USL wants Canadian Franchises, but will wait on the CSA

[Stuart]

From: the11.ca

By Steven Sandor– 04/21/2011

United Soccer Leagues president Tim Holt is on a roll. USL-PRO just signed a deal to ensure that games will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel for the next three seasons, and he just returned from Antigua, where the expansion Barracuda FC just played their opener in front of 4,000 fans.

But, while the USL is filled with Canadian clubs in the PDL, W-League and youth divisions, there isn’t one in the top flight.

Holt said the USL won’t talk expansion until the Canadian Soccer Association ends its moratorium on approving expansion teams into U.S.-based pro league outside of Major League Soccer. The CSA’s 10-month ban should end in October of 2011.

“We certainly see potential in some Canadian markets,” said Holt. “If we find the right ownership group, the right stadium. But we respect the CSA’s moratorium. For expansion to happen, we would need to reach a comfort level with the CSA. We have some great new Canadian cities in the PDL, like WSA Winnipeg. We see that potentially being a pro market. And there’s Hamilton, too. But Canadian soccer is definitely on the upswing.”

Interestingly, Holt says there are no hard feelings left between his league and the franchises that left USL’s top division to form the NASL. The NASL was granted official Div. 2 status by the United States Soccer Federation for this season, and it will be reviewed when the year is done. Despite the fact the NASL got the sanction, and USL is not officially Div. 2, Holt said “USL is the best-operated, strongest and most visible professional league below MLS in the United States and Canada.”

He thinks that statement is backed by the fact that Fox Soccer Channel — which has showed USL games for the past decade — came back to the table.

NASL has no deal other than local TV pacts in Puerto Rico, Montreal and Tampa Bay.

“It’s more important than branding, it’s the visibility of the league and the teams. That is our main objective.”

But, if NASL did not get a sanction for 2012, Holt admitted that the door would be open for talks.

“There are many different ways you can operate a professional soccer league in North America. We have our model, they have their model. We don’t have any hard feelings. It was a difficult period when we broke up but, now, we are past that. Absolutely, we would be open to talking to those teams, you can never say never. The soccer community in North America is very small. But any team coming into our league would have to work within our budgetary parameters.”

In fact, Holt said he hopes that both USL and NASL enjoy success.

Under new USSF rules, the NASL owners have to each put up US$500,000 letters of credit to ensure solvency, that teams won’t fold during the season. That’s what it takes to be Division 2; this season, at least.

NASL has eight teams at the moment. That could move to nine next season — if the league gets its sanction for 2012 and beyond — if the San Antonio franchise comes in as planned and the Montreal Impact, as rumoured, can launch another Canadian franchise for NASL as the parent club moves up to MLS.

But USL-PRO has 15 clubs. After the one-year USSF-enforced marriage between the USL and NASL was dissolved, Holt and co. undertook an aggressive expansion campaign which saw the league add three new Puerto Rico-based franchises and Antigua Barracuda FC, which just signed former Montreal Impact forward Peter Byers.

The four Caribbean teams play in a division with the expansion L.A. Blues. For small island nations that are too small to sustain national leagues, having one franchise in USL, which helps develop their talent, is an option. Holt said he could see USL adding one team from the Caribbean over the next few seasons.

“But I couldn’t see us going for more than eight teams from there,” he said.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Hopefully the moratorium will soon be history. Although Antigua may have attracted 4000 to their home opener it's worth noting that the Puerto Rico teams have been in the 100 - 300 sort of range so far in announced attendance.

http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/stats/2011/2175585.html

[ray]

As I've said before, I don't believe in the CSA moratorim when in comes to North American Division2 soccer. The two nations need each other at this level as finding owners that can meet the USSF criterion is a challenge. Having clubs playing at a D2 level is important for Canada's development. However, there is no reason why Canada should not aspire to have a national network of regional leagues at the D3 level. If nothing else comes out of this moratorium, there should be a plan in place to create a national D3 structure. To this end the CSA should soon be looking and barring new entrants to USL or any other foreign D3 league or lower.

[Richard]

^ The CSA is supposed to have struck a committee to examine just what you describe but there has been no word on the subject since the moratorium was announced. I will be very surprised and pleasantly so if they do anything more than lift the embrago.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

...However, there is no reason why Canada should not aspire to have a national network of regional leagues at the D3 level. If nothing else comes out of this moratorium, there should be a plan in place to create a national D3 structure...

Late last year the CSL commissioner was talking about that kind of thing happening by this summer and it seems safe to assume that's what prompted the CSA board to put the moratorium in place. Since then he has been replaced by the equity owners, who appear to have been upset by the pace of expansion, nothing happened in BC after the visit by Toronto Croatia, it now appears that Quebec is going to do it's own thing at the semi-pro level, Dino Rossi and co are trying to set up a similar provincial league in Ontario with the help of the OSA and the NASL actually did get sanctioning south of the border albeit only for 2011 so far. Looks to me like nothing much is likely to happen where a national D3 structure is concerned and that the moratorium didn't prompt the initiatives it was expected to.

Beyond that it's not clear to me that the CSL's D3 format with about ten clubs in and around the GTA is really readily comparable to the USSF's D3 where a comparable sort of area like western New York state tends to have only one franchise (the Rochester Rhinos have actively blocked entry by Buffalo teams over the years for example). Personally think there should be scope for the Victoria Highlanders, FC London and Hamilton FC to try their luck against teams like the Rochester Rhinos in USL Pro, and that the local semi-pro stuff centred on each major city, which is arguably more akin to New York's Cosmopolitan League or Chicago's National Soccer League, would not really be affected by that. Also think that if a Quebec semi-pro league does get off the ground next summer that level of the sport will wind up being organized on a province by province basis in future.

[Richard]

Metro Vancouver already has a de facto semi-pro league with the Vancouver Metro Soccer League Premier Division which purports to be amateur but everybody knows isn't. It's major shortcoming is that it does not include any clubs outside of the Metro Vancouver region unlike the PCSL which has clubs from Kelown through the Fraser Valley, Vancouver, Victoria and in 2012 will be back in Washington State.

[rico]

Does anyone know where they want to put new teams or are they just going to promote PDL teams

[munseahawk]

Does anyone know where they want to put new teams or are they just going to promote PDL teams

If they are just going to look at promoting PDL teams, would they really need to wait on the CSA? After all, the PDL is also run by the USL and the CSA has already given these teams sanction. The bigger question is which PDL teams would be interested in making that jump up?

[Trident]

If they are just going to look at promoting PDL teams, would they really need to wait on the CSA? After all, the PDL is also run by the USL and the CSA has already given these teams sanction. The bigger question is which PDL teams would be interested in making that jump up?

"Promotion" here isn't promotion in europe. WFC/Seattle/Portland were "promoted" in which an operation at the d2 level stopped fielding teams, while a new entity was created with the names, whole new contracts and whole new legal entity.

The moratoriaum would stop that from happening, as "promotion" still necessitates creating a new team at a league outside of MLS.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Latest Dayton Dutch Lions crowd for a home game against the Rochester Rhinos was announed as 625:

http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+Elements/Display+E+47107+Stats/+2175598

I suspect USL Pro will find it difficult to sustain its current numbers after this season.

[kodiakTFC]

Latest Dayton Dutch Lions crowd for a home game against the Rochester Rhinos was announed as 625:

http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+Elements/Display+E+47107+Stats/+2175598

I suspect USL Pro will find it difficult to sustain its current numbers after this season.

Yeah 625 is pretty bad but compound that with the under 100 for the Puerto Rican teams and you've got a real problem. I seriously doubt all those Puerto Rican teams end the season. Usl-Pro is going to be a completely different looking league next year IF it exists at all.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

On the bright side the Orlando team drew 7000 or so again for their second game at least in announced terms:

http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+Elements/Display+E+47107+Stats/+2175596

so they appear to have a small nucleus of franchises with reasonable support levels in Rochester, Charleston, Orlando and to a lesser extent Wilmington and Raleigh. Will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Ideally the USSF will ease up on their D2 sanctioning standards and some sort of merger will be arranged between the NASL and that small nucleus of teams.

[kodiakTFC]

Another bright spot. I was shocked to see Antigua brought in 6000.

[ThiKu]

Are there really that many Dutch people in Ohio? (I see the FC Twente link...but....)

[Redcoatsforever]

You know, with the number of Canadian teams in USL PDL, if they could convince even 5 or 6 of them to move up to USL PRO, there could be an all-Canadian division in the USL. I think that would suit our clubs a lot better than having to play in the International Division.

[Richard]

An all Canadian division in USL PRO would have all the same travel/cost problems that most people agree mitigate against any national domestic Canadian lower tier pro or semi-pro league succeeding.

[ted]

Here in Victoria we would be better off traveling south to Washington, Oregon and California than East to Ontario (or beyond) for league games.

[kodiakTFC]

There could be a Canada East and Canada West division to solve that problem.

[Richard]

Can't speak for the rest of Canada but I have a sense ticket sales on the west coast would be better if it was a regional north south competition involving teams from Cascadia rather than BC versus the prairies. The Rockies are a barrier in more senses than one.

[Redcoatsforever]

An all Canadian division in USL PRO would have all the same travel/cost problems that most people agree mitigate against any national domestic Canadian lower tier pro or semi-pro league succeeding.

Can't speak for the rest of Canada but I have a sense ticket sales on the west coast would be better if it was a regional north south competition involving teams from Cascadia rather than BC versus the prairies. The Rockies are a barrier in more senses than one.

Yeah, more accurately the USLPRO division in Canada would be an Ontario and possibly Manitoba division, including Ottawa Fury, Forest City London, Thunder Bay Chill, FC Hamilton Rage, and WSA Winnipeg. I sincerely doubt the Lynx are up for another go at the "A League" at this point, and of course, there was some rumour a while ago about Saskatoon getting a PDL club. Don't know if there's any truth in it, but they might be able to be a sixth team in any such Canadian division.

Unfortunately for any BC teams I think they would be stuck in either the International Divison or the hypothetical Canadian division, given what's happened with the Californian clubs in USLPRO. If there were enough teams of course, a Pacific division could emerge also. Whatever the case may be, hopefully any BC USL clubs would be able to afford their travels costs.

[Drew Shaw]

Hopefully the moratorium will soon be history. Although Antigua may have attracted 4000 to their home opener it's worth noting that the Puerto Rico teams have been in the 100 - 300 sort of range so far in announced attendance.

http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/stats/2011/2175585.html

Those Puerto Rican teams are lucky to have drawn those numbers, given that the Puerto Rico Islanders play in a better league, have a bigger budget, and are NASL champions. Any team which calls itself "Puerto Rico Sevilla" or "Puerto Rico River Plate" deserves to die a swift and painful death.

[Drew Shaw]

Metro Vancouver already has a de facto semi-pro league with the Vancouver Metro Soccer League Premier Division which purports to be amateur but everybody knows isn't. It's major shortcoming is that it does not include any clubs outside of the Metro Vancouver region unlike the PCSL which has clubs from Kelown through the Fraser Valley, Vancouver, Victoria and in 2012 will be back in Washington State.

It's a shame that the PCSL doesn't have any interest in becoming a league for fans, and is content to be merely a league for players. Given that junior hockey, lacrosse, and junior football all have teams that attract four-digit crowds, it seems to me that the same crowds would watch soccer if it were properly organised and presented. Teams in Nanaimo, Victoria, Kamloops, Kelowna, Abbottsford, Surrey, Burnaby, Vancouver, North Van, and Richmond would make a simple, balanced league that would also naturally tie in with the existing Metro / Premier league set up. The CSA and BCSA could create such a structure pretty easily.

[Drew Shaw]

Latest Dayton Dutch Lions crowd for a home game against the Rochester Rhinos was announed as 625:

http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+Elements/Display+E+47107+Stats/+2175598

I suspect USL Pro will find it difficult to sustain its current numbers after this season.

Agreed. Many of these clubs will die at the end of this season. The USL needs a lot more clubs, and needs them close to each other, to survive as it is, having lost the marquee clubs to the NASL. There is not enough money in the game for the NASL and USL Pro to both survive.

[Drew Shaw]

Yeah 625 is pretty bad but compound that with the under 100 for the Puerto Rican teams and you've got a real problem. I seriously doubt all those Puerto Rican teams end the season. Usl-Pro is going to be a completely different looking league next year IF it exists at all.

Why would anyone pay to watch those USL Puerto Rican pseudo-clubs when you could watch the Islanders instead?

[Drew Shaw]

On the bright side the Orlando team drew 7000 or so again for their second game at least in announced terms:

http://www.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+Elements/Display+E+47107+Stats/+2175596

so they appear to have a small nucleus of franchises with reasonable support levels in Rochester, Charleston, Orlando and to a lesser extent Wilmington and Raleigh. Will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Ideally the USSF will ease up on their D2 sanctioning standards and some sort of merger will be arranged between the NASL and that small nucleus of teams.

The ownership in Orlando will want to move into the NASL to take advantage of the short travel they would have against Tampa, Fort Laud, Atlanta, and Carolina. That's probably why they moved from Austin.