The NASL is closing in on an announcement of the league’s 14th team.
NASL commissioner Bill Peterson revealed Wednesday that the league is expected to announce another expansion franchise within the next week. The new team is set to be backed by “a top-tier European club”, a league spokesman confirmed to SBI, will join Miami FC and Puerto Rico FC as the league’s latest clubs.
“We’ve announced Miami and Puerto Rico and we’ll actually announce one next week,” Peterson said at the Web Summit in Dublin. “We’ll do that and probably maybe one more. So probably 15 or 16 by the end of this year and then we’re closing in on 20, probably, by next year. So it’s pretty good for five years.”
In recent weeks and months, the NASL has been linked with Scottish powerhouse Celtic and La Liga regular Rayo Vallecano, as the two European clubs have reportedly shown interest in expanding into the league.
What do you think of the NASL announcement? What do you expect from the league in the coming months?
Share your thoughts below.
oooohhoo ooo Europe ooohhooo
Nice. This game is growing at an astronomical pace right now. I’m not crazy about how ALL of the investment is being done, but the culture of the game (it’s mainstream popularity, I guess) needs to grow so much more here before we can be a country with a top league and/or team. At this point, bring on just about every bit of growth possible. The fact that two leagues are doing it in two different ways is good in many more ways than it is bad.
That’s a ton of expansion in only a few years. MLS adds two teams and people worry about the talent pool being diluted. How is the NASL going to add 5 teams by the end of this year, and close in on 20 by next year with an even lower level of salaries?
Pacific Northwest would be ideal for new teams. It is soccer nation USA!
Very true, the passion over there for their MLS teams is great, so I see no issue with them embracing a few NASL teams
NASL needs to expand to the West Coast. Not a true National league without some West Coast teams!!!
Boston Celtic FC?
I’m sure Celtic USA will be a huge draw at the gates.
After all the talk from Cosmos fans about how NYCFC are a farm team, I’m sure they’ll change their tune now that their beloved minor league has its own farm team. Celtic and Rayo Vallecano are not exactly big names though.