USL showing maturity in acting like a league over US Open Cup dispute
Is the wild west is becoming settled?
American men’s lower division soccer is like the wild west and any effort to create unity and solidarity (which is a chief organizing principle of this sport) is often a futile enterprise. Despite calls for open systems, independent clubs and unity, we instead usually get predatory leagues looking devour one another. Even when there have been opportunities that are logical for synergies (such as when NPSL and NISA advanced deep in talks about a serious partnership in 2019) they often break down over tribalism and ego.
As a strong supporter of club independence, I fully embrace the idea of clubs, not a league calling the shots. However, there are times groups of teams have to act in a common interest and pull in a common direction. More often than not that is an impossible calling at the lower division level.
MLS has been able to further consolidate its control over the soccer pyramid not only because of the alleged anti-competitive practices they have engaged in but also because of the dysfunctional and quite frankly childish nature of many of the dealings that happens outside MLS.
This week however, something remarkable happened. In the midst of Major League Soccer’s efforts to torpedo the US Open Cup for 2024, and the US Soccer Federations desire to placate MLS, unity developed within USL.
For those who don’t know, the competing interests within USL and even between USL clubs and the league office often get in the way of real progress.
A few things happened in the last few weeks:
US Soccer and MLS attempted to get USL to sign on to a joint-statement discussing efforts to address formulating plans for the 2024 US Open Cup. USL refused to join this statement, a savvy move given it is MLS that caused this crisis and not USL.
In order to protect MLS and that league’s desire to have multiple clubs avoid US Open Cup responsibilities in 2024 (an obligation under the USSF’s Pro League Standards) USL professional clubs were offered to opt-out of the cup for 2024. This also plainly was an effort to split USL into factions all looking out for their own interests. This also would benefit MLS in its ultimate goal of eliminating USL completely as an entity capable of providing market competition in the future.
Multiple USL professional clubs I am told either considered or outright planned to take advantage of this “offer” for the USSF especially after the MLS-driven “poison pill” 60/40 revenue split was interjected into the conversations.
US Open Cup Committee Chairman Arthur Mattson, whose positive influence on the adult and amateur game here in Florida (he was once Chairman of FSSA) and nationally is nearly unrivaled stepped down and indicated the competition was in “grave danger.”
Ultimately thanks to strong leadership from USL HQ in Tampa and several clubs, the attempts by USSF and MLS to split USL into warring factions looking out for themselves exclusively was beat back. USL will fully participate in this years Open Cup, calling the federation’s bluff and putting the onus entirely on MLS for whatever shortcomings this year’s tournament has from a competition standpoint.
This means USL, led by its league executives and its most successful clubs created a case that common interests and the need for unity within the league should trump individual considerations and hurt feelings over Open Cup.
That’s a league system acting like a league system in developing solidarity among its member entities. And that is ultimately a positive thing for the game in this country from where I sit, despite this whole saga of MLS’ own making being so counter-productive for the sport.
This might be your best article yet. Really good stuff. I don’t want leagues getting too much power, but part of the reason we had to leave Nisa is it was chaotic.
USL has behaved impeccably during this situation.
Their stock has gone way up.
Every Nisa team is competing which you seem to be ignoring. They got every team to stick in the open cup before USL did. Despite this, I think this is a great article because we all realize NISA is a train wreck as much as we want them to succeed and USL is the only thing staying in the way of MLS taking over completely. They have to remain strong. -this whole open cup debacle was probably designed to hurt USL. MLS will look to discredit USL by denying them games against MLS clubs.