Category: Sidewinder Insider

Birmingham’s United Soccer League team now has a name, crest and colors.

But if you want to get really technical, Birmingham Legion Football Club is not the Magic City’s first franchise in this organization.

Remember Birmingham Grasshoppers FC?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Led by Birmingham-Southern boss Preston Goldfarb – one of the greatest college coaches to ever grace the game – the Grasshoppers competed in the United States Interregional Soccer League from 1992-96.

The USISL did have a Pro League, but Birmingham was part of the Premier League, which was the circuit’s elite amateur division. Still, it was an early iteration of the USL and for a Birmingham-bred soccer fan like myself, it was well worth watching and following.

Now, however, the stakes are much higher.

“This is a new chapter in Birmingham’s sports history,” James Outland, member of Legion FC’s ownership team, told Ashley Foster of bigcom.com on Tuesday. “The name ‘Legion’ is synonymous with Birmingham and sports. It has a cultural significance that runs deep and is truly unique to our community.”

The USL is growing like kudzu, and stands as the largest (and, if the North American Soccer League fails to get relief from the courts, only) second division league in North America.

This year 33 teams will take the field, while in 2019 Austin, East Bay (Oakland) and Memphis will join Legion FC as expansion franchises.

“Birmingham, for us, is a tremendous addition,” USL president Jake Edwards said last summer when the city was granted a franchise. “From a regional point of view, there are some great natural rivalries, and Birmingham has long been a hotbed for the fans of the sport. It’s a market we’ve kept our eye on for a long time, but I think they won’t know what has hit them when this soccer juggernaut comes to town. They’re going to be a great addition to the USL.”

Birmingham has, indeed, shown its potential as a soccer hotbed before, albeit in a “big event” capacity.

There was a time when the United States Men’s National Team as well as the World Cup-winning U.S. women made Birmingham a regular stop. Fans showed up by the tens of thousands to watch their matches played at Legion Field – the inspiration for the USL club’s nickname.

And one of the most unforgettable memories I have as a sportswriter is Claudio Reyna’s goal just seconds into the United States’ match against Argentina in the 1996 Olympic Games.

I have spent more days that I can count covering American football games at the “Gray Lady,” but it was never louder or more electric than hearing 83,183 people erupt when the midfielder’s kick found the back of the nylon.

But Birmingham has mostly been overlooked when soccer leagues have been eying franchise spots, although the Birmingham Hammers of the National Premier Soccer League have given my hometown a quality club team to call its own for the last few years. This summer, the Hammers will compete in the Premier Development League before transitioning to the USL and new brand.

(The Hammers are a “gateway team” for the United Soccer League; they were co-founded by Legion FC vice president Morgan Copes and will live on as fans urge their team to “Hammer Down”).

The USL is a major step forward in the city’s soccer evolution, and now it’s up to the fans to prove they can and will support pro soccer on a regular basis.

With natural rivalries against the likes of Atlanta United 2, Charlotte Independence, North Carolina FC and Memphis, I have high hopes.

Legion FC will likely play its home games at UAB’s soccer facility, BBVA Compass Field. Plans are in the works to expand seating there to 5,000.

Ultimately the team hopes to be part of a new 45,000-seat stadium in downtown Birmingham, a project that is still in the wish list stage at the moment.

If that venue is ever built, though, it could lead to more major soccer events coming to town – and give the Magic City more chances to further prove its bona fides in the Beautiful Game.

For more information on Birmingham Legion FC, go to www.bhmlegion.com.

When it comes to association football in the United States, Major League Soccer is the 600-pound gorilla.

What was formed as part of the deal to bring the World Cup to the U.S. in 1994 has flourished into a stable, thriving organization, and has cornered the market on top tier soccer in North America.

As a soccer fan, I’m glad there’s a big league to follow in the United States and Canada.

As a soccer purist, though, I wish we’d take a cue from the rest of the soccer-playing world.

I’d love to see a season that aligns with a European schedule, meaning league matches start in August and end in May.

I’d prefer the United States Soccer Federation be a little less beholden to MLS and Soccer United Marketing.

While the USSF is a non-profit, it has a big money rights deal with SUM through 2022, and SUM is owned by MLS.

And the white whale for many of us is a promotion/relegation system in American soccer. It’s a topic MLS commissioner Don Garber has zero interest in, and one the league owners have no desire to explore.

So why am I excited about a fledgling, independent Division III league that won’t even field teams until 2019?

Because the people running it have a real vision for how professional soccer can – and should – work here.

The National Independent Soccer Association wants to introduce pro/rel as well as create teams with real ties to the community, which is the model that has made soccer the world’s most popular sport.

Last week, NISA co-founder Peter Wilt announced an initiative that will allow fans to have an ownership stake in clubs throughout the country.

Wilt is working with Cutting Edge Capital, a crowd funding firm, to make it happen.

“This is a historic direction for an American professional sports league,” Wilt said during a town hall meeting for USSF presidential candidate Eric Wynalda. “It serves two important purposes. First, it creates the platform for new clubs to raise the seed capital needed to launch a new pro soccer club for their market. Second, and more importantly, this initiative will connect these clubs with the fabric of their community, build a foundation of support and ensure they never leave for a different city.”

As is the case with leagues in Europe, there are different ownership approaches, depending on the franchise.

NISA co-founder and general counsel Jack Cummins said at the same meeting fan ownership is simply an option.

“This isn’t for all clubs,” he said. “Some will still want to control 100 percent of their ownership.  However, for others, having fan ownership (ranging from 10 percent on up) will strengthen the connections to their communities. This is another important step to develop a league that conforms to what has worked time and again in the global game.”

According to the league website, it will serve as a Division III league in the U.S. pyramid.

MLS represents the first division, while the United Soccer League (and possibly the North American Soccer League, if it wins its appeal to retain second tier status) are second division.

The NISA plans to start with eight to 10 teams and reach up to 24 by its fourth season.

The plan, then, is to create a promotion/relegation system in which its top teams can move up to a second division. The hope is that there will then be room for a fourth division to send teams up to the third division of NISA.

Currently there are various amateur leagues that could fill that void.

“Eliminating entry fees and territorial restrictions, having fan ownership in teams, and promotion and relegation are NISA’s keys to revolutionizing soccer in the United States,” Cummins said.

Of course, that pro/rel thing is the tricky part.

With MLS wanting no part of it and USL having a cozy relationship with the top league, you have to wonder how this new circuit will pull it off.

Will the USSF even allow NISA to join the party?

And if so, can the independent organization get big enough (and bold enough) to become a major player in domestic soccer?

This is how things are explained on the league’s website:

Promotion and relegation is not complete if it does not include a first division. NISA’s vision for pro/rel is not limited to lower division leagues, but we recognize that pro/rel needs to start somewhere. It will likely take 3 to 4 years to fully populate NISA with 24 teams. At that point NISA can begin promoting teams to a second division league. Once that second division league is fully populated, it can begin relegating teams to NISA. There may be a few years that require NISA to bring on expansion teams to replace promoted teams until the second division is fully populated. Pro/Rel with a fourth division league will not happen until a fourth division league plays a full schedule. Connecting to an existing (MLS) or new first division league with pro/rel is something that requires a bit of faith and vision right now, but we believe NISA’s creation is an important piece of that vision.

The words that jumped out to me were “or new first division league,” which tells me the movers and shakers in NISA are prepared to play the long game.

And both Wilt and Cummins are hardly soccer novices.

Wilt has overseen the launch of seven pro teams, and was the founding GM and president of Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire.

Cummins is a former owner (with Wilt) and general counsel for the Chicago Red Stars in Women’s Professional Soccer as well as the past chairman of the expansion and ownership committee for Women’s Professional Soccer.

Obviously any new league is a longshot, especially since MLS and USL seem to have taken command of the top two divisions in North America.

But the NISA is a great idea, and any push for pro/rel is a push I’ll enthusiastically support.

For more info on the league, go to www.nisaofficial.com.

By Scott Adamson
Adamsonmedia.com

Toronto FC capped off the greatest season in Major League Soccer history on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS Cup.

The clash – a rematch of last year’s final won by the Sounders – served as the 2017 curtain call for North American professional club soccer.

Toronto (20-5-9) controlled the match from start to finish, dominating possession and keeping Seattle back peddling from wire-to-wire before 30,584 fans at BMO Field in Toronto.

Goalkeeper Stefan Frei was the only reason 2016’s champions stayed close as he made save after save before Most Valuable Player Jozy Altidore split a pair of defenders and punched in the game-winner in the 67^th minute. Victor Vazquez closed the door in stoppage time with a rebound goal that made it 2-0, delivering Toronto the first treble in 22 seasons of MLS soccer.

Aside from claiming the Supporters’ Shield while racking up the most regular season points (69) an MLS team has ever recorded, Greg Vanney’s squad also won the Canadian Championship.

Alexander Bono got the clean sheet for the victors, making two saves. Toronto outshot Seattle, 22-7, and had 11 corner kicks to just three for the visitors.

Frei did all he could for the Sounders (14-9-11), making nine stops.

Toronto’s goals were the only ones scored against Seattle during the 2017 postseason.

 

STATE OF THE LEAGUE

The 2017 MLS Cup proved to be a fine season finale for the circuit that began play in 1996.

After suffering from severe growing pains (it lost an estimated $350 million over its first eight seasons and also underwent contraction) the top tier of soccer in the United States and Canada has since demonstrated stability and sustained growth. In addition, its commitment to soccer-specific stadiums across the league suggests a league that will be part of American sport’s long game.

Currently with 23 franchises and targeting 28 teams in the coming years, MLS might still not be mentioned alongside the NFL, Major League baseball, NBA and NHL, but it has unquestionably carved out a sizable niche.

 

ATTENDANCE

The 2017 regular season saw a league average of 22,112 fans per game (up nearly 2 percent from 2016), and expansion club Atlanta United FC was far and away the most successful at the box office with an incredible 71,874 fans-per-game average.

Seattle drew 44,370 per match while DC United saw 41,418 supporters show up for their home contests.

 

EXPANSION

Next Thursday the MLS board of governors will discuss expansion, and the cities under consideration are Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville and Sacramento.

Those four were culled from 12 cities that submitted bids back in January and two will be selected to begin play in 2020 – probably.

Los Angeles FC will start next season and a Miami entry associated with David Beckham was expected to be the 24th active MLS franchise.

However, nothing has yet been finalized with Beckham’s ownership group, meaning one of the two expansion hopefuls could “cut in line.”

 

ALLOCATION MONEY

The board on Friday approved an increase in Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) available to each club.

While each team will receive an allotment of $1.2 million each year through 2019, they may also spend an additional $2.8 million (on a discretionary basis) in 2018 and 2019.

The TAM initiative began in 2015 with the idea of giving franchises “increased resources to add, or retain, players that will make an immediate impact on the field.”

The TAM is geared toward roster spots beyond the three Designated Players on each team. According to MLS Communications, The Designated Player Rule “allows clubs to acquire up to three players whose total compensation and acquisition costs exceed the maximum budget charge, with the club bearing financial responsibility for the amount of compensation above each player’s budget charge.”