TOA Grabs Two Pieces of NASL Legacy

This morning, my personal site, the Kartik Report along with partner site Inside Minnesota Soccer was among those breaking the story that Crystal Palace Baltimore and Paul Dalglish’s Tampa Bay Rowdies were joining the new TOA “breakaway” league

Later it was reported at USL News, and discussed at Match Fit USA among other places, that Miami FC has purchased the trademark for the defunct North American Soccer League.

This is certainly a controversial, yet highly notable move by the TOA.

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The Return of the NASL: Good Idea?(polls)

UPDATE:

USL has released the following statement

USL press release
Friday, November 20, 2009

TAMPA – In response to the Team Owner’s Association (TOA) announcement that the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Crystal Palace Baltimore will be joining a prospective new professional soccer league, United Soccer Leagues (USL) has issued the following statement:

“Both the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Crystal Palace Baltimore have contractual commitments to USL to play in the 2010 USL First Division (USL-1) season. USL will pursue all actions to protect its interests and those of the USL-1 teams from any breach of contract caused by Tampa and Baltimore.”

“USL further believes TOA is tortuously interfering with USL-1 team owners that are contractually obligated to participate in the 2010 season. TOA has made several misleading statements in a variety of press releases to taint the reputation of USL and its long history of developing the sport of soccer in the United States and Canada. USL will vigorously defend its legal interests against the TOA’s tortuous interference in contractual relationships with its team owners.”