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Eight markets submit applications to inaugurate NISA in 2018

If there isn’t one already, a new professional soccer team could be coming to a city near you.

The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), the country’s new third division professional soccer league which aims to inaugurate next year, announced the eight markets that have submitted applications to be a part of the league conditional to U.S, Soccer sanctioning. The markets are: Charlotte, Chattanooga, Connecticut, Miami, Milwaukee, Omaha, Phoenix, and St. Louis.

NISA currently has 15 letters of intent submitted from 15 individual markets, but are simultaneously discussing with a total of 45 markets. The United States Soccer Federation and NISA will screen the submissions and access if the league is set to launch next spring. Seven of the 15 markets have held back plans of joining until 2019, and in addition, the third-tier league is negotiation with dozens of other markets to join in two years time as well.

For now, it is eight teams on the initial list, but by 2021 the league plans on capping its membership at 24 teams.

“We are pleased with the applicants as well as the people and the vision behind each application,” NISA Co-Founder Peter Wilt said.

“The critical step to fully vet each market now moves into an important phase, so we can be assured of the applicants’ and the League’s success,” Wilt added. “Each successful applicant will need to show us and U.S. Soccer that it has a proper venue, financial model, business plan, administration and ownership to assure sustainability.”

Comments

  1. Some of the comments lack knowledge of the situation. NISA and NASL are two different entities. Meaning, NISA is not a creation of NASL. NASL even stated they are more focus on getting their league together than help form another league. NISA goal is to be a link between NASL and NPSL for future pro/rel. NISA also want to help NASL with expansion by being a farm club league. Talks between the two leagues are unknown.

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  2. As far as I can tell, the only pros of sanctioning this league is the additional roster spots/jobs for US players to develop and the entertainment value that comes with the NASL having a little brother to join them in the shallow end of the pool, flailing around like toddlers

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  3. “Each successful applicant will need to show us and U.S. Soccer that it has a proper venue, financial model, business plan, administration and ownership to assure sustainability.”

    Or at least pay lip service to those things.

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    • I don’t know. Maybe Mark Cuban or Don Nelson know. Outside of some showcase type events–nothing seems to be going on as far as I can tell…

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  4. 1/2 the teams are in markets that already have some form of pro soccer. Why do they think that Miami is going to support three teams from three different leagues (assuming Beckham United finally gets something done)?

    Once again, I think NASL is trying to force something to happen w/o regard to the individual team’s success. Essentially they are throwing as much as they can against the wall and hoping that something sticks.

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    • SR, the NASL is trying to force anything, this time.

      It is not the involved with the NISA’s launch or expansion. At some point down the road, NISA is hoping that NASL and NPSL will partner with them.

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    • NASL, already in trouble, and in denial that it’s D3, is basically trying to argue that if I create a 3rd division I can’t already be one (thus keeping alive the debate which league merits which slot, when USL is blowing up and NASL is falling apart), and that if I have this 3-division system with NPSL I must be healthy (expansion does not mean health or did they miss the history of the first NASL?).

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      • Maybe my botch confused my point.

        NASL is not creating a third division. They are not involved in the creation of NISA.

    • They are also trying to play off the whole Eurosnob thing about pro-rel and multiple as opposed to single entity, which sounds nice except a lower division is a poor place to sell laissez faire and divisional mobility in a quality setting. Who cares if Miami FC or Cosmos moves up or down, or pays Raul a market wage? It’s a first division argument on lower division finances.

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      • Further problem, there ain’t many ticket buying Eurosnobs eager to root for moderate price has-been level players. To make the argument they want to make, and try and attract the snobs they are after, you would have to outspend MLS.

      • Well, by simple definition, if someone is going to watch MLS or NASL or NISL or whatever, the are no longer a Eurosnob.

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