NASL Podcast Episode #43; Looking at the Stretch Run
2012 August 22
Welcome to episode #43 of the IMSoccer News North American Soccer League Podcast. This week Gerry Wittmann , Jay (Yankiboy) Long, and yours truly, Brian Quarstad, have a lively discussion about the most recent activities in the NASL. You can find all past episodes of the North American Soccer League Podcast here and the RSS Feed here.
[buzzsprout episode='57187' player='true']
36 Responses
Comments are closed.
the only team that force san antonio scorpion to work for goals is minnestoa so if san antonio wants to win the soccerbowl that have to learn how to beat the stars
Actually the only team San Antonio has trouble with is Puerto Rico. And there is a rivalry growing there.
nasl should have a salary cap on the same as mls not only because san antonio is loaded but cosmos is backed with some wealthy donors especially ottawa
ottawa is backed by the Canadian version of la galaxy aeg
should nasl salary cap be similar to soft cap mls and nba or hard cap like nfl
how much is campos salary
nasl might not need salary cap for parity if we do epl level where eight to nine clubs are owned by rich owners
what i like about san antonio and orlando is they market well and the owners invest some clubs need to do that especially is usl pro
true i say minnesota also because the last game minnesota was in control but both of their goals were denied by the ref and san antonio won by penalty
i realize campos score by going through the middle and muscling in strong smart
I hate discussions regarding salary caps. People who support salary caps do so under the false and misguided beliefs that they bring championships. Take for example the Stars last year. Probably the team with the lowest payroll and yet the won the championships. Don’t count the Stars out yet. If I was a betting man, I would go all-in for the Stars—and they are still probably the lowest paid team.
i go for the stars too this year i want them to play their playoff game in the metrodome they will def get a lot of fans
The Scorpions have had a great season but I believe the fans of the Cosmos would NOT be happy with the roster of the Scorpions. If the Cosmos come in and spend three to four times what the other teams in the league are doing it and they are successful it will force the other owners to spend more to keep up. This additional spending could lead to huge losses for teams and cause them to fold up shop. Let’s hope we don’t have a huge spending discrepancy between teams. And BTW, the Scorpions salaries are lower than you might expect.
If Cosmos spend a lot on players and knowing that they are going to MLS then no big deal.
i do like salary cap it benefits the front office of the club
the benefit side effect is parity
@John So how are we supposed to compete in USOC with a salary cap that’s going to be way lower than MLS?
it does not have to it can be the same as MLS which is a soft cap
it does not have to be mls cap is 2 mill and nasl is 500 thousand
but nasl will have to do salary cap that represent the nasl front office financing as a whole
but nasl wont have one know because the heaving spending or investment is not their yet
Let NASL differentiate from MLS without salary cap, The owners know the mistakes the old NASl had and they will not repeat the same mistakes, hence the Downs statement of no salary cap within reason.
and like the podcast guys said it doesn’t hurt to get quality players too get the fanbase excited and to garner better attendance.
Does anyone know the podcast feed URL? I have an android phone and I use Google Listen to grab podcasts. I want to subscribe so I dont miss any.
Funny you should ask, Jared. Just this morning I was looking for some info on Buzzsprout, who is now hosting my podcasts, and realized I have never made that RSS available. In fact I emailed myself the feed RSS so I could post it today with this podcast and another I will be putting up in a bit here.
The podcasts seem to be doing much better since I am having Buzzsprout host the mp3 files and I have the option to get it into iTunes as well, which I do plan on doing.
So thanks for asking and here it is: feed://www.buzzsprout.com/6147.rss
I don’t think that there other owners are going to be stupid enough to enter a salary war just because the Cosmos or Ottawa or SA want to spend more money acquiring more players. I realize that this league is named NASL and tries to talk up some sort of faux legacy but I gotta believe that people remember how the original movie with the same name ended.
@Danwolf – “Actually the only team San Antonio has trouble with is Puerto Rico. And there is a rivalry growing there.”
Hold on there a moment sir. So far this season my Strikers have battled the Scorps tooth and nail every game. One 1 – 0 win for the Scorpions at home, and two ties, one at each place, that except for last second Strikers mental lapses would both have been FTL victories. And that one here was a complete debacle as far as officiating went, maybe the worst reffed game in the league all year. I think you are going to see another close game Saturday night at Lockhart, add in the Strikers have lost only once at home all year, and I think they have a very solid chance of evening up the season series.
i hope so lauderdale beat scorpions you get a close title race more interesting
is nasl getting a waiver or adding a new team by the end of the year
i hope its the latter it shows the league is progressing
i was thinking if nasl do get san diego then they should Albuquerque las vegas sacremento or san fransico at the same time to reduce travel coast so san diego wont be like la blues of usl pro
or they should bring calgary united by he end of this year because edmonton is alone up north and that will be a cool rivalry
@strikerreturns
I may need to re word that. The Scorpions have 1 win 2 loses and 1 tie with PRI. So what i mean is PRI gives them the most Trouble. I wrote it and then started to think it over and other teams like TB and FTL have gave us some trouble but PRI is the one that has hurt us the most this year. We also only had 2 home loses and they were against PRI.
@ John it look like Loudoun County Virginia will be joining in 2014. At least that is what the rumors seem to point to. If it is them I hope they call themselves Loudoun County FC kinda like Derby County FC. I kinda like the ring to that.
me too i do like the loudon hounds but pittsburgh has something similar riverhound
i say nasl should get the indoor football team calgary united to field a pro team
it will be close to edmonton and a cool rivalry
The guys running NASL v2.0 are a hell of a lot smarter than the original NASL owners are. They HAVE to be. They also have the benefits of hindsight and history.
Just like MISL v3.0–owners understand that they can’t get crazy with the salaries that your franchise can’t sustain. If you are doing well with PAID attendance and/or sponsorships then you might want to spend more On talent. Or if you just have money to burn through then payout higher salaries and bring in the best mercenaries you can. Otherwise you had better build your rosters using guys who aren’t going to cost you as much and hope that you can find a Lagos type to coach them up to a higher level.
I am worried about moving a team into DC United’s backyard. If United doesn’t move it could be a disaster. Minor league teams in major league markets don’t really work. See the LA Blues and FCNY. Just seems counterproductive to what the NASL is suppose to be.
And I doubt the Cosmos will spend a dime until they get to MLS. And Ottawa isn’t stupid enough to waste money. No NASL team is going to spend. Who would they even spend it on? Overpay guys who couldn’t make it in MLS? Quickest way to ruin.
And look at the Scorpions roster. It is okay, but not great. I would say their payroll in around 500k. They have a good vet coach, a great D2 level player in Campos, and a field that is hard for an opponent to adjust to. Give Hankinson a ton of credit. Although I don’t like his style of play.
la blues should move to long beach and call themselves the long beach blues it fits them
@Kel
LA Blues and FCNY is/was a USL by product not NASL.
i still la blues to long beach and call themselves long beach blues
three teams in one city is too much
like mls ny
if cosmos is noth the 20 team and its another ny eam red bulls should rename new jersey or newark red bulls
@Kel: Very strong post, Playah!
@WSW: Not sure what the “product” statement was trying to get at. One could easily argue that almost everywhere franchise in the NASL outside of the Islanders is a minor league franchise located in a major league market. I’d say even Edmonton when you look at the Oilers and the Eskimoes.
So please, what is the difference in the NASL and USL products that you are implying or inferring exists?
I have always felt that salary caps in lower divisions are unnecessary because you are only going to be able to attract a certain level of player to begin with.
The best players will not go there strictly for money, they also want to be on the best teams with the best teammates. So while a NASL team may chose to buy a lot of players there will be natural limits to who those players are.
San Antonio is a great example, yes they have spent more than everyone else but they didn’t land any players that were going to be regulars on MLS teams. They got guys who were either lower roster or former MLS players.
I think these things will take care of themselves without a salary cap.
@yankiboy
I’m implying the way”new” franchises are vetted in NASL as compared to USL, give me check and we will see what happens.
@WhiteStar: Let’s hope that both leagues have learned a lot and that there aren’t going to be anymore disasters like we have seen since the second division civil war. Let’s hope that some lessons have been learned but I’m not convinced.
When I hear about Loundon County, Phoenix and a second Tamper franchise, the idea that NASL thinks that Baltimore is viable for the league–it doesn’t do a lot to instill me with confidence. I actually has the opposite effect.
I hope that you are right about the NASL. I hope that I’m wrong about both leagues. Maybe both have learned lessons from the past. It’s still early in the movie but San Antonio is a developing plot that has my full attention.
@WSW
Do you really not think, based upon the fact that one corporate entity is funding 70% of NASL, that getting anyone else into the league at all costs so that the black hole that Traffic is funding can possibly be shortened, is not part of the current mindset of Traffic/NASL? Humans run from pain (ie., liabilities) and they love chocolate (ie., cash flow).
On what basis do you make the claim that USL is merely wanting someone to “give me a check”, as you state? Prove your case, sir. I do not believe you currently can, and do not provide us with old data that is certainly old news.
Don’t look now, but the stretch run is in full gear, and the Strikers are creeping up on that #2 slot!
Don’t look now fellows but it looks to me like Orlando City could give a rip about your nasl you seem so in love with. They are doing just fine without them.
http://www.scoringthird.com/2012/08/orlando-city-stadium-deal.html
Jake, Orlando does look to be doing well. That’s fantastic news. Hope that the stadium and MLS deals come through for Orlando. I’d hate to see them leave their current city like they did the last one. Thanks for sharing!
@jake – I have a question for you. All indications are that NY2 continues to be the league’s goal for franchise #20. They league is brokering the stadium deal, at significant cost to them. I know people like to be optimistic fans, but let’s be serious here, no one is passing up NY2 for that spot. That means the earliest possibility for Orlando would be #21. Now, there’s probably very little chance of NY2 beginning play in MLS prior to 2015 considering the work still needing to be done on the deal and then the actual building itself. We also have Mr. Garber’s comments about a pause after team #20 when it comes to expansion. So where does that leave Orlando’s MLS chances? Well, if they are able to get a stadium built, with private financing, good for them. To me that’s an endeavor that can be completely independent of an MLS bid. Just ask San Antonio. The lower levels of the game in this country are only improved by teams like Orlando and San Antonio getting their own SSS.
But back to Orlando’s situaiton. Assuming NY2 is indeed #20, how soon can Orlando hope for even a shot at the next expansion slot? 2016? That would assume a “pause” of only one year. Not much point in saying the league will pause on expansion after #20 if it’s only one year, right? So, 2017? 2018? My guess is they will make some kind of pause at 20, and then they’ll look to bring in the next two expansion teams together. So, is Orlando’s ownership, investors, and fans all willing to wait for 2017 or possibly later for MLS? And if so, how will they spend that “wait” time? In a brand new SSS come 2014 or 2015 hosting the likes of Dayton? I’ll stop saying LA and Antigua because the smart money is on them both being gone after this season. Or if you’re Orlando, and you need to bide your time waiting for an MLS bid, do you do it against the likes of the Cosmos, Strikers, and Rowdies? Wouldn’t that help keep fan interest up? So maybe you should think things through before spitting in the NASL’s direction.
^I will be pleasantly surprised if Jake comes back with an nsightful response to reasonable questions.
I’m hoping that he surprises me coz I would really love to read his responses…