Is there legitimacy to a hybrid promotion/relegation system in North America? World Soccer Talk's Kartik Krishnaiyer breaks it down. The discussion around promotion and relegation, and the potential of it being implemented in the US/Canadian leagues has grown in scope and intensity over the last few years. One camp of fans and analysts clearly state that […]

The topic of promotion and relegation in US soccer is a divisive one, but it doesn't have to be that way. I believe that it's possible to have an intelligent discussion regarding the topic without comments threads being plagued with soccer fans calling each other names. But what I am interested in hearing and reading is […]

On Monday, The Financial Times newspaper reported that the second-tier North American Soccer League (NASL) has launched a legal case against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) regarding first division sanctioning. In a nation without promotion and relegation, USSF is able to create arbitrary standards with the first-tier league MLS to determine what D1 standards should be. While […]

This week's episode of Divers and Cheats focused its discussion on the NASL, USL and MLS, and it created more buzz on social media than any of our previous three shows. The change in tact by the NASL since 2012 is striking. The mission statement of the league in the 2012 media guide included the following passage: “The […]

This week, The Guardian newspaper was able to score a rare interview with New York Cosmos owner Seamus O’Brien regarding the future of the iconic soccer brand he leads in the United States. O’Brien purchased the Cosmos in 2012 soon after opting to join the second-tier North American Soccer League (NASL) rather than attempt to […]

With the world’s attention on Canada and the Women’s World Cup, discussion of the FIFA scandal has begun to fade in the United States. This could not have come at a better time for the USSF and the professional leagues in the United States. As my colleague Simon Evans discussed late last week, the silence […]

West Bromwich Albion have announced that they'll be conducting their preseason training in the United States this summer with friendlies scheduled against MLS' Orlando City Soccer Club, and USL's Charleston Battery and Richmond Kickers. West Brom will play Orlando on Wednesday, July 15 at the 65,000-capacity Citrus Bowl before heading out to Charleston, South Carolina […]

On Saturday, largely ignored by the national media, another new American soccer club will be born. And once again, it looks like being another success story. Jacksonville Armada will open their NASL campaign and they hope to beat the league’s regular season attendance record of 14,593. It is another sign that North American club soccer […]

Today's episode of Soccer Morning features guests USL President Jake Edwards and Matthew Rappo. Hosted by Jason Davis and produced by Trevor Hayward, Soccer Morning features interviews with prominent journalists, players and coaches in addition to taking listener calls. USL President Jake Edwards takes over from Tim Holt, who recently stepped down. Matthew Rappo, meanwhile, leads […]

Even if you haven't filled out your NCAA Tournament bracket (or five) yet, you are probably still aware that there's some big college basketball tournament about to explode onto several networks today. Colloquially it is known as "March Madness". In recent years there have been articles written about the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup characterizing […]

The growth of soccer in the United States is something that can be easily taken for granted. We've seen the disastrous fallout that occurs when leagues overextend themselves, lacking the financial support to reach the lofty strata they desire to attain. Last week's flurry of Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations in Major League Soccer brought this […]

Tuesday’s news that USL will apply for Division 2 status shook up the US Soccer community. As the former Director of Communications for the North American Soccer League (NASL) when the league battled USL for D2 status in 2010 and early 2011, it is a bittersweet moment. The NASL forced a change in US Soccer […]

One of the topics that generates a lot of clicks on the Internet, but that we've purposefully stayed away from, is the debate about promotion/relegation in the US soccer system. There's a couple of reasons why we've avoided it until now. One, it's a hornet's nest. It attracts a lot of irrational comments from both sides […]

The recent World Cup has spawned a number of books that not only look at the recent past of American soccer but what the men’s national team needs to do going forward. Many of these stories are being written by journalists, but it is rare we hear from people who have experienced the U.S. soccer […]

The 21st MLS team, Orlando City Soccer Club, has announced its new logo for its upcoming 2015 season where they will be participating in MLS play for the first time. David Brotherton, a fan and graphic-designer who purchased season tickets in 2011, designed their new lion logo. Brotherton also submitted designs for a stadium and ideas […]