Category: Sidewinder Insider

By Scott Adamson
Adamsonmedia.com

“Black Friday” had a different meaning for the North American Soccer league this year.

FC Edmonton folded earlier today, leaving the embattled league with just five franchises from its 2017 season and no assurances any of them will be playing in 2018.

Unless the NASL is allowed to retain second division status – that determination will be made by a court on Dec. 15 – it could go out of business altogether.

The folding of Edmonton comes just days after the San Francisco Deltas won the league’s 2017 championship and then closed up shop.

North Carolina FC announced its move from the NASL to the USL on Nov. 16.

“Although we believed in and have supported the NASL business model, our franchise has proven to be unsustainable in the Edmonton market. Our decision today is further reinforced by the continuous uncertainty being forced upon the NASL by the United States Soccer Federation,” FC Edmonton co-owner Tom Fath said in a statement. “We sincerely hope the road to long-term stability can be found for the NASL as the NASL pursues the lawsuit against the USSF in the US courts.”

Edmonton is one of the founding franchises of the NASL, which launched in 2009.

Rishi Sehgal, interim commissioner of the NASL, released a statement on Friday following the announcements made by FC Edmonton and the San Francisco:

“As we anticipate what we hope will be a favorable outcome in the U.S. Court of Appeals, we have been working diligently to build a strong foundation for the 2018 season. We are looking at making a number of changes to our business structure, and we are encouraged by the amount of expansion candidates that are ready to join the NASL.

During this time of change, two of our clubs, FC Edmonton and the San Francisco Deltas, will be departing the league.

“We are very appreciative of FC Edmonton’s contribution to the NASL as a founding member. As the club’s owner, Tom Fath was a tremendous ambassador for the league and his genuine passion for the community did so much for the fans and the people of Edmonton.

“In San Francisco, it’s unfortunate that the Deltas’ business plans did not materialize in the way they had hoped. We remain a big believer in the market, as evidenced by the atmosphere and crowd at the championship final earlier this month, and we still believe that the city deserves a professional soccer team. We are in active discussions with potential ownership groups and we aim to keep professional soccer in San Francisco in the future.

“We appreciate the support of the soccer community as we continue our plans for the 2018 season, and we remain confident ahead of our appeal hearing on December 15.”

The USSF has denied the NASL second division status for 2018 due to its small geographical footprint, and a court upheld that decision earlier this month after the league filed suit. The appeal will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York.

This season the league fielded franchises in Brooklyn, Miami, San Francisco, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Puerto Rico (Bayamón), North Carolina (Cary) and Edmonton.

San Diego and Fullerton are being eyed for NASL expansion should the circuit go forward.

By Scott Adamson
Adamsonmedia.com

The first leg of the conference finals are complete in Major League Soccer, and only the Seattle Sounders took a major step toward the MLS Cup.

The Sounders, who claimed the league title last season, defeated Houston 2-0 on Tuesday in the Western Conference championship.

In the Eastern Conference, Toronto FC and Columbus played to a 0-0 draw.

Seattle will try to secure its spot in the 2017 MLS Cup when it hosts Houston on Nov. 30, while FC and the Crew will settle the issue a day earlier in Toronto.

The MLS Cup is set for Dec. 9 at the site of the finalist with the best record.

In Seattle’s win, Gustav Svensson tallied the game-winner in the 11th minute and Will Bruin added insurance in the 42nd minute.

Houston was forced to play a man down from the 27th minute on when Dynamo right back Jalil Anibaba pulled down Joevin Jones in the penalty box and was sent off.

Tyler Miller had three saves in the shutout.

United Soccer League awards

Nine days after Louisville FC claimed the league title, the USL has handed out the last of its awards for the 2017 season.

Reno 1868 FC’s Dane Kelly on Wednesday was named the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Scoring 18 goals for the expansion club, Kelly entered the season as the USL’s modern-era leader with 48 regular-season goals. The Jamaican now has 66 regular-season goals in his professional career.

“A player like me, who has been playing in the league for such a long time, to be awarded the Golden Boot earlier in the season and then get the MVP award, it means so much to me,” said Kelly, who joined the USL in 2012. “I couldn’t have done any of this without the help of my Reno 1868 FC family, so I have to say kudos to them for helping me have such a good season.”

Real Monarchs SLC’s Mark Briggs is Coach of the Year, getting 41 percent of the vote to Louisville City FC’s James O’Connor’s 31 percent.
“It hasn’t really hit home because I’m preparing for next year where we’re already trying to bring in the players we want for next year and planning for another successful year,” Briggs said. “I loved every minute of this season, but I love what I do, I’m passionate about what I do and hopefully I can do it for a long time.”

San Antonio FC goalkeeper Diego Restrepo is the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

The netminder, in his first year with san Antonio, led the USL with 12 shutouts and finished second in the league with a 0.80 goals-against average.
“Obviously, I had a great team in front of me that completely helped me feel very comfortable and get me adjusted very quickly,” Restrepo said. “A lot of credit goes to them, and I knew I had the backing of the coaches and I just took it game by game, minute by minute, and that’s one thing I never take for granted.”

Restrepo teammate Sebastien Ibeagha is Defender of the Year.

Playing 2,700 minutes, Ibeagha was part of defense that allowed only 24 goals in 32 regular-season contests and led the league with 15 shutouts.

“It’s truly an honor to win this award, but I would be remiss if I failed to mention how big of a role the entire team played in this accomplishment,” Ibeagha said. “We had a great group this season, and without them, we would not have had such a great defensive record. I want to thank the USL for giving me this award, and I’m honored to be among the other finalists who had great seasons.”

Finally, Reno 1868 FC’s Chris Wehan is the USL’s Rookie of the Year.

He tied the USL single-season record for assists with 12.

“It was a great year – I think all of the stars aligned for me,” said Wehan. “I was on a really good team, I had a lot of good players around me which helped me personally. I had a chip on my shoulder a little bit after what I’d gone through with the draft and not finding a home at the very start, but I was super-fortunate this year to be part of the group.”

By Scott Adamson
Adamsonmedia.com

The United Soccer League continues to spread like wildfire.

And with its most recent expansion, the North American Soccer League was burned in the process.

On Thursday the USL announced that North Carolina FC will join Fresno FC, Las Vegas Lights FC, Nashville SC and a new franchise owned and operated by Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC in 2018.

In the case of North Carolina, however, the club is moving over from the NASL. That league is hoping for relief from the courts that will allow it to retain second division status: as of now, the USL will be the only Division II league in North America in 2018.

The United States Soccer Federation has denied the NASL DII status, due in part to its small footprint in the United States and Canada. It fielded only eight teams last season while the USL had 30.

“Today we are thrilled to announce the addition of another successful club to the USL,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said in a statement. “We were very impressed with the level of sophistication of the operations and the ownership of North Carolina FC, led by their visionary owner and chairman Steve Malik. Steve brings a wealth of business experience to the league and has strong local community support.

“This is a first-class club with premier facilities, in a desirable market with a strong base of support – all the qualities that make a club successful in the USL.”

The NASL released a terse statement after the move was made official.

“The NASL confirms that North Carolina FC has withdrawn from the league. The NASL is proud to have supported professional soccer in North Carolina for five years prior to Steve Malik’s acquisition of the club at the end of the 2015 season. North Carolina FC’s departure from NASL represents the damage caused by the U.S. Soccer Federation’s decision to revoke NASL’s Division II sanctioning for the 2018 Season. The NASL remains committed to pursuing its legal claims to ensure that the future of its players, fans, and clubs remains bright.”

North Carolina FC just completed its 11^th season in Cary, N.C. and was christened the Carolina RailHawks when it began play in 2006 – as a member of the USL. The team jumped to the fledgling NASL in 2010.

Last season while playing at 10,000-seat Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, it ranked among the top 15 in attendance outside of MLS.

“We are excited to be joining the USL effective immediately,” Malik said. “The USL has seen tremendous growth, not only in new markets and franchises, but in the quality of play and fan awareness. We look forward to contributing to that growth in years to come.”