A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
.svg) | |
| Founded | November 10, 2009 |
|---|---|
| First season | 2011 |
| Folded | 2017 |
| Country | United States |
| Other club(s) from | Canada, Puerto Rico |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of teams | 7–12 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | U.S. Open Cup Canadian Championship Copa Luis Villarejo |
| Last champions | San Francisco Deltas (2017) |
| Most championships | New York Cosmos (3 titles) |
| TV partners | |
| Website | nasl |
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league based in the United States. The league was named for, but had no connection to, the original North American Soccer League. The later NASL was founded in 2009, and began play in 2011 with eight teams.
From 2013 through 2017, the NASL used a split-season schedule running from April to early November, with a four-week break in July. The spring and fall champions, along with the two teams with best combined spring/fall records met in a four-team single-elimination tournament known as The Championship.[1] The winner of the final claimed the Soccer Bowl trophy. While there was no promotion and relegation with other leagues, former commissioner Bill Peterson repeatedly stated that the league had an interest in introducing promotion and relegation to the pyramid.[2]
During its seven seasons of play from 2011 to 2017, it was sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league in the United States soccer league system. In 2017, the Division II status was made provisional, as the league had consistently failed to meet the sanctioning criteria. In 2018, U.S. Soccer outright denied the league Division II status for 2018, as the NASL had not demonstrated a plan for moving into compliance with required standards.[3][4][5] The league first postponed and then cancelled its 2018 season, pushing back its potential return to the 2020 season. Its member clubs folded or moved to other leagues, and the NASL effectively became defunct in November 2018.
Background
A top-division professional soccer league known as the North American Soccer League operated from 1968 to early 1985. The modern league used the same name and a similar logo but had no official ties to the original NASL.[6] Several of the modern NASL teams, in particular the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and New York Cosmos, shared the same names and similar jersey designs as their original-NASL predecessors. The league had expressed its affinity to the earlier league, in fact inviting participation from their AGM Phil Woosnam, who wrote them a letter wishing their success in the new league.[7]
In 1995, the USSF had created its first Professional League Standards (PLS) to regulate the first and second division of soccer in the United States.[8] They set out certain standards that leagues would need to meet in order to be sanctioned, and any league could apply for whichever tier status it could qualify for.[9] The NASL and USSF would be involved in several legal disputes over the PLS.
History
Founding
On August 27, 2009, multi-national sports company Nike agreed to sell its stake in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) to Rob Hoskins and Alec Papadakis of Atlanta-based NuRock Soccer Holdings, instead of to the USL Team Owner's Association (TOA), a group comprising the owners of several USL First Division clubs and St. Louis Soccer United. After the purchase, several prominent TOA members began to voice their concerns about the state of the league in general, its management structure and ownership model, the leadership of USL president Francisco Marcos, and about the sale of the league to NuRock, which the TOA felt was counter-productive and detrimental to the development of the league.
Within several weeks, a number of TOA member clubs threatened to break away from USL and start their own league. On November 10, 2009, six USL-1 clubs along with St. Louis applied for approval to create a new North American Division 2 league.[10] On November 20, 2009, one team from both USL-1 and USL-2 announced their intentions to join the new league,[11] taking the membership of the new league to nine teams.[12]
The official name of the league was announced on November 23, 2009.[13] According to the official press release, the NASL name was intended to "pay respect to the players, coaches and leaders who were pioneers for men's professional soccer in North America, many of whom remain involved and committed to the growth of the game in various capacities throughout the U.S. and Canada".
The USL issued several press releases questioning the legality of the teams choosing to break away, suggesting that it considered litigation to protect its interests and those of the USL-1 teams from any breach of contract.[14] The USL claimed that the NASL and the TOA ownership group was "interfering with USL-1 team owners that are contractually obligated to participate in the 2010 season" and "made several misleading statements in a variety of press releases to taint the reputation of USL and its long history of developing the sport of soccer."[15]
NASL's inaugural season was expected to begin play in April 2010.[16] However, after announcing that it would not sanction either the NASL or the USL First Division for 2010,[17] U.S. Soccer announced in January 2010 that it would run a temporary USSF Division 2 Professional League for the 2010 season that included 12 teams from both the NASL and USL-1, putting the NASL on hold for at least a year.[18]
League begins
Following the 2010 season, NASL admitted its member clubs to meet the new Division 2 standards set out by U.S. Soccer. The NASL was provisionally approved by U.S. Soccer on November 21, 2010.[19][20] The provisional sanctioning was briefly revoked by U.S. Soccer in January 2011 due to the collapse of two of the ownership groups involved with NASL and serious questions about several others[21] but was reinstated before the 2011 season.[22][23]
As part of the re-organization that established the NASL as Division II, the USSF updated its Professional League Standards, in order to keep up with the growth of the sport and population growth in the United States since 1995.[9] Another update to the PLS took effect in 2014, while a further update was discussed in 2015 but was dropped.
Traffic Sports scandal
From the beginning of the league, Brazilian-based sports company Traffic Sports Marketing was a significant investor in the new league. Traffic Sports Marketing was heavily involved in its operations. Traffic was an early investor in four of the league's clubs, and the president of its American subsidiary, Aaron Davidson, also served as the chairman of the NASL's board of governors.[24] Both Traffic and Davidson himself were implicated in the 2015 FIFA corruption case, and both would eventually plead guilty to racketeering, conspiracy, and wire-fraud conspiracy. Traffic Sports continued to hold a large amount of stock in the NASL until the league finally arranged for a sale to an unnamed buyer in November 2016.[25]
Dispute with USSF and legal action
Since the league's founding, the USSF had demonstrated a willingness to work with leagues who could show they were moving into compliance with the PLS; the NASL applied for, and was granted, waivers for specific provisions every year of its existence.[3]
In September 2015, the NASL announced its intent to challenge MLS and secure Division I status, despite never having met the criteria for Division II. To that end, the league sent a letter to U.S. Soccer president, Sunil Gulati, objecting to proposed updates to the Division I PLS. NASL took issue with three proposed changes: increasing the minimum stadium size to 15,000, increasing the minimum number of teams to 16, and changing the minimum population required in 75% of the teams from a population of 1 million to 2 million. NASL accused U.S. Soccer of colluding with MLS to protect MLS's monopoly as the only Division I league in the United States.[26] The USSF denied the league's Division I application on March 30, 2016, but continued to grant waivers for the NASL to play in Division II.[27]
In September 2017, it was reported that after having granted provisional Division II status to both the NASL and the MLS-backed United Soccer League in 2016, that U.S. Soccer had voted to stop extending PSL standards waivers to the NASL, resulting in the loss of its Division II status. NASL stated that it "does not believe that the federation acted in the best interest of the sport. U.S. Soccer's decision negatively affects many stakeholders in soccer: fans, players, coaches, referees, business partners, and the NASL club owners who have invested tens of millions of dollars promoting the sport. The decision also jeopardizes the thousands of jobs created by the NASL and its member clubs." For its part, the USSF explained its decision was the result of the NASL's continued failure to meet agreed-upon league standards, particularly that "(d)espite multiple chances, NASL has not even come up with a plan for eventual compliance with the Division II standards."[3]
On September 19, 2017, NASL filed suit against U.S. Soccer citing antitrust violations related to the change of sanctioning criteria.[28] The decision to pursue the lawsuit was not unanimous among NASL clubs. FC Edmonton was not involved in the lawsuit, having "found out about the lawsuit over the telephone";[29] and North Carolina FC did not support the lawsuit.[30] The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled against the NASL's motion for a preliminary injunction on November 4, 2017,[31][32] and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied an appeal February 23, 2018.[33]
Following the District Court ruling, the NASL announced it would move to the "international calendar", playing from August through June.[34] The announcement was met with skepticism, with commentators pointing out the difficulty in playing a winter schedule in northern markets such as New York or Indiana.[35] Others characterized it as a desperation move, suggesting the change had more to do with the NASL not being able to field enough teams to play its regular spring schedule and that the league had not worked through the "logistical nightmare" of such a schedule change.[35][36][37]
On February 27, 2018, the league announced that the 2018 season had been canceled in the wake of the court ruling. They were looking for ways to return in 2020.[38] At that time, the New York Cosmos, Miami FC and Jacksonville Armada, chose to participate in the National Premier Soccer League for the 2018 season while the NASL's future was being determined.[39] FC Edmonton briefly stopped operations before joining the newly formed Canadian Premier League in advance of the 2019 inaugural season,[40][41] while San Diego 1904 FC left the league and tried unsuccessfully to join the USL.[42][43]
Demise
After initially postponing the 2018 season, the league was denied a preliminary injunction to prevent the loss of its Division II sanctioning and announced it had canceled its 2018 season and hoped to return for a 2019 season.[44] By July 2018, the league pushed back its potential return to the 2020 season.[38] In November 2018, two of the four remaining NASL clubs announced that they would launch a new professional league in 2019 associated with the National Premier Soccer League[45] and the NASL effectively became defunct.
Competition format
The NASL began playing a split-season format in 2013. Similar to Liga MX, Central, and South American leagues, the schedule consisted of two competitions, Spring and Fall, with the winner of the Spring season earning the right to host the Fall champion in a one-game playoff, the Soccer Bowl. In 2014 the postseason was altered again with the introduction of The Championship: The NASL Spring Season and Fall Season champions were joined in the semi-finals of The Championship by the two clubs with the next best overall records from both seasons combined. The semi-final winners competed in The Championship Final, with "Soccer Bowl" being the name of the trophy itself.[46] The NASL Spring Season and Fall Season champions would each host a semi-final. The number one seed was awarded to whichever of the Spring or Fall champions posts the better combined regular season record. The number three and number four seeds were awarded to the next two clubs with the best overall records from both seasons combined. Clubs will retain their seeding throughout the postseason. The top-seeded semi-final winner hosted The Championship final. If the same club won both seasons, the clubs with the second, third and fourth best overall records from both seasons combined qualified for The Championship.[1]
The Spring Season ran from early April until July 4, and following a one-month break, the Fall season ran from early August until early November.[47]
The split-season model had several intended benefits for NASL. A break in July that coincides with the international transfer window allowed teams to acquire (or sell) players during the summer, providing ample time for new players to become acquainted with their new club and league. Secondly, NASL teams could use this break to generate additional revenue by hosting international friendlies or going on tour.[47] In prior NASL seasons, the competition featured 8 teams playing a 28-game regular season schedule, with 14 home and 14 away matches, meeting each opponent four times. The playoffs consisted of the top six clubs, with the first and second-ranked teams receiving a bye until the semi-final round. The bottom four competed in a knockout round before advancing to the semi-finals. Both the semi-final and the final rounds were played over two-legs, the winner advancing on aggregate goals.[20]
In July 2013, NASL teams took advantage of the break afforded by the new split-season schedule to host several international friendlies, including several matches against Mexican, Brazilian, and Guatemalan teams, while the NY Cosmos traveled to London to play lower division English teams.[48]
Similar to other American sports leagues (but unlike many European soccer leagues), NASL did not have promotion or relegation for its member clubs. The champion of Division II NASL was not promoted to Division I Major League Soccer, and the team finishing last in NASL was not relegated. Two NASL clubs did switch leagues to MLS (Montreal Impact in 2012, Minnesota United FC in 2017) as expansion teams following an application.
The NASL did not have a salary cap,[49][50] limited active rosters to 30 players, and limited teams to seven foreign players.[51]
Other competitions
Teams playing in the NASL represented three separate CONCACAF members, the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. NASL's U.S.-based teams played in the U.S. Open Cup, the winner of which provides one of the four U.S. representatives in the CONCACAF Champions League. The NASL did not participate in the 2011 U.S. Open Cup during the league's first season, but joined the tournament in 2012 to some success as the Carolina RailHawks reached the quarterfinals that year. In 2014, both the Carolina RailHawks and the Atlanta Silverbacks reached the Open Cup quarterfinals.[52] The league's Canadian teams, FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury FC, participated in the Canadian Championship. This tournament consists of the Canadian Soccer Association's professional clubs, the winner representing Canada in the Champions League.
NASL teams also occasionally played in international competitions including friendlies during the league's summer break.[48] Additionally, the Puerto Rico Islanders were invited to participate in the CFU Club Championship by the Caribbean Football Union representing Puerto Rico, participation in which allowed them to qualify for the Champions League. The Islanders competed in Champions League twice during their time in NASL.
Clubs
Team timeline
Club folded Club moved to MLS Club moved to USL Club moved to other league
Founding members
Founding members; 
Expansion clubs; 
Abandoned expansion clubsWith provisional approval from U.S. Soccer to begin play as a Division 2 league in 2011, eight clubs were officially confirmed to launch the inaugural season: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, Fort Lauderdale Strikers (formerly Miami FC), Montreal Impact, NSC Minnesota Stars, Puerto Rico Islanders and FC Tampa Bay.[20]
Four of these eight teams – the Carolina RailHawks, Miami FC, Minnesota United FC (formerly Minnesota Thunder/Stars) and Montreal Impact – played in the USL First Division in 2009, and were among the set of TOA teams that initiated the original breakaway from the USL. FC Tampa Bay had been scheduled to be a 2010 USL-1 expansion franchise, but switched to the NASL shortly after NASL was officially formed. The Atlanta Silverbacks played competitively in USL-1 in 2008, and spent 2009 on hiatus from the league prior to joining the NASL. FC Edmonton was an expansion team that was founded in 2010 and joined the Canadian Premier League in 2019 after suspending operations in late 2017.[4] The Puerto Rico Islanders played in the USL in the 2010 season.
Several teams expected to join NASL did not play in NASL during the 2011 inaugural season. Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USL Second Division had planned to join the NASL, but announced in late 2010 that it would not play in NASL in 2011 due to a necessary restructuring.[54] The Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division initially joined the NASL on November 30, 2009, but jumped to the new USL Pro instead.[55][56] AC St. Louis, part of the initial TOA group that formed NASL, closed in late 2010 after only one season due to financial difficulties.[57] The Vancouver Whitecaps did not play in NASL in 2011 because the Vancouver Whitecaps FC joined MLS in 2011. The Minnesota Thunder ceased operations due to financial problems, and were replaced by the NSC Minnesota Stars under different ownership.
On March 25, 2015, it was announced that founding team Minnesota would become a Major League Soccer expansion side in 2017.
When the owner of the Atlanta Silverbacks was unable to find a buyer for the club, the league assumed operations for the 2015 season. On January 11, 2016, the NASL announced that it was also unable to secure a new ownership group, and the club ceased operations.[58][59][60][61]
On October 25, 2016, the Tampa Bay Rowdies announced that they would be moving to the United Soccer League for the 2017 season.[62]