Interest in soccer continues to grow at a rapid pace from USA World Cup runs and the continued expansion of MLS into more intriguing markets. For the first time in the 21 year existence of Major League Soccer, the league is truly national with the recent additions of Minnesota United and Atlanta United. Despite the great prospects MLS continues to provide for the growth of soccer in America, the lower divisions of soccer aren't so rosy.
In mid-December, it was reported that NASL (the USA's second division, below MLS) might just go under. With at least half of the reported teams scheduled to play in next year's league likely insolvent and their marquee club reporting that the New York Cosmos are laying off staff and players, things aren't looking good for the NASL.
In case you aren't familiar with NASL, it is short for the North American Soccer League. It was re-launched in 2010 from the old NASL that captured America's love for soccer in the 1970's. The NASL was the first national soccer league that broke through the American sports landscape. Today, the NASL presents itself as a separate system from MLS's single entity league, as owners are allowed to run clubs themselves and are not controlled by a central entity. It is also a direct competitor to the MLS/USL (third division) partnership and aspires to be the best league in America again.
These aspirations though have been met with multiple challenges. Firstly, the league itself has been poorly run with continued languishing attendances, extremely small tv audiences, and rushed expansion leading to clubs with a lack of a permanent home. NASL, from a structural standpoint has always looked more like a semi-professional league than a professional one. However; that is not the only problem on NASL's plate.
MLS's superiority in management along with the recent partnership with the USL has hurt NASL tremendously. Just this year the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Ottawa Fury left the NASL in order to join the USL next season. Minnesota United has also left NASL for the greener pastures of MLS. NASL is feeling the pressure from both the bottom and the top of the American soccer pyramid.
Now with the US Soccer Federation's decision on league sanctioning coming as soon as Friday, the NASL continues to search for a survival plan.
This week there have been rumors that there are multiple investor groups interested in adding teams to the NASL. These groups include Orange County, Chicago (set for 2018), Detroit, and Atlanta. It was also reported this week that the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and New York Cosmos will be saved by outside investors, leaving the league with at least 8 teams for next season (enough to salvage D2 status for another year).
Despite these initial rumors of NASL's survival for at least another season, the NASL has a long way to go if they want to co-exist and prosper in a soccer pyramid dominated by the MLS monarchy.
In order for NASL, to survive in the near future, the league has to make smarter decisions. This includes where and when they expand. NASL should be looking to expand into areas that MLS hasn't yet tapped yet or won't tap for years to come. These areas include the likes of Omaha, Detroit, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Buffalo, Baltimore, etc. NASL should also consider focusing on Chicago and LA in order to gain a true media footprint.
The NASL also must change from a structural standpoint. That means investing in the communities they expand in and building sustainable soccer cultures through the creation of soccer specific arenas (or at least playing in stadiums in the city) and academies. They also need ownership groups that truly care about the growth of soccer in America, and in order to do this they must raise the price of their expansion fees in order to prevent another Rayo OKC disaster from happening.
This still might not be enough in order for NASL to survive. Given MLS's stronghold on the soccer media coverage and the USL's partnership with MLS, the NASL will always be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
So if NASL is to survive, the league must give up some characteristics of its unique vision and become subservient to MLS's powerful grasp on the US soccer pyramid. But if the NASL continues to go on participating in "soccer warz" with MLS/USL, they will continue to struggle as teams look for stability in MLS due to the fact that there is no relegation/promotion in America. This could even mean communicating with MLS for help.
If the NASL holds D2 status on Friday, NASL needs to change drastically if it is to co-exist with MLS/USL in the near future.
