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NASL announces switch to international calendar

The NASL’s future is still very much up in the air but, when the league does return to the field, it will do so under the international calendar.

On Monday, the NASL announced that the league will adopt the international calendar beginning with the 2018-19 season. Kickoff for the league’s next season is set for August 11, 2018 while the season will reach its conclusion on June 1, 2019.

The change is pending the outcome of the NASL’s appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeal and, following U.S. Soccer’s decision to revoke D2 sanctioning, the league will not operate in the Spring.

“We find ourselves in a difficult position due to the Federation’s decision and the impact that decision has had on our players, fans, and front office members is unfortunate,” said NASL Interim Commissioner Rishi Sehgal.” That said, we believe the change to a fall-to-spring format will be very exciting for American soccer as it will better align the NASL with the best soccer in the world.”

Following the reported departure of Indy Eleven, the NASL has just four returning teams under the leagues umbrella in  the New York Cosmos, Jacksonville Armada, Miami FC, and Puerto Rico FC. California United and San Diego 1904 FC are slated to join as expansion teams in 2018.

Comments

  1. I see this as just a delaying tactic to give the NASL more time to determine the outcome of their legal actions. NASL is down to 4 teams with 2 questionable expansion teams. Are they even eligible for Div 3 with this footprint?

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  2. well, as bw in kc was saying, it buys them some time to figure out their next move.

    seems like they need something like an antitrust lawsuit and claim that ussoccer is unfairly eliminating competition or something like that.

    or just use the eight months to try to get some more teams to join their league

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    • What this article does not expressly state is that they wont play in the Spring like the NASL has done in the past. The owner of the Jacksonville club is actively talking to USL clubs because he wants to play in the Spring – per ESPN.

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    • Nope.! Is no Wynalda Its Wynalda boss : Riccardo Silva Who wants to move to an International Calendar. Wynalda is Silva puppy…

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    • Nope.! Is no Wynalda Its Wynalda boss : Riccardo Silva Who wants to move to an International Calendar. Wynalda is only Silva mouth piece….

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  3. San Diego 1904 FC? There are so many better options. ‘Classy San Diego’ is obvious. And ‘SD Whale’s Vagina’ offers so many merchandising options.Or, as the city was founded by the Germans, simply “Die Mannschaft’.

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  4. This just might work. Of the current six teams still in the NASL, only the Cosmos are in a cold weather city, although Puerto Rico may still not have any power

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    • LOL, it was 13 degrees on Saturday, too bad they didn’t make the switch last year, Cosmos fans missed out!

      I get that it isn’t ideal for not having international stuff line up, but I don’t want to be watching really bad soccer ( because of the weather ) while drinking beer in 13 degree weather…directly replacing my summer nights of enjoyment.

      Realistically, you are down to two choices right now. Watch other leagues, or watch MLS that does things differently. Caveat: If you are watching Euro leagues as your other, those seasons are over this year, winners are already decided, but you can pick it up in August.

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    • My question is this. NASL has repeatedly tried to sell itself to the snob set who think we should have pro/rel, traditional schedules, etc. But presumably the snob set are also drooling to see the best, highest paid players. NASL sells “free market” but then pays minor league wages ensuring even less talent than MLS. So I am genuinely curious whether their actual audience cares, and whether the snobs actually buy tickets given that the product can’t match the sales pitch. Wouldn’t the snobs instead watch some summer cash-grab friendly among big name teams?

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      • There either aren’t many of them, or they are fakers because they aren’t buying tickets.

        You know who the real soccer fans are…..they are ME. The non whiners, jazzed to know that we have great soccer in this country and it is getting better by the second, not minute, not day, not week/month/year.

        When I went to a Sounders game in a non managed league for two decades after orig NASL, they drew me and 3,000 of my friends. Sometimes that went to 5k, but that was high for the league. Now it is 15x that. The people spoke.

        ( for those that are still rooting, keep rooting unless you are doing it to be anti-MLS or other American soccer in which case go away )

  5. This is a public relations spin of the fact the league is circling the drain and playing for time, being announced right in the middle of a nasty winter cold spell that an England-style season would be scheduled through. They continue to play upon the gullible Europhiles who want to mimick all things European, as with the frivolous pro-rel lawsuit. But the reality is with 5 teams, San Diego delaying entry, and everyone abandoning ship, NASL is going nowhere and it’s a question of whether they shut their own doors or the creditors do it for them. At that point the non-redundant teams will switch to USL.

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  6. This is a good move. It’s a good way to delay the season to give them more time to reorganize or bring in new teams. But I doubt it will matter. I don’t expect them to get a ruling in their favor on the appeal.

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