In the year 1986 the Nike shoe comapany started a Soccer league called the United Soccer League of US. It served as the nation's top league for ten years, untill Major League Soccer took that honor. Whlile USL is not connected to the MLS, the USL did serve as a good overseer of the minor leagues of American Proffesional. The USL gave young American players a chance to develop and prove their merit if they could not sign with a team from MLS. While being consider and inferior league, some USL sides even surprised MLS teams in the US Open Cup, even USL's Puerto Rico Islanders and Montreal de Impact, qualified and played well in the CONCACAF Champions League. However, the era of the USL seems to becoming to an end as the teams are thretning a breakaway from the USL. This could leave to the possible exstintion of the USL, or perhaps an overhaul from the current league's format.
News coming from the league latley has suggested that the francises are demanding a re-structuring to make the USL a league with the teams owning the league, and not the investment group NuRock Soccer Holdings, who bought the league from Nike this August. Now the USL is facing a crisis as the fransises from Atlanta, Minnesota, and Miami are threating to create a break-away league, in an attempt to rival the MLS, and crush the USL.
Teams breaking away from the USL is not new, as a matter of fact it has started to become a norm. In 2006 the Toronto Lynx decided they would relegate themselves out of the top two divisons of USL, in responce to MLS building a francise in Toronto. While the fransice never jumped into the MLS, it was the begingin of the trend that markets wanted MLS teams, and not USL teams. This trend continued in 2009 when the Seattle Sounders, one of the more successful USL teams switched to MLS, and abandoned the USL side completly, moving the entire squad over to MLS. Another huge blow for the league will come in 2011 when the Vancuvor Whitecapes, and Portland Timbers will enter the MLS as expansion francises, and leave the USL. While the USL can offer some instances where the quality of play can rival MLS, these cirumstances keep shouting a loud the same thing: FANS AND FRANCISED WANT THE MLS NAME. This is apparent when Toronto, who stuggled by USL standards with attendences, is one of the leage leaders in the attendence in the MLS, always packing the 20,000-seat stadium. Same can be said about the huge success that is the popularity of the MLS version of the Seattle Sounders. People would rather see MLS play than USL play, even though the overall quality if the exact same, people will recognize the MLS brand.
With teams either threatning a breakaway league, or just jumping ship to the MLS, the USL is in troble. From what I see they have this options, and what the USL can gain or lose by using them.
1. Keep Business As Is- While this is the easiest choice, it would also be the worse one the league could possibly make. Right now, USL plans to keep the same 10 teams in the top division for 2010, then have two expansion teams join in 2011 to make up for Vancoover, and Seattle. While on paper this makes sence there is a HUGE problem. Montreal really wants to be in the MLS by 2011, and right now they are coming close, if not 2012 for sure. While they can always promote more teams up, or get more expanison fransice, it is not good that your more successful clubs are leaving the leage. Also if the ideas of a rival league come into play then you have another monster to deal with. This new breakaway league makes the claim that they will 'rival' MLS. But as seen before, Americans except that the MLS is America's Soccer leauge, you cannot rival it. (See the fans growth in Toronto and Seattle), people reconginze the MLS name; and you can not be recognition in this business. The decision to do nothing will kill USL, as the league will collapes in a couple of years, as one by own teams abandon ship.
2. Comprimise with the Fransices that want a 'Team Owned League'-The first thing on USL's docet should be making sure a break-away league does not happen. Bad things happen with break-away leages, (see Champ Car racing). Instead the USL should think about solidifying the set-up of the leage. As of right now the USL is comprised of USL-1, USL-2, and USL Premier Development League. My suggestion, combine the two USL divisions to make a more interesting and unified system. Keep the PDL because, devolping young players is the ONE THING the USL has applied that hits the hammer right on the nail. If the USL re-stuctered to solidify the league, and give the teams the controll stick, the USL could stave off inimate doom.
3. Combine with the MLS- Now this is just the world of Dan Meloy speaching right here, there has been NO I repeat NO talk of this ever happening. I belive that the USL would be the best in the long-term if it in reality ceased to exist. When you can not compete with a larger force, which is apparent with teams leaving the USL as if the league had the plague. Then you should figure out a way to become part of the bigger force. With the pitiful season the New York Red Bulls have played this year, the question of possible relegation has began to pop up. The problem with that idea is you need a lower league. Enter USL. The combined ranks of the USL can offer the MLS a second division, call it MLS-2 for all I care. When you think about the idea could work. With a lower league, players can still develop into proffesionals, while at the same time offering markets that the MLS does not already have. Besides it would make the league more interesting as a promotion-relegation system will offer a new dynamic in American Sports. "If your team is THAT bad you get kicked out of the Major League for a year. THANK-GOD NOW WE DO NOT HAVE TO WATCH ROYAL'S BASEBALL AND LION'S FOOTBALL." While the liklihood that the idea of promotion-relegation breeching other sports is unlikly, it woud offer a unique twist for ths sport of soccer in the country. Also it would give USL teams and fans a chance to earn there way up to MLS, and give fans a chance to recieve the MLS brand name that they want if they are too watch soccer. Let's face it, even in the die-hard American Soccer community, nobody cares about USL (this is my first, and probably last USL article). However if the USL attached itself to the MLS it would gains some significance in the American Soccer Landscape. While this may seem insane, and probably a little to idea, think: One way or another USL teams WILL try to transfer to the MLS, why fight it, embrace it.
Whatever the USL does, the key is to do SOMETHING. Creating a rival-league would not work, in fact it might actually HURT American soccer, so for the good of the sport I hope it does not help. The USL system is dying as people perfer the MLS identity over the USL identity. Which is why teams are jumping ship so quickly, in order to grab hold of a more finacially sound and independent MLS. As for the USL the philosophy I offer them is very Darwinian: CHANGE OR DIE.
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