Image credit: NPSL

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) has sent a letter of complaint to U.S. Soccer about what they perceive as “continued tampering” with NPSL teams. The letter of complaint was sent during the week of September 25th-29th, 2017. The letter is addressed to Lydia Wahlke, legal counsel for the USSF and is copied to USSF Secretary General Dan Flynn, NPSL commissioner Joe Barone and United States Amateur Soccer Association president John Motta. Barone declined to comment, but Motta confirmed that he had received the letter and forwarded it to USASA board members. Soc Takes did not reach out to Flynn.

Soc Takes has been given a copy of this letter by a source with a request to not publish it publicly.

The central complaint in the letter claims that certain NPSL teams have been actively encouraged, by USL representatives, to exit the league, with the declaration that “the only path to a professional team is through the USL.”

While the letter itself does not cite how the NPSL came to this conclusion, a well-placed source informed Soc Takes that this purported communication from USL representatives is demonstrably true. Soc Takes has not seen this putative communication confirming that the USL used that verbiage.

The USL’s Premier Development League (PDL) is the NPSL’s main competitor in the unofficial fourth division of U.S. Soccer. Earlier this year, NPSL chairman, Joe Barone spoke to Soc Takes about finding ways to eliminate scavenging of NPSL teams by external forces such as PDL. The letter sent to US Soccer purportedly reiterates this fact – that NPSL teams have previously received invites by USL to join their league.

NPSL owners

Soc Takes reached out to sixteen NPSL owners regarding the issue. Two NPSL owners, who wish to remain anonymous, have confirmed to Soc Takes that they have previously been approached by the USL, asking those NPSL owners to switch allegiances.

Five other NPSL owners informed Soc Takes that they were not approached by USL, suggesting that not all clubs were approached.

Nine owners declined to comment or did not respond at the time of publishing.

The bigger picture

Given the backdrop of the recent lawsuit suggesting anti-competitive behavior by the USSF (paragraphs 15-20) and co-conspirators Major League Soccer (MLS), Soccer United Marketing (SUM) and USL (paragraphs 21-23), this information may be seen as further examples of the USL as trying to put the NPSL out of business. While the NPSL is not a defendant in the case, history shows us that the NPSL and NASL have harbored a necessary alignment against the MLS-USL-PDL side of the soccer pyramid.

“If there is no NASL, and NPSL is destabilized, who is most likely to benefit from that?” a source told Soc Takes.

The copy of the letter provided to Soc Takes states: “The clear effect of the USL’s policies and restrictions, whether intentional or otherwise, is to grow the PDL for its own financial benefit and systematically undermine the viability of the NPSL.”

On the other hand, people who don’t buy the conspiracy angle, will likely point out that these emails are just another example of the leagues antagonizing each other. And, in fact, this behavior is an example of the competition, not anti-competitive behavior, of the two sides of the pyramid. Certainly, it has to be stated that in recent years, teams have diffused freely in between the NPSL and PDL.

The future

The letter asks for a meeting with USSF CEO Dan Flynn. The goals for the meeting would be to:

(1) “Cause the USL to cease its efforts in recruiting NPSL teams.”

(2) “Address the USL’s narrow and monopolistic policies regarding professional team ownership.”

Depending on the outcome, a well-placed source informed Soc Takes that there is “a strong possibility” of litigation arising from this lawsuit.

Neither the NPSL nor USL commented on this story at the time of publication.

***

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Indy Eleven ended their recent run of poor form Saturday with a 1-0 win over league-leading San Antonio FC. SAFC entered with 57 points, the most in the USL Championship, and has already clinched a playoff spot.

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Photo credit: Miami FC

The North American Soccer League lost the important part of its lawsuit relating to Division 2 sanctioning, and as a result has cancelled the planned 2018-19 season.

Of the eight teams that participated in the 2017 campaign, two have already folded. The San Francisco Deltas won the title and almost immediately ceased operations, while FC Edmonton shut down its professional side while potentially holding out for the Canadian Premier League.

Two others, North Carolina FC and the Indy Eleven, have departed for the USL, which has become the only official Division 2 professional league.

That leaves four previously existing teams and two expansion hopefuls. Here’s what’s planned for 2018 for those six teams:

The New York Cosmos, Jacksonville Armada, and Miami FC will all run in the 2018 NPSL season. California United FC, one of the planned expansion teams, has been participating in the UPSL as California United II following a takeover of the former OC Invictus FC team. That is expected to continue.

The two big questions are Puerto Rico FC and San Diego. Puerto Rico has so far not announced any plans for 2018 or beyond, and given the ongoing struggles on the island, is far from surprising. Recent posts on the team website and social media state that the club is still working on a plan to play somewhere this year; however, no leagues have made any announcements about the team. Meanwhile, San Diego has made statements indicating that the team plans to delay its official start to 2019 due to venue issues, and has reportedly been in discussions with the USL.

And now for a bit of speculation time.

Will California United and San Diego 1904 ever take the field?

For the former, I think that the existing lower-division infrastructure that has already competed in a UPSL season actually gives them a real fighting shot at continued existence, even if it’s just maintaining their current situation. Their owner, Peter Capriotti, definitely has the financial resources to theoretically launch the team in the USL, USLD3, or NISA. But so far, I’ve seen little to indicate their most likely destination. Now, whether or not the USL wants another team in Orange County and a third team in the Los Angeles metro area is another matter entirely.

#1904FC Ownership group issues official statement 👇https://t.co/hbBBaMzF0v pic.twitter.com/xxfoU7mh97

— 1904 FC (@1904_FC) February 27, 2018

For San Diego, things are looking very positive. On Tuesday, the club announced it’s finalizing an agreement to join the USL for 2019. While the league hasn’t released any confirmations yet, it’s being reported by San Diego media, along with the fact that 1904 FC officially left the NASL back in January. San Diego’s intention still remains to build a 10,000-seat stadium at the existing SoCal Sports Complex, and failing that, it’ll use USD’s Torero Stadium.

Will Puerto Rico FC survive?

I honestly don’t know. Reports on the current state of affairs are far from promising, and between the continuing recovery process and the team’s financial issues, things aren’t great. And the ownership group has allegedly been dealing with infighting. Maybe they could join USL, and work something out to manage the travel distance and costs. I honestly don’t know, but my gut feeling tells me that it’s not looking good.

Will the Cosmos, Miami or Jacksonville join USL?

If I had my way, they would. Mainly because joining the USL is a better fate than folding, and it’s the only way those clubs can guarantee division 2 for the immediate future. But each one of them have their own issues with USL.

As far as I can tell, Miami is the most likely to join, mainly because they’ve been a consistently well-run organization since their creation, and per Jeff Reuter, they have been in discussions with USL to potentially join in 2019. It would make a lot of sense for the continued survival of the organization, so long as Silva is willing to set aside his differences with USL management. The team would be a great addition to the league, and could continue their existing rivalry with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

For Jacksonville, one of the major holdups keeping them from joining USL is Robert Palmer’s broadcast agreements. The Armada have been broadcasting in the Tampa Bay, Lakeland, and Orlando areas, among others, since he took ownership, as part of his efforts to market his various companies. Those agreements are apparently in violation with the USL’s regulations.

This would explain why Palmer is not interested in joining USL, given their apparent restrictive broadcast policies. 👀👀👀 https://t.co/ZLAdjfXWKW

— Miki Turner (@turneresq) February 25, 2018

That’s likely one of the major reasons behind his pursuit of a planned “Division Zero” league. In my opinion, though, attempting to start a new league with these ambitious, if at least superficially agreeable ideas, is much more difficult than just doing what the USL wants and joining that league instead. Yeah, it’s not perfect, but it’s much easier to promote change from within than to attempt to create a brand new league from scratch (see: NASL).

And now onto the Cosmos. Owner Rocco Commisso is such a wildcard, and I have honestly no idea what he’s thinking or planning. I think the Cosmos could be a fantastic addition to the USL, and I’m not alone. But Rocco has been critical of the USL, and his actions have likely only further burned those bridges. If that’s true, I’m not surprised, as he’s obviously not an easy person to work with. But really, I think they might want to reconsider, if only to extend an olive branch to the primary protagonist of the various lawsuits.

If USL personnel want to change Rocco’s mind that they’re in the pocket of SUM and MLS, the best thing they can do is welcome the Cosmos with open arms. But on the other hand, what would Rocco do if they made that offer? We know that he cares deeply about the official designation of Division 2 and USL would offer that. But is Rocco willing to agree to league regulations? Who knows?

The USSF was exceedingly patient with the NASL despite years and years of antagonism and an inability to meet the standards. And the NASL argument that those standards were impossible to meet and anticompetitive fell on deaf ears as: 1) the NASL helped develop the standards, and 2) the USL managed to work its way up from D3 to near full compliance in just a few years.

If Rocco, Silva, and Palmer truly care about their clubs, they should crawl to the USL and ask for forgiveness. I’m sick of seeing clubs fold because of the personal battles of ownership.

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Photo credit: FC Cincinnati

Soc Takes understands that ex-USMNT international John Harkes is the current front-runner to be Greenville Triumph Soccer Club’s first head coach.

Harkes has previously coached in the United Soccer League (USL) at FC Cincinnati — currently a D2 franchise — from 2016 to 2017. If confirmed, this would be Harkes’ first coaching role since that time. Harkes has also done extensive media work with Sirius XM FC.

Soc Takes understands that Harkes is Greenville’s first choice as head coach, and will take over at Greenville unless a D2 opportunity presents itself in the near future. Greenville is expected to have a very strong player budget for 2019.

USLD3 is expected to apply for United States Soccer Federation (USSF) divisional sanctioning before the August 15th deadline.

Greenville Triumph SC president Chris Lewis responded to Soc Takes’ request for comment via email.

“As we mentioned during our brand unveil, we are in advanced stages of our coaching search. We have had multiple candidates in to Greenville to have discussions with us,” Lewis wrote, adding, “We expect to make an announcement in the near future that will have all the details. Please stay tuned!” 

Meanwhile, Tom Soehn is expected to be the first manager for Birmingham Legion SC, a news story first reported by Soc Takes on Twitter.

Soc Takes understands that new USL D2 franchises in Memphis, Hartford and New Mexico are close to finalizing their managerial searches as well.

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Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/Indy Eleven

INDIANAPOLIS — Multiple sources inform Soc Takes that Indy Eleven will play in the United Soccer League (USL) during the 2018 season.

The decision was finalized this morning (Jan. 5) and is expected to be announced late next week by USL, along with the USL schedule for the 2018 season.

Soc Takes understands that Indy Eleven ownership was locked in negotiations with the city to find an alternate stadium solution to IUPUI’s Carroll stadium, the home of the team since its inception.

Unless unexpected changes occur, Indy Eleven will play its home games at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2018, the home of the Indianapolis Colts.

Soc Takes understands the league will ensure that Indy Eleven’s early fall games do not conflict with Colts’ preseason games which tend to be held on Saturdays.

The club is expected to pay the $25,000 “operational withdrawal” fee for leaving the NASL after the loss of second-division status.

Before the announcement of Indy Eleven as its newest franchise, the USL is expected to announce Memphis as an expansion team on Monday.

The future of the NASL remains in the balance as they await a decision on their appeal.

No change in ownership is expected for the Indy Eleven as they join the USL.

(Note: Contrary to much speculation, Soc Takes understands that Jacksonville Armada will not be joining the USL.)

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