Holidays are time of joy, relaxation, and reconnecting with friends and family. And part of many holiday traditions are large gatherings and family dinners. For the last 5 years, the NASL is part of our soccer family. And sitting beside the NASL leads to some awkward dinner conversations.
Most people are polite at work, forgiving with friends. But family is another story. One can switch jobs, and friendships can wither over time. But family stays. As a result, we often find ourselves at a family dinner with people we really might have little in common with. This is never more evident than at a family dinner, when politeness has succumbed to hours of football and alcohol.
Soccer in the United States is a small, interconnected community, it’s a family. And like any family, there are strong characters, and occasional conflict. MLS is the uncle that keeps telling you to go to business school and get into hedge fund management. The USL is the cousin that sucks up in the hopes of getting a larger inheritance someday. The USSF is a great uncle that joins the Peace Corps in unlikely locations (does Geneva really need NGO volunteers?). And then there is the NASL. The NASL is the cousin with an endless supply of get rich quick schemes. And after a few minutes, it becomes self-evident that if the same energy was spent on actual work, they would – in fact – be rich.
If you should happen to sit next to the NASL, here are a few topics to avoid. It will only lead to entrenched opinions and holiday drama.
Lawsuits
The NASL has yet to meet a lawsuit it didn’t like. And 2015 saw the NASL threatening litigation more often than Donald Trump. First, the league went after former owners in Oklahoma City in an effort reminiscent of jilted lovers on facebook. It should not surprise the NASL when one of its expansion teams folds before it ever fields a team. And the tortured legal arguments screamed “petty.”
The NASL, apparently with a legal budget that exceeds the Cosmos salaries, decided to take on the U.S. Soccer Federation next. Apparently the league felt slighted that the requirements to become a first division league were being changed. While the initial claims are not embarrassing, the NASL still looks foolish. In order to win, they would have to prove the USSF did not have reasonable requirements. And based on past anti-trust litigation against the USSF (accusing it of favoring MLS), the NASL would also likely have to get FIFA to agree with the NASL’s claims. This is a tough ask. And throughout it all, the NASL looks like it would rather sue someone for a generous “First Division” label than prove it on the field and in the marketplace.
NASL Expansion
The NASL has recently added some well run teams – and the league is much better as a consequence. Indianapolis and Jacksonville are teams that – even with traditional expansion pains – would be a credit to any city. Ottawa, a 2014 addition, is a source of Canadian pride. But with these success stories aside, the NASL has made some mind-numbing WTF decisions.
First, the league has authorized an expansion team in Miami. Miami is a great city. Unfortunately, there is a high profile ownership group fronted by the world’s sexiest man intent on putting a MLS team in the same city. And if this competition is not bad enough; the league already has a team in the same metro area! A lower division league needs to maximize its resources and get the greatest return on its investment possible.
Second, the league is putting another team in Puerto Rico, an idyllic destination. But this location already had a team in the modern NASL, and it was forced to fold. In similar circumstances, MLS seems wary of returning to the location of failed experiments. Perhaps the NASL should use similar caution. Does a team heading by a NBA star fix the problems of the previous iteration? Maybe, but I’m not convinced.
Third, the league brought in Spanish minnows to own a team in Oklahoma City – the location of its previous litigious hissy fit. If this is starting to look a little Fatal Attraction-esque, you’re not alone. Nothing about this move suggests professionalism or well thought-out planning. When a half dozen MLS teams spend more than the La Liga parent club, and subsidiary clubs (Chivas, NYCFC) have a history of embarrassing their leagues, and the small market already has an existing professional team, the facts stack up against this move.
And when it comes to the announced expansion to Northern Virginia, originally to start in 2014, then 2015, then… Some things are better left unsaid.
Pele doesn’t play anymore
I’m 40. I don’t remember the original NASL. And when I think Pele, I think World Cups in canary yellow, not the Cosmos. Referring back to history is nice every once in a while (especially when we’re talking Alan Willey), but it’s largely irrelevant. But if you feel 1970s footage sells your league better than the current best XI – you’re setting yourself up for failure.
A Fundamental Lack of Substance
One side effect of the FIFA & CONCACAF criminal prosecutions is that we get evidence of the actual intentions of the NASL. And from its outset, the leadership of the league wanted to take out MLS. This isn’t the first, or last, group to think MLS is doing soccer wrong (i.e., not like other countries), and they can do it better. And I applaud the group for putting actual money on the line and making an effort to develop a competing product.
But it’s clear that the league has lost its focus. The league needs to grow, and expansion is necessary. But the league cannot afford the high failure rate it has. And doubling (or tripling) up in troublesome markets is an expression of vindictiveness, and not smart business decisions. Why try to run MLS out of Miami when the people of Miami will do it better.
And what is so damn sexy about Oklahoma City that it needs a competing lower division team? Is there a large Spanish immigrant community that I am unaware of? It’s more likely that the league just wants to send a message not to mess with the league. As a realist, I get that a “message” might need to be sent at times. But the best way to convey a “message” is success. And the NASL is not on that path.
The league needs to focus on its product – high quality soccer games. It remains difficult for fans to follow the league. TV production is decent for a few teams, beyond laughable for others. Highlight packages are missed; social media presence is lacking. Stats are lacking – a key tool for the legion of fanalysts (who provide FREE advertising and fan engagement). Several teams need better facilities; and the league would be wise to act collectively to get these teams what they need. And we should not forget that the league is required to get a team in the Pacific Time zone – or the NASL risks losing its Second Division status. Instead, the league focuses on retribution, settling scores, and litigating its way to top status.
Ironically, if the league spent as much money on its marketing as it does on lawyers, the gap between it and MLS would close as lot faster. Granting the NASL first division status overnight will not change the quality of its play, or draw more fans to games. But investing in the teams, the production values, the accessibility for fans, will show the public how great the soccer actually is (a fact that sometimes gets lost in the bluster coming from New York).
But it’s probably best not to talk to the league about it.
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