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U.S. Soccer to unveil resolution to USL/NASL battle, new league likely

U.S. Soccer has scheduled a 3pm conference call to discuss the resolution of the conflict between the USL and NASL, a conflict that led U.S. Soccer to reject both leagues' applications for approval as second-division leagues last week.

The USSF is expected to announce the formation of a combined league that will operate in 2010. There are no details yet on how the league will operate, or who will run it.

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  1. NASL Conference
    —————-
    AC St. Louis
    Carolina RailHawks FC
    Crystal Palace Baltimore
    Miami FC
    Montréal Impact
    Vancouver Whitecaps

    USL Conference
    —————
    Austin Aztex
    Minnesota Thunder
    Portland Timbers
    Puerto Rico Islanders
    Rochester Rhinos
    Tampa Bay Rowdies

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  2. So the article says that they will play between 28-34 games…who are they gonna play? Are they gonna play each other five times?

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  3. EST. Just announced there will be one league, two divisions (just for 2010) – one will be the USL division, the other NASL.

    2011 – long term plan to go into place. This works for now. I know in St. Louis this team would have been skewered if they didn’t start up in a legit league soon. People are tired of waiting. Hopefully MLS can get their act together and partner up.

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  4. if no arrangement is possible, perhaps MLS could maintain the viability of Portland, Vancouver, and Montreal, and a 4th team, all in an extra non-playoff bound division within MLS’s upcoming season. Just an option in case of a doomsday scenario. Actually, the doomsday scenario is MLS having a lockout.

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  5. Probably something dumb that they’ll attempt to make sound catchy and market savvy, but will end up being irrelevant.

    I agree with this developing into an MLS farm system. That’s the best hope for both MLS and DII. For MLS, it gets their players much needed experience. For NASL/USL it gives them some good players they’d never be able to afford.

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  6. heard rumors that USSF will make a combined second tier league that will run in 2010, and over the course of the next year they will work out their differences and make a much more concrete plan, whether it be more towards how the USL wants to run things, or how the NASL does. Cross your fingers something like this goes down…

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  7. Obvious. MLS and USSF executives are business people. A lockout for MLS and failing on a second division league would be suicidal for US soccer. They can not allow that to happen.

    If it is a combined league, I wonder what the name will be…

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  8. Quit his last job after seven weeks. And, to quote the article, “Backe has previously coached at FC Copenhagen and Aalborg BK in Denmark, as well as Swedish side Hammarby, SV Salzburg in Austria and Panathinaikos in Greece.”

    Sounds like the model of stability that RBNY so desperately needs. Bet he’s gone by June.

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  9. Get serious. None of these people are investing the kind of money required to run an MLS team. The best case is if this could turn into a development league for MLS players, e.g. if some of the younger players who can’t get playing time in MLS can be loaned to this league to get vital playing time. I know very little about the coaches at this level though. Still, even playing for a poor coach is better than sitting.

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  10. In terms of a stop gap to give both sides a year to get themselves organized, not a bad approach. This will allow the teams to keep the players under contract and meet financial obligations already committed to, like stadium leases, etc. Hopefully by USSF stepping in as the uber-league, things won’t go pear shaped in working out the details.

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  11. About time. This was suicidal. NAPL had about eight teams and USL like three.

    Three (PortlandVancouver/Montreal) are or are probably going to be going up to MLS eventually, Minnisota and Atlanta are financial messes, New York/Tampa Bay/St. Louisa doesn’t exist and might never actually exist, Charleston voluntarily was moving down a division, Austin is hardly stable, Cleveland going out of business, Rochester almost folded last year.

    There’s barely enough teams for one league! Some might say there flat-out isn’t enough teams for one league already.

    Hopefully some sort of sanity might prevail. USL plays a vital role in the US soccer systems and a handful of egos shouldn’t interfere in development.

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  12. Still, the new U-NA-SL won’t likely be that strong of a league. Perhaps stronger if they combine. Hopefully it’ll have closer ties to MLS.

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