United Soccer Leagues presser.

I knew it wasn't going to be Major League Soccer, but people kept throwing gasoline on that fire. Hopefully they'll hush now, MLS only had passing interest and Nike's asking price was way too high for their liking.

NuRock is an Atlanta, Georgia-based real estate development company, they already operate a PDL team in Atlanta and the rights to USL First Division teams in Atlanta and also Birmingham, Alabama. It'll be interesting to see what happens to those rights now that NuRock controls the league itself. It's also worth noting that Atlanta's old USL First Division team, the Silverbacks, hasn't been officially folded yet and has until the registration period for next year to decided whether or not they will compete anymore.

Apperently there was a lot more interest in the USL than Nike ever expected, Traffic Sports USA, owners of USL First Division club Miami FC, were among the other bidders.

I personally don't know much about NuRock, but long time American soccer blogger Kartik Krishnaiyer says they do good work and thinks the USL is in good hands with them. He'll probably have an update on either his personal blog, or MLS talk later today.

The people involved with NuRock obviously have some financial clout, and seem to be real soccer people, so the future for the USL and thus, US Soccer as a whole, could be very exciting.

This weekend a Canadian newspaper reported that Nike had put the United Soccer Leagues up for sale and that Major League Soccer was one of the parties interested in buying the USL. The paper also noted that this was "unlikely" but that didn't stop the news spreading like wildfire, and the discussion from descending to elementary depths.

Kartik Krishnaiyer of MLS Talk wrote a piece on topic today which addressed how a small, but extremely vocal minority of MLS fans are injecting misguided garbage into what should be an intelligent discussion of the future of the American game. Many of these fans are the same people who brand critics of Major League Soccer "eurosnobs" and help to chase away potential converts claiming that one day they'll replace them with American sports fans, something that won't happen. If you can convert an NFL fan to soccer he won't watch MLS exclusively, they're used to seeing the best and will therefore be attracted to the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, Juventus, and Manchester United. I myself have been branded a eurosnob for not supporting my "local team", DC United, despite the fact that my true local team, the USL-2 Charlotte Eagles, play three miles, as the crow flies, from my house. This really shows the type of people we're dealing with here, and I feel sorry for the MLS fans that have to deal with this minority of idiots on a daily basis.

Now I must digress to the topic at hand, the potential USL buyout. I personally hope that MLS doesn't buy the USL, I think that would be bad for the game in this country. Soccer isn't baseball, I've said that before, a full-blown farm system like the one used by baseball in this country wouldn't work for soccer because of the impact the independent USL has made. It would be difficult for supporters in cities like Charlotte, Charleston, Des Moines, Rochester, Pittsburgh and Wilmington to pay money to support a team with less intentions of winning the division than developing players for a Major League side in DC, or San Jose, they just wouldn't do it. Baseball doesn't have this problem, it's Major League teams have fans all over the country with a real interest in seeing the prospects play, you just don't see a lot of DC United apperal in the Cape Fear region like you do Atlanta Braves gear.

People speak of how soccer needs an "American" twist to appeal to Americans, competition is very American -- In fact, the aspect of promotion and relegation is American in that it potentially allows for a team from a small town, say Bentonville, Arkansas, to be the biggest dog in the country, but that's another discussion for another day. -- A competitive USL would force the MLS to continue to, wisely, improve it's product. They can't continue to market themselves as America's premier soccer league if a USL team outlasts them in the Champions League, can they? No, because results speak higher than slick graphics.

I enjoy seeing MLS be successful, like I said, it's good for the game, but I also enjoy seeing the USL have success because that's also good for the game. We need both of them, and we can throw in the NPSL too. It's stupid to limit competitive soccer to, say, twenty-six cities just so you can pretend to be like the NFL, you aren't the NFL and you never will be. It's a multi-billion dollar monster. The more cities with competitive soccer teams the more of a chance the game has to grow.

I know that the acquision of the USL would probably be good for MLS in a business sense, but bare in mind that what's good for the tom isn't always good for the clowder.

First of all, this wasn't originally my idea, credit for that goes here, I just happened to think it was an idea worth writing about.

Miami FC leads a somewhat nomadic existence. The future of the club was up in the air until March when owners Traffic Sports USA announced they would be playing the 2009 season, but leaving the announcement so late meant that the team had to scramble for a home, any home except for the horrible Tropical Park Stadium where they had played since their inception. Eventually the owners decided to split the season at two stadiums in two cities; Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale - former home of the Miami Fusion, and the rather massive FIU Stadium in Miami. Neither is ideal for Miami FC.

Miami Marine Stadium is a stadium located the Virginia Key, and island in Miami-Dade County. The stadium seats 6,566 and was the first stadium purpose built to host powerboat racing when it was constructed in 1963. Designed by Cuban-American architect Hilario Candela the stadium has been vacant since 1992 when Hurricane Andrew damaged the structural integrity of the building, since then it has been largely uncared for and sits in shocking shape.

Despite it's neglect the stadium is beautiful.

There are several groups looking to restore Miami Marine Stadium, chief among them are the Friends of Miami Marine Stadium, a group organized under the Dade Heritage Trust, a non-profit organization.

While Miami Marine Stadium needs a use, Miami FC needs a home. This is where their stars intersect.

In 2004, the Singaporean government was searching for a temporary solution to it's need for a National Parade Day venue while the new Singapore National Stadium was being constructed. Somewhere along the line someone came up the the idea for the Float at Marina Bay a bayside stadium with a floating platform that would serve as the arena floor. The result was an architectural masterpiece that can support upwards of 1,700 tons.

While costs make this an unlikely solution for a club the calibre of Miami FC, it would be an absolutely fabulous one. A refurbished Miami Marine Stadium would instantly become a showpiece venue for the USL and American soccer as a whole and give a new lease on life to one of Miami's most historic venues.

Personally I feel that in an age of cookie-cutter stadiums and cultureless McMansions we should absolutly save a structure like Miami Marine Stadium and the technology used at Singapore's Float provides a golden opportunity to do so, but it won't happen. Miami's recent history is rife with unfufilled promises surrounding the stadium and all the while it continues to sit and rot, never visited unless to be photographed for someone's flickr site or taged by graffitti artists. It really is sad that such a wonderful piece of architecture and craftsmanship is left to rot.

My joints hurt. But you don't care.

Lots of people wrote MLS previews last week and this week, and with good reason as the recent wave of expansion has given the league a nice boost. MLS seems to be bucking a trend among the top divisions in American sports and is actually holding together well, and in some ways thriving, during the recession.

I think the USL will have a nice season too. The reason I think this is because of ticket prices. The USL offers minor league ticket prices because it is, in some ways, a minor league. In reality the correct term would be "lower divisions", but most associated with American sports aren't used to the terminology.

Some of the teams in the "major sports" have been forced to slice ticket prices, indeed so has NASCAR. Soccer in America traditionally offers lower ticket prices, and despite times being tight, people still want entertainment, this is why MLS is reaping the rewards.

Another boon for the USL this season might be the success of it's teams in the CONCACAF Champions League. The league's biggest name, the Montreal Impact, made it to the quarterfinals before spectacularly crashing out at the hands of Mexican side Santos Laguna in Torreon. The Puerto Rico Islanders have faired a bit better, they're currently holding a 2-0 lead in their semifinal against Cruz Azul with the second leg to be played April 7th in Mexico City.

Anyway, lets get on with it:

President Obama did not return my phone call. (No idea where the picture is from, credit if you speak up)

The USL First Division is, as the name says, the top tier of the USL. It's the American national second division. It used to be called the A-League, the Select League, among other things. Then the USL realized that "First Division" sounded, and looked, a lot better. Hopefully it's here to stay. Last year the Vancouver Whitecaps won the playoff title, and the Islanders won the season title. Both winners get a trophy but the playoff winners are the champions, so Vancouver is the defending champion.

Vancouver and Puerto Rico will again be among the favorites. Both are well coached. Montreal should present a real challenge as well. The Carolina Railhawks will look to improve on their 2008 performance, they missed the playoffs. Charleston, one of the league's seasoned clubs, could make some noise after they finished as runners up in the 2008 Open Cup (and really should have forced extra time as they had a legal goal disallowed in stoppage). Keep an eye out for new boys Cleveland and Austin. Watch for Miami FC to prop up the table after a turbulent (to say the least) off season. I pick Puerto Rico to claim the championship.

The USL Second Division is the lowest tier of professionalism in American soccer. Three of it's teams, Charlotte (who've somehow secured sponsorship from Coca-Cola), Richmond, and Wilmington are actually among the old guard of American soccer. The 2008 playoff title was claimed by Cleveland City who accepted a promotion (yes, it actually has promotion) to the First Division after Atlanta relinquished their spot in the league due to financial difficulties. Charlotte won the regular season title over Richmond on goal difference. Charlotte and Richmond have a nice rivalry and should fight it out for the title again. Crystal Palace Baltimore is another team to watch, along with Harrisburg. Western Mass operates on a very small budget and should finish in the middle of the pack. Bermuda (owned by Shaun Goater for any Man City fans reading) faces an interesting travel challenge, and fatigue may cost them again. Charlotte will win their third title.

If a USL team is in your area, it's definitely worth your time to check them out.

Well, there you are. Have a lovely day and please, watch my friend's video. Haha, sorry, it's just important to her (and therefore me).

There is a small section of people referring to Puerto Rico Islanders players as "MLS rejects" and inferring that they simply aren't good enough to go toe-to-toe with "the stars of Major League Soccer" and were therefore cast-off, sent the scrapheap if you will, where they were picked up by lowly USL side Puerto Rico.

Here's someone you may know, his name is Arsene Wenger, and he's the manager at Arsenal, one of the world's biggest clubs. Wenger has a reputation for picking up "rejects" and using them to win trophies. Here's another name you may know: Thierry Henry. Henry was named French Young Footballer of the Year in 1996, but after moving from Monaco, Juventus simply didn't think he was good enough...they "rejected" him. Sold him off to Arsenal, and the rest is history. Henry is not alone in his story. In 1992 a young player named Kevin Phillips was deemed not good enough for Southampton and was released, after a spell at tiny Baldock Town the striker moved to Watford and subsequently Sunderland. In the 1999-2000 season "Super Kev" found the net a gobsmacking 30 times.

These stories of rejection are more an indictment of coaches and scouts than of those players. Indeed, their ability far exceeded what their previous coaches thought about them.

MLS is not immune to this.

Many of these players were never given a fair shake in MLS because of politics, namely because they're from outside of the US, or in the case of Bill Gaudette fell victim to salary cap rules. Sandi Gbandi, who notched a goal and an assist last night, never even got a shot.

The "rejects" in question are Jamaican international Nicholas Addlery, Trinidad and Tobago international Osei Telesford, and the aforementioned Gbandi. These players have a combined thirteen MLS appearances, most of them (eleven) made by Addlery. They were never given a fair chance. I know the purpose of Major League Soccer is to develop Americans, but too many times we see poor, poor Americans (see: the Los Angeles Galaxy) given chance after chance when young foreign talents are quickly cast aside.

In fact, these "rejects" did something the "stars of Major League Soccer" have never done. They went to Costa Rica and won. I don't care about that Mexico stat. You can argue yourself breathless about altitude. Alajuela is lower than Denver and Salt Lake. Yell about pollution. Costa Rica is the cleanest country in the western hemisphere, in fact, it aims to be carbon neutral by 2021. The country, not a city, the country. There is no excuse for Costa Rica, which is why Puerto Rico won there, which is why Puerto Rico didn't beat Carmelita, San Carlos, or Puntarenas...they beat Alajuelense, they knocked out the heavyweight champion. These rejects knocked out Costa Rica's George Foreman.

I'm not going to say the USL is better than MLS, it isn't. But the league isn't a joke, and to arrogantly dismiss it's players as rejects when your own players are getting stomped (Joe Public 6-1 New England) is insulting.

Puerto Rico haven't defeated Cruz Azul yet, they still have a ton of work to do and indeed it could all fall apart. But they have shown heart, desire, and passion. They may be winning ugly, but they're winning. If Puerto Rico marches on, and they very well may, these "rejects" could line up against Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, or another giant come December in a meaningful match, not a pre-season friendly.

Who needs Beckham when you've got Noah Delgado?

According to Dylan Butler at Soccer By Ives, yes.

This would be very interesting. While MLS officially has a New York team, Red Bull, the team actually plays across State lines in East Rutherford, New Jersey (and as of 2010, Harrison, NJ). So it has potential to succeed. They key word being "potential", because success in American soccer is anything but a sure thing.

If the bid goes through, and I'm usually inclined to believe Ives' site as he's normally right on the money, it could see four new teams (the others being the Stoke City-owned Austin Aztex, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and the potential Pachuca-owned as-of-yet unnamed Orlando team) feature in the USL First Division in 2010.

This news comes on the heels of Portland and Vancouver all but officially becoming the newest MLS cities. This news had to come as a huge blow the Francisco Marcos and the USL as the Portland Timbers and Vancover Whitecaps are considered among the shining stars of the league. But with that said, I don't think it's a death blow, in fact I see it as a blessing in disguise. While the Cascadian clubs are wonderful for the league, the travel involved in playing them is a massive burden on the Eastern clubs which constitute a majority of the league

If, and that's a very big if, this New York expansion bares fruit, do not be suprised to see the USL expand into another MLS "market". The one I'm thinking of is Dallas-Fort Worth. FC Dallas' stadium is a good clip from where most fans in the area are located, and Fort Worth (the 17th largest city in the country, and that figure will jump with the 2010 cencus) and the rest of the western metro is somewhat sports starved. This would create a natural rival for Austin as well.

Another city recently being floated for expansion to the USL is Hamilton, Ontario. If New York and Hamilton happen and Atlanta comes back, the USL would see it's western stars replaced with a strong east coast backbone.

DC United defeated the Charleston Battery 2-1 in the US Open Cup final on Wednesday night to claim their second Open Cup crown.

The match between two of the more tradional sides in the American game got off to a fast start with DC scoring quickly and Charleston wasting no time in finding an equalizer.

It was the introduction of Fred late in the first half that would change the game. Just after half time the substitute found his way through the Charleston defense to put DC ahead, a lead they would not relenquish despite spirited play from the South Carolina side.

The match was not without controversy however as Charleston had a stoppage time equalizer disallowed for offside, replays disagreed with the decision.

Elsewhere the Puerto Rico Islanders scored twice at the death to get by Costa Rica's Alajuelense. The Costa Ricans went ahead early but the Islanders kept their cool in order to find the two goals they needed to qualify for the group stage. The result gives the USL, two, as many teams in the Champions League as MLS. Marathon of Honduras and Cruz Azul of Mexico also advanced.

The final two preliminary matches take place tonight as Jalapa look to defend their slim lead over San Francisco in Panama, and Pumas take on Harbour View in a one-legged affair followed the cancelation of the first leg due to Hurricane Gustav.

When you think of soccer, football, futbol, calcio, whichever you prefer, it's highly unlikely that you think of places like the Carolinas, Georgia, and Mississippi. But slowly, and quietly big things are happening with soccer in the South.

A large swath of land long ignored by the county's premier league, Major League Soccer, one could be forgiven for not associating soccer with the South. But it's worth looking into. Take Charleston, South Carolina for instance. A gem of a city situated in South Carolina's picturesque "Low Country", Charleston is ripe with history and beauty, both man made and natural. On Daniel Island in Charleston sits another gem, little known Blackbaud Stadium was America's first professional "soccer-specific stadium". Built in 1999 and seating 5,112 in two cozy stands along either sideline the stadium, affectionately called Battery Park by supporters after a nearby Revolutionary War artillery site, is home to the USL First Division's Charleston Battery. Founded in 1993 Charleston is the most senior clubs in the anything but stable American soccer landscape. The Battery have twice won the USL Championship and their stadium has become something of a "must see" to American soccer hardcores due to the quietly significant roll it played in the current wave of soccer-specific stadiums.

Charleston's principal rivals are the Atlanta Silverbacks. As much as it pains me, a proud Charlottean, to say it, Atlanta is very much the heartbeat of the South and the capital of all things Southern. It is also home to RE/MAX Greater Atlanta Stadium, a wonderful little soccer-only facility located near I-85 (I-85 links together several major Southern cities). Atlanta's stadium, originally named Silverbacks' Park until sponsorship from real estate giants RE/MAX, currently seats around 5,000 but chairman Boris Jerkunica has grand plans to shape the stadium into a 13,000-seat complex with a 3,000-seat mini stadium in hopes of hosting major youth tournaments. Despite speculation of a possible MLS expansion effort spearheaded by Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who made his fortune as the owner of Home Depot, the Silverbacks look set to continue their plans.

North of Charleston and Atlanta, North Carolina is home to four USL teams, two of which play in soccer stadiums with a third in the planning stages. The Carolina Railhawks play in the USL First Division out of the 7,000-seat WakeMed Soccer Park (formerly SAS Stadium) in Cary, North Carolina - a bedroom community of the capital Raleigh. Originally built to host the now defunct women's professional team the Carolina Courage WakeMed Park has been a perfect fit for the Railhawks, now in their second season. The debut season for the triangle side saw them see off MLS opposition en route to the US Open Cup Semi-Final. The Railhawks also field a women's side in the W-League, and two reserve teams, one in the PDL and one in the Super-20 League.

Not far away from the Triangle is Greensboro, home to the Carolina Dynamo who play out of Macpherson Stadium. Recently, the club announced plans to expand their quaint 1,500-seat Browns Summit home into a professional quality 7,000-seat stadium. Like the Battery, the Dynamo were founded in 1993 and have tasted success, winning two championships before abandoning professionalism. The return of professional soccer to the Triad could be a real possibility if the expansion goes through. Down I-85 from Greensboro is Charlotte, the "Queen City" is North Carolina's largest with a population of around 700,000. In 2006 the town of Matthews (southeast of Charlotte) and the Charlotte Eagles announced plans to build a 13 field sports complex featuring a 6,000-seat soccer stadium. Assuming the plan goes through, North Carolina would have three possible professional soccer stadiums, more than any state in the Union. Again, quiet progess.

North Carolina's forth entry into the USL is the Second Division side the Wilmington Hammerheads. While they have no plans for a soccer only stadium, the Hammerheads are the sole tenants of the 6,000-seat Legion Stadium. The Hammerheads have won the USL Second Division once, in 2003.

Two nice stories from the PDL come from the "Deep South". First the Mississippi Brilla. Located in Clinton, near Jackson, the Brilla have quickly developed a large following in the Magnolia State. Many doubted that the beautiful game could take hold in a State like Mississippi, but the Brilla, named in honor of the Biblical Matthew 5:16 ("Therefore, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.") seem determined to prove them wrong. The other story comes from World famous New Orleans. As everyone is well aware, the Crescent City was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After the storm passed over, the New Orleans Shell Shockers arrived to find their home ground, the City owned Pan-American Stadium in City Park, in ruin. The organization quickly pledged $1,000,000 to the city in order to rebuild not just the stadium, but the entire park. Currently the Shell Shockers play out of the 26,500-seat Tad Gormley Stadium at Reggie Bush Field.

Seattle's MLS team will be called the Sounders, keeping alive almost 35 years of history. 35 years may not seem like much history to people outside of North America, but in the fragile world of soccer on this continent it's an eternity.

Among the honors won by the Sounders are two divisional titles in the old North American Soccer League, four USL First Division championships (including the most recent), and two trips to the US Open Cup semi-finals (including last season's run which included a 5-1 drubbing of the Colorado Rapids).

The Sounders name won 82% of the total vote as a write-in choice, it was not among the three original choices on offer and a write-in option was only added following the outrage of longtime Sounders fans and many across the country. The original three choices were "Seattle FC", "Seattle Alliance", and "Seattle Republic". Of the three only "Seattle FC" is tolerable, I heard someone describe "Seattle Alliance" as "something that sounds like an HMO", and "Seattle Republic" sounds like a newspaper. In the end the people had their say and justice won out.

In ten days the United Soccer Leagues, the American equivalent of England's Football League, will kick-off it's 22nd season as the Charleston Battery make the journey down the east coast to play Miami FC while the Montreal Impact make the transcontinental flight to British Columbia to take on the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Despite the fact that a ball has yet to be kicked in anger 2008 has already proved highly dramatic for the USL starting with the loss of it's San Francisco based team the California Victory. California served as a farm team of sorts for the Spanish Segunda Division side Deportivo Alavés and was run by Ukrainian-American businessman Dmitry Pietrman, then a major shareholder in the Spanish club. After running battles with Pietrman the rest of the Alavés ownership decided to pull their support for the USL team leaving it without a leg to stand on. There is, however, a grassroots effort underway to save the club which can be found at http://www.savethevictory.org/

But the drama surrounding the Victory proved to only be the tip of the iceberg as it was announced Major League Soccer would expand to Seattle in 2009 meaning that the USL would lose one of it's most storied and well supported clubs, the Seattle Sounders. In late 2007 it was confirmed that 2008 would indeed be the Sounders' final season in the USL as the club announced it would play all of it's matches (with the exception of an opening week derby against Portland) at the 2,000-seat Starfire Stadium in Tukwila.

Despite all this, the news managed to get worse as news surfaced that the ownership of the Rochester Rhinos, a team which had become synonymous with the USL, had defaulted on $10.6 million in loans. The Rhinos story did manage to end well as Rob Clark, owner of Utica, New York-based Adirondack Bank, swooped in to save the club. Fans were able to breathe a second sigh of relief when it was announced that the club would be able to remain at the PAETEC Park home the fans had begged the city for.

There was, however, one highlight during the offseason on January 22nd when English club Stoke City announced it would purchase a USL-1 franchise to be located in Austin, Texas. The hidiously named "Aztex" will begin play in 2009, while a reserve side baring the same name will play in the PDL this season.

The USL has announced that it has it's sights set on medium-sized markets not currently being targeted by MLS. Among the cities listed were Omaha, Nebraska (whose 6,000-seat Morrison Stadium would be perfect for a USL-1 team), San Antonio, Texas, Phoenix, Arizona, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and Tampa, Florida. I've heared murmurings of ownership groups in the latter two cities but not a peep from any of the others. Some believe that the Tampa group (actually in nearby Clearwater) may have connections to Scientology, I don't really care to step on that anthill.

On the field the Sounders should do well in their farewell season. They have better players than anyone else in the league and the entire squad will be keen to show well with a possible MLS contract as a reward. Last season's league MVP Sebastian Le Toux should have the same impact he did last season. Seattle's main challenge should come from Montreal. The Impact will be keen to christen their new stadium with a championship and have the players to do so if they play to their potential. At the bottom will probably be the Rhinos, but their fans are unlikely to fuss too much given that the club was literally days from going out of existence less than a month ago.

The USL-2 will have many changes on display as well. Pittsburgh returns from their self-imposed exile and will be joined by new boys Real Maryland FC based out of Germantown near Washington, DC. Both New Hampshire and Cincinnati have elected to relegate themselves to the PDL. As usual it will be hard for the field to match the class of Richmond and Charlotte who should battle until the end with the Kickers coming out on top, though last year's champion Harrisburg has the quality to spring another surprise.

Predictions:

USL1 - Champions: Seattle, Runners-up: Montreal

USL2 - Champions: Richmond, Runners-up: Charlotte