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NISA’s big tent

All who know me know that the original North American Soccer League holds a special place in my heart. It’s why I played soccer in high school, why posters of Pelé and Kyle Rote Jr. once hung on the walls of my bedroom, and why the Beautiful Game became one of my greatest sports passions.

Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl

I don’t care that it was built from the top down, nor do I care that it was a retirement league – show me a photo of the New York Cosmos packing Giants Stadium, George Best and Elton John “practicing” together, or the gloriously tacky fringe jerseys sported by the Caribous of Colorado – and those pictures paint a thousand words and revive hundreds of memories.

The old NASL breathed its last in 1984, however, and since then much has happened to and with association football in the United States. America’s closed system currently features Major League Soccer at the top, the United Soccer League Championship a notch below, and USL League One and the National Independent Soccer Association serving as de facto Division III leagues. There are also many semi-pro and amateur loops scattered across the country. As to which of the above are the best to follow, well, every soccer supporter has an opinion. But that, as the Kermit the Frog internet meme suggests, is none of my business.

I’ve got to tell you, though, when it comes to men’s leagues I now find myself firmly in the NISA camp. It has nothing at all in common with the old NASL other than a Cosmos-branded club, but I like its style and the renegade vibe it gives off. And my attraction to it isn’t so much for what it is, but what it might become.

NISA features my longtime favorite side, the Cosmos, so it has built-in appeal to me. Add Chattanooga FC (a club I bought into) and Detroit City FC (architects of a culture we should all buy into) to the mix, and I’m fully on board. Chicago enters the league next fall, with NISA co-founder Peter Wilt helping spearhead the effort. Wilt left the organization to do his voodoo in USL League One, but now he’s back where he started. Wilt is a true soccer guy who loves the game and will undoubtedly help the Chicagoland entry become a quick success.

(Currently you can go to chicagonisa.com and make suggestions for names and colors. I didn’t take part in the survey because that’s for Windy City folk to decide, but if you’re asking me I like “Speakeasy FC.”)

Although the situation is fluid, other clubs slated to compete in 2021 include California (Irvine) United Strikers FC, Los Angeles Force, Maryland (Montgomery County) Bobcats, Michigan (Pontiac) Stars, New Amsterdam FC and New Jersey (Bayonne) Teamsters FC.

NISA has no territorial rights so any group who wants to put down roots can put them down anywhere they think they’ll grow. New York, New Amsterdam and New Jersey form a nice little cluster in the Northeast, and Rochester applied for membership on Thursday. One would assume if NISA hangs around long enough, big market metros will provide a big tent for multiple clubs in the future while leaving plenty of room for smaller cities.

And with the addition of NISA Nation – a full-year amateur consortium for clubs eying a transition to pro soccer – there’s an open invitation to the party. Currently the Gulf Coast Premier League, Midwest Premier League, and Eastern Premier Soccer League are affiliates but there are likely more to come. Maryland, for example, parlayed EPSL membership into a spot in NISA and will begin play next spring.

As expected, there have been plenty of fits and starts. It was formed in June of 2017 but co-founder Jack Cummins died eight months later, and in May of 2018 Wilt left to start Forward Madison FC in League One. NISA went mostly radio silent for a while and when it did reemerge it took a hit when Miami FC – a founding member – bolted to the USL Championship. And the Oakland Roots were one and done this year, also jumping to the second division. Both clubs had the opportunity to move up a level, and they took it.

And whether it’s money, the COVID-19 pandemic or other circumstances, some clubs have appeared and disappeared (Atlanta SC), while others have gone on “hiatus” (North Carolina’s Stumptown Athletic and San Diego 1904).

Yet despite such challenges NISA has plans to step up – eventually – and wants to ultimately develop a promotion/relegation system. Meanwhile they’re trying to expand their footprint while maintaining a community-based sensibility.

Finding success – real, long term success – will not be easy, though. The United States Soccer Federation and MLS are joined at the hip, so it’ll be hard for NISA to make friends in high places. And since it’s trying to connect so many amateur leagues, the ruling class might think it’s getting too big for its bridges.

Still, I like its inclusiveness and willingness to provide chances for any soccer dreamers who want to take them. And for whatever reason, it’s revived a spark in my fandom.

I’m pretty sure I won’t see fringe on kits – and I’m way too old to have posters on my bedroom wall – but the National Independent Soccer Association is bringing me full circle. After becoming a fan thanks to a league that overreached, maybe now I need an underdog to help me turn back the clock.

My soccer coaching career was never meant to be

Shortly after I put the newspaper business in my rear-view mirror back in 2017, I decided I’d try to do things I never had time to do during my 30 years covered in ink. One of those things involved coaching soccer – or at least exploring the option of coaching soccer.

**Scott Adamson writes stuff. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl and Instagram @adamsons60**

Having not played competitively since 1978, I was a bit rusty on technique and tactics. And having never coached the game at all, I was flying blind when it came to Xs and Os. Sure, I had watched enough EPL matches to know I had the option of dressing up on game day (like Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær) or dressing down (Liverpool’s Jürgen Klopp), but figured fashion wasn’t a priority at the outset of my new career.

So what did I do to prepare for my side hustle?

I bought the book “Coaching Soccer For Dummies.”

It has helpful information on everything from how to structure a practice to teaching the basic fundamentals of the game, and it brought back memories of my training days. The more I read the more I thought I could do it, and soon I had visions of guiding my ragtag group of underdogs (the club’s name would be Karma Karma Karma Karma Karma Chameleon FC) to victory over snooty Trust Fund SC in the finals of the Blue Ridge Mountains Cup.

And then years later, as I’m wandering pantless in an assisted living facility, one of my former players – who went on to win the Ballon d’Or after leading Celtic FC to a Champions League title – would track me down and thank me for inspiring him to greatness.

Then again I might’ve wound up coaching a girls’ team, meaning one of my former players – who went on to win the Best FIFA Women’s Player honor after leading the USWNT to yet another World Cup title – would track me down and thank me for inspiring her to greatness.

Either way, I’d get a lot of credit (and be pantless).

However, the book also takes a darker turn because it assumes you’ll have to “effectively communicate with parents.” It then goes on to detail how you should deal with those who are abusive, parents who complain about their child’s playing time, policies on participation, perceived preferential treatment, soccer as a babysitting service, etc.

And after reading that I decided I was not going to spend the fun years of my life coaching soccer. It’s nothing against parents – I had two of them – but I simply can’t deal with critical moms and dads anymore.

I don’t want to have to explain to Johnny’s ill-tempered father why Johnny is not my starting center midfielder, even though Johnny once attended a camp hosted by a player who knew a guy who was almost a Bundesliga coach but opted to sell insurance instead.

Nor do I want to be berated by Jenny’s mother, who demands that I start Jenny in goal even though Jenny’s the shortest player on the squad and has the reflexes of a ficus tree.

I dealt with these types of people throughout my time in newspapers, and do not want to deal with them ever again.

Honestly, though, I’m not sure what I expected when I thought I might do a little association football mentoring. The lack of a coaching background is a pretty big strike against me. And even though I have friends in the college and high school ranks, I don’t think any of them are looking to hire older, inexperienced assistants.

That meant youth soccer was my only foot-in-the-door option, but really that wasn’t an option, either. It’s gotten to be an expensive, cutthroat business. Parents need Thurston and Lovey Howell riches to get their kids on these “elite” teams, and they want high level coaches who’ll promise to give them their money’s worth.

That’s something I couldn’t promise.

And as much as I admire the legends of the profession like Sir Alex Ferguson and Rinus Michels, I fear my style would be a bit too experimental, especially for kids. While the big shots of world football might’ve successfully employed 4-3-3, 4-4-2, or even the 3-3-3-1 formations, I always wanted to see what would happen with a 1-1-9 attack. Sure, it leaves your defense exposed, but it would be quite the showcase for offensive-minded players.

So three years after thinking about coaching soccer, I think about coaching soccer no more. I admire those who do – from the men and women who guide kids at recreation fields in Birmingham, Alabama, to my buddies leading university squads in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to the gaffers who run the show at places like Allianz Arena in Munich and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. But I guess when it comes to the Beautiful Game, I’m more of a follower than a leader.

And since I’ve been following soccer the better part of my life, why change now?

Remembering soccer’s ‘other’ league

Mike Getman clears the ball during a Detroit Express match at the Silverdome. (photo courtesy of Mike Getman)

The original North American Soccer League had a 17-season run between 1968 and 1984.

**Scott Adamson’s soccer column appears whenever he feels like writing about the Beautiful Game. Follow him on Twitter @adamsonsl and Instagram @adamsons60**

Major League Soccer kicked off in 1996 and is in its 25th year of operation.

But if you’re looking for longevity, no United States pro circuit to date can top the American Soccer League, which opened play in 1933 and closed up shop in 1983.

When it began, the organization showcasing what United States newspapers called “soccer football” featured clubs based in the Northeast megalopolis. The 17 founding members included four hailing from New York City, two from Kearny, New Jersey, and a pair in Fall River, Massachusetts.

During the national soccer boom of the 1970s it expanded westward to locales such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Sacramento and Oakland.

By the time it ended, however, the ASL was down to six franchises – the Carolina Lightnin’, Dallas Americans, Detroit Express, Jacksonville Tea Men, Oklahoma City Slickers and Pennsylvania Stoners.

Every team has a story, of course, but our story will focus on the Express because Mike Getman is quite familiar with the plot.

Getman is best known as a highly successful college coach, winning 280 games over 27 seasons at UAB and leading the Blazers to eight NCAA Tournament appearances – including an Elite Eight and Sweet 16 showing.

Before that he coached at Harvard, guiding the Crimson to the Final Four in 1987 and totaling 42 victories over five seasons.

Yet he was an accomplished student before pivoting to the role of teacher, and his days as a defender on the Indiana University soccer team got the attention of pro scouts.

“As players we didn’t know much about the process,” said Getman, who is now the director of coaching for Hoover-Vestavia Soccer Club. “The NASL held a draft and the ASL did not. About half of the graduating players from IU got drafted each year, so that’s what most of us were focused on. Many players went to invitational tryouts if they weren’t drafted. Since our team had played in the national championship game twice during my years there, we were all pretty confident we would at least be seen.”

One of five seniors on the Hoosiers’ 1981 squad, Getman was hoping to be drafted by the NASL. Turns out, he was the only one who wasn’t.

That disappointment didn’t last.

“I was one of the two that eventually signed and played professionally,” he said. “The other was Armando Betancourt, who played in the World Cup as well as playing in La Liga and in France.”

Although the ASL played in the shadow of the NASL, it was still professional soccer – and a huge adjustment for Getman.

“My first tryout was is in Detroit in early December,” Getman remembers. “It was wet and cold, and it was really hard to play good soccer. Even though the coaches told me I did well and they would get back in touch, I left feeling dejected. It took a few months, but they did get back in touch and invited me to preseason training in February.

“Training camp was a whole new level. I was one of only two rookies and the rest were very experienced veterans. They played so quickly and never made any mistakes. In college, if I marked a forward within a few yards, that was considered tight, and I rarely got beat. In Detroit, if I wasn’t wearing his shirt, I wasn’t close enough. The skill level was so high. The quickness of thought and of play was beyond anything I had seen. It took a few months before I felt I had risen to that level.”

Unlike some of the ASL clubs, Detroit had a solid financial foundation. Getman didn’t get paid NASL-type money, but he was able to earn a living.

“There was a big gap between the well-paid players and the rest of us,” he said. “The Express paid better than most. We drew good crowds, were well-funded, and no one had any other job. We didn’t get rich, but we were paid enough to cover our bills and to chase our dreams.”

Getman’s championship dreams were realized in his first season. Not only was he named the club’s rookie of the year, but the Express claimed the ASL title, defeating Oklahoma City in a best-of-3 title series.

The deciding game was played in the Silverdome on September 22, 1982, with the Express winning 4-1 in front of 33,000 customers.

Getman says the talent level of the ASL was often underestimated.

“The NASL had Pelé, (Franz) Beckenbauer, (Georgia) Chinaglia, and (Johan) Cruyff, but most of these players had retired or were leaving as I came into the pro game,” he explained. “Detroit had been in the NASL (the original Express franchise relocated to Washington, D.C., and became the Diplomats) then moved to the ASL to reduce expenses. Our league didn’t have as many ‘stars’ but there were a lot of great players.

“The Express had Billy Boljevic (Yugoslavia international and 1981 ASL MVP), Brian Tinnion (English First Division, ASL MVP in 1982 and player-coach of the Express) and Andy Chapman (English First Division). All three were top class forwards that had played at the highest level. I learned so much from each of them. We played against Phil Parkes (300 games for Wolverhampton in England), Jeff Bourne (England), Paul Child (England), Wolfgang Rausch (257 Bundesliga appearances), and more. These top level pros taught the rest of us what it meant to be a pro.”

Unfortunately, Getman entered American pro soccer just as the popularity it gained in the 1970s was fading.

The ASL folded following the 1983 season and the NASL – which once had 24 franchises – was down to nine in 1984 and never made it to a 1985 campaign.

“Everyone knew that soccer in general was having troubles at that time,” Getman said. “Both leagues were contracting and we were always hearing stories of other teams not meeting their payroll. In 1983 I was released halfway through the season because the Express had to cut payroll. Everyone knew that trouble was brewing even if we didn’t want to believe the whole league would fold.”

Getman’s memories of his time in the pay-for-play ranks are more good than bad, though.

“Playing in the (ASL) championship game in 1982 was the biggest moment,” Getman said. “I played 90 minutes as a rookie and walked off the field as a champion … it doesn’t get much better than that. And our home field was the Silverdome, the same field and facilities as the Detroit Lions of the NFL.

“Every day was like a dream come true for a young kid from small town Indiana.”