http://www.atlantasoccernews.net/2009/09/02/how-the-usl-became-a-league-of-its-own/ The World's Game In The Heart of the Sun Belt Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:45:42 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 hourly 1 http://www.atlantasoccernews.net/2009/09/02/how-the-usl-became-a-league-of-its-own/comment-page-1/#comment-124 Where do Silverbacks stand in USL fiasco? | Atlanta Soccer News Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:57:17 +0000 http://www.atlantasoccernews.net/?p=727#comment-124 [...] previous posts I’ve written about all this can be found here, here and [...] [...] previous posts I’ve written about all this can be found here, here and [...]

]]> http://www.atlantasoccernews.net/2009/09/02/how-the-usl-became-a-league-of-its-own/comment-page-1/#comment-94 Chris Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:46:22 +0000 http://www.atlantasoccernews.net/?p=727#comment-94 The USL will not be successful until they become more realistic in their overall approach to a minor league system. If the owners break away to try and form a league then it will only go the way of past leagues like the APSL which was renamed the A-League and now is part of the USL. MLS is the major soccer league here is North America and will continue to progress, but there is room for a minor league. The best bet for the USL is to have teams on a more regional basis to cut down on those travel expenses. These owners need to realize that soccer here in North America is about entertainment and they are running a business so stop treating this as a hobby if they want to make some money. A more regionalized league with a second, third and semi-pro (amateur) division could be a viable option. Having teams in smaller cities will only help to grow the game especially here in the US. A city like Miami is going to struggle as their fan base is very fragmented so their departure would be inevitable anyway. Atlanta has struggled due to the mistakes of ownership in alienating their target market like their foray into club soccer. Hopefully the NuRock ownership can devise a strategy that will get back to the roots of what USL was all about when it was started by Franciso Marcos as the SISL. I think Marcos lost sight of his creation and the league had become somewhat stagnant as they tried to go into new avenues like Super Y. They should stay focused on a professional minor league product which can continue to be the foundation for future soccer players and fans in this country. The USL will not be successful until they become more realistic in their overall approach to a minor league system. If the owners break away to try and form a league then it will only go the way of past leagues like the APSL which was renamed the A-League and now is part of the USL. MLS is the major soccer league here is North America and will continue to progress, but there is room for a minor league. The best bet for the USL is to have teams on a more regional basis to cut down on those travel expenses. These owners need to realize that soccer here in North America is about entertainment and they are running a business so stop treating this as a hobby if they want to make some money. A more regionalized league with a second, third and semi-pro (amateur) division could be a viable option. Having teams in smaller cities will only help to grow the game especially here in the US. A city like Miami is going to struggle as their fan base is very fragmented so their departure would be inevitable anyway. Atlanta has struggled due to the mistakes of ownership in alienating their target market like their foray into club soccer. Hopefully the NuRock ownership can devise a strategy that will get back to the roots of what USL was all about when it was started by Franciso Marcos as the SISL. I think Marcos lost sight of his creation and the league had become somewhat stagnant as they tried to go into new avenues like Super Y. They should stay focused on a professional minor league product which can continue to be the foundation for future soccer players and fans in this country.

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