Now I like the NASL, I like the teams, I like the fans, I like the friendly rivalry it creates with the USL, but you can't cause all of this controversy and expect the USSF to say, "Hey the NASL has been such a problem, but let's let them participate in the one thing we can hold over their heads to make them do what we want anyway." Now if you understood the message being conveyed in that run-on sentence, you should understand that the USSF is dealing with the NASL like they would a child. They're shaking their finger in the NASL's face and saying bad boy. You don't give your child a lollipop right after they have done something bad right? But it is the right thing to do. I'm not saying it best for the growth of soccer right now, but in the long term it will have been the right decision. If they had not punished the NASL, this could lead to the leagues having more power than the federation, which is definitely not a situation we want to find ourselves in.
In the NASL's defense, they did not punish the USL for the whole ordeal went on last year, but then again it wasn't as much of the leagues' faults as it was the teams that left the USL. And also the USSF did "provisionally sanction" the NASL for this season. For those that don't know about the controversy last year between the NASL and USL here's a summary from Wikipedia:
"The USL has issued several press releases questioning the legality of the teams choosing to break away, suggesting that litigation to protect its interests and those of the USL-1 teams from any breach of contract is imminent.[19] The USL has also claimed that the NASL and the TOA ownership group "is tortuously [Sic] interfering with USL-1 team owners that are contractually obligated to participate in the 2010 season" and "has made several misleading statements in a variety of press releases to taint the reputation of USL and its long history of developing the sport of soccer in the United States and Canada".[20]
The NASL disagrees with the USL assessment, and the USL has not filed suit against the new league as a whole. The USL sued three of the constituent teams (Crystal Palace Baltimore, Tampa Bay, and Rochester) for breach of contract, claiming that the teams had committed to playing in USL in 2010.[21][22] However on December 21, 2009 the suits were dropped in favor of binding arbitration.[23]
In January 2010, after announcing that it would not sanction either the NASL or the USL First Division for 2010, the USSF announced that it would be running a second-tier league in 2010, putting the NASL on hold for at least a year. The USSF Division 2 Professional League includes teams from both the NASL and USL-1.
Controversy has continued to surround both the NASL and the USL through the 2010 temporary USSF D-2 Pro League season and in the lead up a 2011 compromise on Tier 2 and Tier 3 soccer in the United States, as the leagues have fought for the loyalty of various clubs. Most recently, USL's Puerto Rico Islanders joined NASL, while a founding member of the NASL, the Rochester Rhinos, returned to the USL in October."
Well now that my rant is over, on to some news:
In one of my posts a couple of days ago, I mentioned that former Charleston Battery player, Lamar Neagle, scored a goal in a scrimmage with Real Salt Lake. Here's a recap of the match, and the goal that Lamar scored is included.
Today Central SC Cobras FC held open tryouts, and also announced that their first practice will be held on March 1st, and that more open tryouts are to come. After all of the open tryouts, a list of players who have accepted roster spots will be announced.
Sorry about the rant today guys, but what do you think about the NASL not being allowed to play in the Open Cup? Leave a comment in the comment section below.
If you need to contact me, you can by e-mailing me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com.
NASL is going to go down in flames. They will not be sanctioned for 2012.
ReplyDeleteI hate to say it, but you may be right. It's sad to see a soccer league go down, especially one that looked like it could be successful.
ReplyDelete