2007
“it is unfortunate that he chose what I thought was an ex-parte venue to do so”
Bo, why is it unfortunate that they picked my site to do so and why do you feel I’ve been bias. Maybe you are new to the site, but as I have stated many times previously, I have an NASL team here in town so that is going to influence me, but I am also supportive of many of the things USL has done and it was difficult giving equal coverage last year when I could get NASL people to speak but when I would contact USL no one would even contact me back. Hopefully that has changed with their new PR guy.
ERic,
Your count may seem correct, but not all is as it seems on that front. You are assuming that all the teams you posted are on board for next year. The insiders at NASL know they still have an uphill battle on their hands.
It will be difficult for both.
“It will be difficult for both.”
Well, that kinda sums that up.
Eric is absolutley correct. NASL now has nine CONTRACTUALLY bound teams for 2011 and each of them have a solid ownership group. Edmonton comes in to make the 9th with Vancouver leaving. Further there are several other expansion groups in talks with NASL. I would forecast they start the new league in 2011 with at least 10 or 11 teams.
Jane, interesting you make the distinction of “contractually” bound teams for NASL. USL had contractually bound teams for the 2010 season and that accounted for nothing.
Whether each NASL team has a “sound” ownership group remains to be seen, and unless you are an insider with NASL, looking at each team owner’s financial statements, you have no foundation to support that statement.
I would forecast that NASL has several teams that are “contractually” bound that will have significant differences of opinion on whether they are “contractually” bound or not.
I only asked about Cleveland because Holt said in an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer that they were exploring Cleveland expansion for 2011.
Brian,
I am just disappointed that you allowed TH to grandstand and let him say they took the high road (which they didn’t) and let him say that they have saved many teams 9which they didn’t) and not question any of his responses but rather allow him to say what he wanted.. dont get me wrong I like your reporting and I think you and kartik did a great job during the USL-NASL debacle but this piece seems a lot to me like a USL infomercial
I wouldn’t call it grandstanding. I gave him a chance to say what he wanted. You get to take it for what its worth and comment on it which you’re doing.
As SR pointed out there is definitely some USL PR statements in there. I also thought he had some interesting things to say. I am not a NASL website or a USL website. I run a website that reports on soccer. I’ve been accused of being too NASL more times than I can recall and now I’m being criticized for allowing Tim Holt say what he wanted to. I don’t think I gave him softball questions and he answered them. I appreciate that from TIm.
I think part of the problem was the format in that we conducted the interview via email. There wasn’t a lot of chance to respond. I knew that would be questioned but decided to go forward anyway.
It is what it is and I found his answers interesting. Could some of it be questioned. Sure, but the same would happen if I did an interview with Jeff Copper who I have I’ve been wanting to interview for quit some time but he has not allowed me that opportunity yet.
@Bo: when someone manages to keep on message and give company line responses, I’m not sure there’s a whole heck of a lot a reporter can do. Other than try to find other sources willing to speak.
Bo,
Where did USL not take the high road? There was maybe two press releases that remotely was directed against the NASL tirade.
Neither BQ or KK had access to USL during that period, from what I believe BQ stated.
This was the first Q&A that came out from USL.