Eight years ago, a survey of soccer fans in the United States found that 88% of them believed that promotion and relegation would boost American club soccer.
That was long before documentaries such as Sunderland ‘Til I Die and Welcome to Wrexham were a dream in the eyes of film producers.
Given the popularity of those two shows alone, it’s extremely likely that the number of Americans in favor of a pro/rel system for US club soccer far exceeds 88% from the survey conducted by Deloitte in 2016.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s above 90%. After all, everyone seems to want it. Even MLS players do. So does a former MLS executive. It seems that the only people against promotion and relegation are either current MLS employees, Alexi Lalas, or the billionaires invested in Major League Soccer.
USL charts new path that would resonate with American soccer fans
Therefore, the timing of USL’s announcement in February 2025 that the league intends to launch a D1 soccer league as early as 2027 should be music to the ears of soccer fans in the United States if the league decides to adopt promotion and relegation.
The demand is there. Plus an American soccer league with promotion and relegation would offer a product differentiation to MLS. After all, the likelihood of MLS adopting promotion and relegation is a non-starter.
San Diego midfielder Luca De La Torre admitted that MLS is a different sport without promotion and relegation. He’s not wrong, but let MLS be. Major League Soccer will never adopt promotion and relegation, so let a different league be the first one that implements it in the United States.
Instantaneously, USL would become more interesting if and when it adopts promotion and relegation. Just like MLS, it’s fine as it is now. But by embracing pro/rel, there’s more skin in the game for soccer fans in the United States. Pro/rel adds jeopardy. The good teams rise, and the bad teams fall. It’s more of a democratic and capitalist way of running a sports league.
Perfect timing for USL to adopt pro/rel
Also newsworthy is that the time for USL to strike is now, i.e. 2027. Major League Soccer is locked into its 10-year deal with Apple through the end of 2032. So if USL can extend its partnership with CBS Sports and other partners, it has the opportunity to deliver a more relevant league to fans of club soccer in the United States.
Of course, World Cup 2026 on our shores will bring a bigger spotlight on the game and will offer innovative leagues such as USL an opportunity to sign major commercial sponsorship deals to generate more revenue.
Finally, if USL can pull it off and adopt promotion and relegation, it would attract more foreign ownership groups to invest in USL. Many of them want to try to develop the next American stars and then ship them over to Europe, but the current expansion fee for MLS is too exorbitant, which limits growth across the entire country.
