U.S. Soccer delays decision on NASL, USL sanctioning and divisions again
U.S. Soccer still has not made a decision on NASL and USL's sanctioning or their division status and will not until after the new year. A federation spokesman confirmed the delay to IndyStar after the original 7-10 day delayed timeframe that U.S. Soccer laid out lapsed.
"Discussions are still ongoing and will be through the end of the year," a USSF spokesman told IndyStar.
The spokesman added "there is no specific reason" for the delay and that sides "are still talking it through."
U.S. Soccer was supposed to sanction NASL and USL after meetings on December 6, essentially signing off on their continued existence as official leagues recognized by the country's federation and FIFA. Along with that would come a decision on whether NASL would remain the country's second division and USL the third division, or if they would both have second division status, or if USL would become the second division and NASL the third division. But they decided not to make a decision then and said they would in 7-10 days. That time period has passed and the federation did not make any statements until doing so to IndyStar.
The reason for the delays and confusion is the uncertainty around the future of the NASL. The nine-team league was supposed to grow to 10 in 2017, but then the Ottawa Fury and Tampa Bay Rowdies decided that they were leaving to join the USL. The Carolina Railhawks, rebranded as North Carolina FC, are also weighing a move to the USL and Rayo OKC and the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers could fold, while the Jacksonville Armada's future is also clouded. But the real killer was the New York Cosmos terminating all player contracts amid rumors that they were going to fold, a move that could cripple the NASL.
As of now, there are no assurances the NASL will even exist in 2017. The entire league could go under and some of its remaining teams, like the successful Indy Eleven, North Carolina FC and Jacksonville, could join Ottawa and Tampa Bay in jumping to USL. What would happen to FC Edmonton, Miami FC, Puerto Rico FC and the San Francisco Deltas, who are supposed to debut in 2017, is a mystery.
On top of all that, there are reports that NASL has an expensive release fee that teams would have to pay if they leave the league. That complicates matters even more, as some teams may struggle to afford it and may wait to see if the league folds so they could leave without having to pay it.
With so much uncertainty, it's no wonder why U.S. Soccer hasn't made a decision on sanctioning and divisions yet. There is so much to unpack and no real clarity as to what they are dealing with. It's extremely messy from a soccer perspective, as well as a financial and political perspective.
For now, it looks like they will wait until 2017 and hope that things become a little clearer as everyone works through the many entanglements involved as the future of lower division American (and Canadian) soccer remains unsolved.
