The North Carolina city would be the league’s 30th franchise

Photo credit: MLS Communications

Following MLS Board of Governors meetings on Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn, N.Y., it has been reported that MLS will go ahead with the announcement of Charlotte as the league’s 30th franchise in the coming weeks.

Initially reported by Soc Takes, a press conference and event appears to be aimed to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 17 in Charlotte itself, with permits reportedly requested to shut down a section of South Tryon Street in front of the Mint Museum.

Hearing @MLS has made a request to the city of Charlotte shut down South Tryon Street in front of the Mint Museum from the 16th-17th 👀

— Colton Coreschi (@cjcoreschi) December 5, 2019

The news was quickly picked up and confirmed by multiple sources, confirming the announcement and date — though the exact location and status of the requested permit remains unconfirmed as of yet.

Have not gotten a response from the city yet about permit to close portion of S Tryon but source tells me uptown announcement on @MLS Dec 16-17 is in the works https://t.co/MOeapmVZ9a

— Erik Spanberg (@CBJspanberg) December 5, 2019

Additionally, The Athletic’s Sam Stejskal reported that David Tepper and Tom Glick, respectively owner and president of the Charlotte-based Carolina Panthers and backer of the Charlotte MLS bid, were seen happily shaking hands with MLS commissioner Don Garber after the meeting.

A bit tough to see through several layers of hotel window, but it appeared that Panthers owner David Tepper and president Tom Glick exchanged happy handshakes with MLS commissioner Don Garber at the Board of Governors meeting in Brooklyn about an hour ago. https://t.co/ZUzc5C817J

— Sam Stejskal (@samstejskal) December 5, 2019

It has been previously reported from multiple outlets that a potential Charlotte MLS team would play at the Panthers’ current home at Bank of America Stadium. Tepper has also been in numerous negotiations with the city of Charlotte regarding stadium proposals.

A league spokesman told Erik Spanberg of the Charlotte Business Journal that Garber would address MLS’ expansion timeline at a press conference today at 4 p.m. ET, following the conclusion of the Board of Governors meeting.

League spokesman at @MLS tells me @thesoccerdon will be addressing expansion timeline today at 4 PM after board of governor meeting concludes

— Erik Spanberg (@CBJspanberg) December 5, 2019

The Charlotte franchise’s name, branding and start date have yet to be revealed or reported, but a glance at the current MLS expansion calendar provides hints at a 2021 start date — alongside previously announced Austin FC. That timeline would see MLS add two clubs each in 2020 (Nashville SC and Inter Miami CF), 2021 (Charlotte and Austin FC) and 2022 (Sacramento Republic FC and St. Louis). It also provides a hint at the possible future of Nashville SC, which will start play in the Western Conference in 2020 despite being located closer to many Eastern Conference clubs. The proposed timeline above would bring in two likely Western Conference clubs in 2022, providing an opportunity to allow Nashville to shift to the more logical Eastern Conference with regional southeast rivalries in Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami.

Follow Colton on Twitter: @cjcoreschi.

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Photo credit: Indiana men’s soccer

Nineteen. It’s a number that means many things. For the Indiana men’s soccer team, 19 represents the number of College Cups they have attended, an NCAA record. Now the Hoosiers are two wins away from their ninth NCAA championship. IU returns to the College Cup for the first time since winning the title in 2012. Indiana faces North Carolina in the second semifinal Friday at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia.

When asked what it meant to reach this newest milestone, IU head soccer coach Todd Yeagley said simply, “It means a lot. There are a lot of people that this means a lot to.” Yeagley witnessed it firsthand on the sidelines watching his father Jerry coach IU, and then on the pitch as a player. Now he sees it from a different view as head coach.

“It’s so hard,” Yeagley said. “So many things have to go right. A bounce, a save, a post — any of those things can shoot you the other direction.”

It’s been a year of battles for the No. 2 seed Indiana Hoosiers. Their undefeated record (17-0-6) may seem like a flawless year. And while yes they have yet to lose a match, there have been some bumps along the road. Two draws against Maryland and Michigan opened IU’s Big Ten season. Oct. 18, Butler ended Indiana’s eight-match winning streak by handing them a 0-0 tie. Eleven days later, the Hoosiers tied Michigan State 1-1 in the last regular season match of the year, falling short of the Big Ten regular season title. IU then tied Wisconsin 0-0 in the Big Ten final. Wisconsin won the title on penalty kicks (4-2).

But the Hoosiers dusted off and returned to the drawing board. “Some of the ties have felt like losses for the players,” Yeagley said. “I’ll take undefeated any day. After the ties, you hit the reset button.”

And reset they did, each time. IU earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and a bye in the first round. The club then topped Old Dominion 3-0 and New Hampshire 2-1 in tourney action. But in the quarterfinal match, an old friend — the tie — returned. After 110 minutes they were knotted up at 1-1. Penalty kicks went differently this time. IU’s goalkeeper Trey Muse made key saves as the Hoosiers prevailed 3-2.

Defense is a top priority for the Hoosiers. As a freshman, Muse leads the nation’s top defense in goals against average (.242) and shutouts (17). Muse has recorded 58 saves, while allowing just six goals.

Congratulations to Trey Muse and Trevor Swartz for being named to @TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week! #Q49 #GoIU ⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/vvxSEhJrF0

— Indiana Men’s Soccer (@IUMensSoccer) December 5, 2017

Mason Toye leads IU’s attack with 10 of the club’s 48 goals. Cory Thomas ranks second with seven, while Andrew Gutman scored six. But don’t count any Hoosiers out when it comes to scoring. Twelve players have tallied a goal this season.

No. 3 seed North Carolina is making its sixth College Cup appearance in 10 years. The Tarheels have won two National Championships (2001, 2011). UNC currently ranks second in the nation with scoring offense, averaging 2.52 goals per game. The Tarheels (17-3-1) last dropped a 2-1 decision to Notre Dame Nov. 5. Since then they have outscored opponents 6-2 en route to the College Cup. Cam Lindley leads the offense with seven goals and three assists, followed closely by Jelani Pieters (9 goals, 7 assists) and Alan Winn (11 goals, 2 assists). Fourteen Tarheels have combined for 53 goals. Defensively, UNC has posted seven shutouts on the season, while allowing 18 goals.

“It’s a fantastic field with Stanford, Akron and North Carolina. All are very deserving to be there. This is a powerhouse College Cup,” Yeagley said. “We have a great challenge Friday. UNC is as talented as any team in the country, player for player, very dynamic, excellent attackers. It’s a team that is very confident, and should be with only three losses in the year playing against a really good schedule. We’ll have our work cut out for us on Friday. We’re excited.”

The winner of Friday’s match will face the winner of No. 5 seed Akron vs. No. 9 seed Stanford. Akron (18-3-2) most recently won the tournament in 2010. The Zips played to a 0-0 draw with No. 4 seed Louisville on Friday, topping the Cardinals 4-3 on penalty kicks. Stanford (17-2-2) returns to the College Cup for the third straight season, defending its back-to-back titles (2015, 2016). The Cardinal is the first team to win back-to-back titles since IU in 2003-04. Stanford advanced by shutting out No. 1 seed Wake Forest 2-0. Friday’s early match is set to begin at 6 p.m. ET, with the second semifinal set to begin at 8:45 p.m.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

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The USASA oversees adult amateur soccer across the nation. (Photo credit: USASA)

While the NASL is fighting to abolish professional league standards (PLS), the organization overseeing amateur soccer in the country — the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) — is about to institute a new set of standards of its own. Standards facilitating a tiered system that would sequester leagues into Tier 1, 2 or 3.

Soc Takes spoke to USASA chairman John Motta about the plan. “This tier system will break groups up into national, regional and local leagues. We also want to get all the amateur leagues together in January at the coaches’ meeting to discuss the possibility of promotion-relegation across the tiers.” Motta explained that the tiered system is already being drafted for “hopefully 2018” while the promotion/relegation component would take much more planning and debate.

According to Motta, under the new system national leagues such as NPSL, PDL and UPSL would be at the top tier, while regional leagues such as the American Premier Soccer League would populate tier two. Finally, elite amateur leagues “such as The Cosmopolitan Soccer League” would be at the third tier.

Beyond the geographical expanse of the league, tier requirements would involve stadium size, availability of locker rooms, media rooms and the ability to broadcast games. “We don’t have a finished product of the requirements yet, I have sent the leagues our current draft, but it is not a final product,” Motta explained.

Sources within NPSL, PDL and UPSL confirmed that they had received a draft of the requirements for tiers. Soc takes did not reach out to other leagues at the purported lower tiers.

While admitting that, in principle, the new tier requirements sound like US soccer’s PLS requirements, Motta points out that there are “no financial requirements.” Currently, PLS requires principal team owners in Division 1-3 leagues to have a net worth of between $10-40 million.

On the other hand, similar to yearly USSF audits determining league compliance, USASA will penalize leagues if teams do not meet requirements.

“If there’s a team that doesn’t meet requirements, the league would need to drop that team or would risk losing sanctioning.”

When asked if leagues could apply for waivers, Motta reiterated that details were being ironed out.

The USASA was founded in 1995 and comprises of over 250,000 members across its various constituents.

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.

Related

• One of the enduring questions about lower-division soccer remains: Where do USL franchise fees — currently at $10 million for the Championship and $1 million for League One — go? The seeming answer is a reinvestment into USL headquarters; namely front office salaries, benefits, office rent, etc. However, based…

Photo credit: Robbie Mehling/Soc Takes

Soc Takes understands that the USL Championship’s franchise fee now stands at $10 million. As Soc Takes has previously reported, the USL’s franchise fee has increased significantly over the last decade, from a low of $150,000 to a current high of $10 million. Most recently, the franchise fee was $7 million.

More to follow…

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.

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