NASL Future in Doubt as Ottawa and Tampa Bay Join USL

The future of the NASL appears to be in question. The Ottawa Fury and the Tampa Bay Rowdies both announced last week they would be joining the USL.

Last week, the Ottawa Fury and the Tampa Bay Rowdies both announced they would be leaving the North American Soccer League (NASL), and joining the United Soccer League (USL). These twin departures, coupled with Minnesota United’s exit to become the next MLS expansion team, leaves the NASL with ten teams for the 2017 season, including the expansion San Francisco Deltas. Of those ten teams, Rayo OKC and Fort Lauderdale Strikers are in a precarious financial situation.

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This means the NASL is running the risk of not having enough teams in 2017 to maintain their Division II status. Under US Soccer Federation standards, they are required to have a minimum of 12 teams. The future is looking bleak for a league that as recently as last year was bullish about getting Division I status and taking on the MLS as the US and Canada’s top league.

USL seeking Division II status

Things are looking much brighter for the USL, on the other hand. Currently sanctioned at the Division III level, the USL has applied for Division II status for next season. This move may not end up being a step down for Ottawa and Tampa Bay in that case. The league will grow to 31 teams for the 2017 season.

The USL, like the MLS, has two conferences, meaning reduced travel costs compared to the NASL. Ottawa is likely looking to reduce costs with their move to the USL while planning for the future. The proposed Canadian Premier League is rumored to being operations in 2018. The Fury would likely be one of the teams in contention to join the new Canadian league.

The USL also has the advantage of a good relationship with the MLS. The NASL, which has a very different view of team ownership and league management than the MLS with its single-entity ownership structure, has persistently tried to compete with the top league. Meanwhile, the USL has partnered with the MLS. Twenty of the teams in the USL are either affiliated with or owned by an MLS club. This has led to criticism from independent clubs of playing against ‘fake’ teams in empty stadiums. However, the league has also benefited from having stable clubs in major population centers.

Is the MLS-supported USL winning out against the independent NASL? If they can’t stop the bleeding, there is a good chance there will be no NASL next season.