The NASL Might Be Disintegrating

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http://www.starsandstripesfc.com/2016/9/27/13046344/the-nasl-might-be-disintegrating

The NASL Might Be Disintegrating

The NASL might be falling apart. Here's a look at what's been going on and what might be done to save the league.

by Adnan Ilyas   Sep 27, 2016, 8:30a

Recently, news involving several teams in the North American Soccer League has come out. It's been known for some time now that Rayo Oklahoma City was in some trouble. With their major backer, Rayo Vellecano being relegated from the Spanish first division, the club found itself cash strapped. At one point, one of the owners took some of the turf in order to prevent it from being auctioned off. However, Rayo OKC is not the only team in trouble. It's been discovered that the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, a club with a long history of mismanagement, has been struggling to pay its players, with some months salaries coming late. Now, the league's owners have announced that they will not fund the team for the remainder of the season. Rumors have also come out that at least two teams may be abandoning ship for the USL, the third division league. First the Ottawa Fury, and then the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Both Ottawa and Tampa are rumored to be upset with the instability and politics of the league and see USL as a better, safer, and cheaper environment (with Tampa also interested in jumping up to MLS.)

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The NASL could take up ownership of the flailing clubs until another owner could be found. This would allow the clubs to keep existing and reduce the need to immediately place expansion teams. However, this would require the league take payments from the other owners in order to keep the clubs afloat. The league did this previously with Minnesota United. That said, it's a very unpopular with the cash-strapped owners and would almost guarantee that Ottawa and Tampa leave, along with potentially other clubs like Edmonton and Charlotte Carolina Railhawks.

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Apparently, the USL is open to the idea of taking clubs from the NASL. The league is already doing it, at least if the rumors are true that Ottawa and Tampa are already jumping to USL (and I do indeed think they are true). Those clubs that are willing to curb their ambitions and accept a role as a lower division team with a focus on developing burgeoning talent would likely be welcomed. This would reduce traveling costs and guarantee that the stronger teams would at least always have somewhere to play. Merging would even allow USL to take that DII status they want. There's only one exception. The New York Cosmos are not welcomed. The Cosmos have managed to tick off seemingly everyone outside the NASL and that includes the USL. They don't want the Cosmos messing with the more stable dynamics in the league.