Archive for USL
USL Returns To NSCAA Convention
TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues will once again be in attendance at the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention which is being held in Philadelphia, PA January 13-17.
The NSCAA Convention is considered one of the pre-eminent gatherings in the soccer industry, featuring numerous coaching tutorials, a large tradeshow of sports professionals and a myriad of other high profile events.
“We are looking forward to returning to the NSCAA Convention again this year,” said USL President Tim Holt, a native of the greater Philadelphia area and Men’s Professional Representative on the NSCAA Board of Directors. “This is one of the marquee events every year and it is important to support the coaches because they are the most influential cog in player development as they interact daily with tomorrow’s stars.”
USL’s new long-term partnership with Umbro will kick off with an expanded exhibit at the convention that will be open during the tradeshow January 14-17. USL and its staff will be located in Umbro’s new 1,600 square foot exhibit throughout the event.
“We are looking forward to our new long-term relationship with USL, an organization with a tremendous presence and history in the sport, heading into the 2010 campaign this summer,” said Richard Nightingale, General Manager of Umbro USA. “We are thrilled to kick this partnership off by featuring USL as part of our newly-expanded Umbro booth for this year’s NSCAA Convention as both organizations begin the new year.”
Holt, one of eight USL representatives at the event, will be a guest on a special three-hour Fox Football Fone-In show, which will broadcast live from the convention Thursday evening. Hosted by Nick Webster and Eric Wynalda, the show will also feature guests such as Don Garber, Tonya Antonucci, Dominic Kinnear, Anson Dorrance and George Gelnovatch.
In all, USL expects over 100 representatives from its teams to also be in attendance at the event from all six levels of USL competition.
League and team representatives, along with USL’s partners and other industry guests will be attending the annual social hosted by USL during the event.
New Year, New League
Ben Knight
Ben Knight writes and publishes
Onward!
New league for Impact, Whitecaps
As expected, compromise ruled the day.
The two disputing factions in the feud over who runs second-division men’s pro soccer in this part of the planet has been resolved – for the coming season, at least – under intense pressure from the United States Soccer Federation.
The two sides – old, existing USL-1 and new, rebellious NASL-2 – will each form a conference in a new 12-team league that will kick off this spring.
Canada’s two sides, the Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps, have been drawn in the “NASL Conference,” along with Carolina, Miami and expansion sides St. Louis and Baltimore. The “USL Conference” includes Portland, Rochester, Puerto Rico, Minnesota, Austin and new boys Tampa Bay.
D2 Compromise
CHICAGO, IL — The U.S. Soccer Federation, United Soccer Leagues (USL) and the North American Soccer League (NASL) have come to an agreement on the formation and operation of a Division 2 professional soccer league for the 2010 season. Under the agreement, U.S. Soccer will oversee the league for the 2010 season, working with both the USL and NASL on the day-to-day league activities.
The agreement pertains only to the 2010 season, and during the next year U.S. Soccer will continue to work with USL and NASL to build a long-term solution for the future. U.S. Soccer will also be developing new standards to govern Division 2 professional league applicants to ensure the long term viability and sustainability of the leagues and teams.
“We are extremely pleased that we were able to come to a solution that ensures we will have Division 2 professional soccer in the United States in 2010,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati.
“This agreement allows us to continue to develop the professional game in many important markets around the country, while at the same time working towards the long-term stability of Division 2 professional soccer. I’d like to thank the representatives from both the USL and NASL for the time spent during our negotiations, especially their efforts in the past seven days.”
The league will consist of two six-team conferences – the USL Conference and the NASL Conference. The USL Conference will include teams from Austin, Minnesota, Portland, Puerto Rico, Rochester and Tampa Bay. The NASL Conference will consist of teams from Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Montreal, St Louis and Vancouver.
In the near future, U.S. Soccer will announce details of the new league, including league rules, a match schedule, television rights and other important operational issues.
As part of the agreement, all pending claims between the USL and NASL will be dropped.
We are pleased to have a solution that will provide fans the continued presentation of an elite caliber of professional soccer in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. While some differences remain, the one common agreement was that everyone must play this season, and we are happy that we were able to work with US Soccer to find a compromise for the upcoming 2010 season.
The quality of play on the pitch has risen sharply over the past few years and will no doubt provide for an exciting campaign yet again in 2010.
Alec Papadakis CEO, USL
The Canadian Soccer Association supports the resolution announced today for Division 2 professional soccer in North America.
The Montréal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC contribute significantly in developing the game of soccer in Canada. We look forward to working with this new league to promote professional soccer in Canada.
Peter Montopoli General Secretary, Canadian Soccer Association
Today we can say mission accomplished. Since the onset of negotiations, we were confident in achieving a positive outcome. We are proud to state that our fans will be treated to high level soccer in 2010 with 12 teams, including three newcomers, matching up in a top quality championship. More so, the league team owners have now gained control over their destiny, which is very positive for the future of soccer in North America.
Joey Saputo President, Montreal Impact
