USL votes for relegation

[LadyStanley]

Promotion-relegation is coming to U.S. soccer (though not MLS). Will it 'reshape' the sport?

The USL, which currently operates second- and third-tier leagues, says it will launch a new USL Division One and create "an interconnected three-tiered men’s professional soccer system" with pro-rel.

sports.yahoo.com

But not MLS

 

[Barclay Donaldson]

Promotion-relegation is coming to U.S. soccer (though not MLS). Will it 'reshape' the sport?

The USL, which currently operates second- and third-tier leagues, says it will launch a new USL Division One and create "an interconnected three-tiered men’s professional soccer system" with pro-rel.

sports.yahoo.com

But not MLS

I think you mean "relegation" and not "regulation"

 

[Big McLargehuge]

I think you mean "relegation" and not "regulation"

Or it's an abstract thought...like the league will regularly shit out the worst teams.


I mean, awesome. It's seemingly the only way Pittsburgh will ever get a shot at anything other than the USLC equivalent. This beats the ever-loving shit out of the MLS's model of throwing as many teams as possible into one league and wondering why nobody watches when Lionel Messi isn't involved. I f***ing hate that the NHL seems to be adopting that mindset too, but I digress.

Oh, plus I refuse to get Apple TV, so following the MLS is significantly more difficult than numerous leagues on the other side of the f***ing globe now.

US soccer isn't set-up for this system and even under the best of circumstances there's going to be growing pains, but the sport is healthy enough in the US now that the training wheels need to come off.

 

[Hoek]

I think pro/rel can work at this minor league level where the disparity in finances isn't quite as large and owners aren't spending $500m just to buy a franchise, but not sure it has much relevance to MLS. We'll see how interesting the battles get, and also whether there might be rules that get in the way of teams actually moving up (stadium size, payroll etc). If a lot of promoted teams actually can't accept the offer, then it's all kind of moot.

 

[PCSPounder]

I think pro/rel can work at this minor league level where the disparity in finances isn't quite as large and owners aren't spending $500m just to buy a franchise, but not sure it has much relevance to MLS. We'll see how interesting the battles get, and also whether there might be rules that get in the way of teams actually moving up (stadium size, payroll etc). If a lot of promoted teams actually can't accept the offer, then it's all kind of moot.

There’s an irony among English clubs I have found. You would expect most clubs to pull a Darlington… build a 25,000-capacity stadium and shoot for the moon. That act (and the owner in general) bankrupted Darlington.

So you’ll get fans who complain that their owner isn’t investing enough, and not everyone draws well. But it seems more fans than not know not to pull a Darlington.

Now… can you be a Bournemouth? Make smart investments in players and hew to a style? All this in a stadium that held almost 12,000, then when they won promotion to the Premier League, actually shaved a few hundred seats? Be disciplined in your approach and it can work out.

Now… USL has 24 teams in the Championship and 14 teams in League One. Championship had 24 last year, Memphis folded, and USL chose to elevate Lexington SC (did not make the playoffs in 2024, but whose stadium opened last October) from USL1. Meanwhile, USL1 was going to add 6 teams in 2025… but Northern Colorado was forced out, Central Valley folded or suspended, and since Lexington went up, USL1 brought in 5 while Santa Barbara bought the rights to Memphis and therefore will join Championship in 2026 along with Brooklyn FC. Championship has western and eastern conferences, meaning better travel when USL1 is flying from Spokane to Southwestern Florida to Maine to the California high desert this year. To make this work better, USL1 needs much tighter regional subdivisions, meaning way more teams. It needs to be a pyramid, especially in this country. That’s the real trick, and that won’t be easy to achieve. That is, if they actually carry through with pro/rel.

 

[KevFu]

I love it.

I think this is the biggest reason why MLS is an afterthought among US soccer fans.

In all the other sports, you either live in a market with a team in the highest league, or you pick a team usually based on TV. The leagues carved up all the land so everyone has a "home team" regardless of how close you are.

So the Islanders and Mets are my teams because I got SportsChannel New York... seven hours away from NYC. (I still haven't been to UBS or CitiField yet!).

But in soccer, MLS isn't the highest league I can watch on TV. So what's the difference between NYCFC seven hours away... or Manchester City 13 hours away? One is an elite team and one isn't.

I hope this presents a serious issue to MLS where the USL popularity surges and MLS decides to join the pyramid.

 

[DaveG]

I love it.

I think this is the biggest reason why MLS is an afterthought among US soccer fans.

In all the other sports, you either live in a market with a team in the highest league, or you pick a team usually based on TV. The leagues carved up all the land so everyone has a "home team" regardless of how close you are.

So the Islanders and Mets are my teams because I got SportsChannel New York... seven hours away from NYC. (I still haven't been to UBS or CitiField yet!).

But in soccer, MLS isn't the highest league I can watch on TV. So what's the difference between NYCFC seven hours away... or Manchester City 13 hours away? One is an elite team and one isn't.

I hope this presents a serious issue to MLS where the USL popularity surges and MLS decides to join the pyramid.

I mean the biggest reason is that the league right now is artificially keeping the wage bill low which inevitably means that the league can't really compete with Europe's top dozen or so leagues in terms of roster construction. For the first 15-20 years of MLS's existence a cap was needed just for stability. It's now at the point where things are stable and if Atlanta, LAFC, Miami, or even smaller markets like Charlotte want to throw around even more money, as long as they're keeping up with FFP, let them.

 

[KevFu]

I mean the biggest reason is that the league right now is artificially keeping the wage bill low which inevitably means that the league can't really compete with Europe's top dozen or so leagues in terms of roster construction. For the first 15-20 years of MLS's existence a cap was needed just for stability. It's now at the point where things are stable and if Atlanta, LAFC, Miami, or even smaller markets like Charlotte want to throw around even more money, as long as they're keeping up with FFP, let them.

Do we even HAVE the FFP rules in CONCACAF? You only hear about it in UEFA. Maybe we do.

Eventually the US is going to have to shift to the world calendar. Even if MLS teams removed the cap and started spending freely like the rest of the world, you're just not getting anyone to leave Europe in the spring and play through the summer with no time off; or they're going to take from May to March off.

 

[PCSPounder]

Also posting this in the LV Lights thread. Speak of the devil, Eric Wynalda used to coach them. Too much optimism in his going off here, perhaps, and this may give KevFu too much satisfaction. But it prompts questions that many here should ponder.