USL Week 25: Cosmos?!? Monarchs?!?! Richmond??!!!?
USL Week 25: The unthinkable happened…3 times
USL got some big news this week. And that may result in even bigger news down the road. The USSF took time out of preparing its cohosting bid for the 2026 men’s World Cup finals to make it known that NASL would no longer be sanctioned as a Division II league. That means Div II competition in US men’s soccer now falls entirely to the USL. It also means that should NASL decide to continue as an entity it will compete at Div III. Coincidentally (or perhaps not), USL’s own proposed Div III, USLD3, started blowing up its social media in the wake of the decision:
#USLD3 will remained focus on regional travel while building a national 3-conference structure. https://t.co/nC9575Pdjg
— USL League One (@USLLeagueOne) September 7, 2017
The possible dissolution of NASL raises several issues and possible future scenarios. The league’s most marketable nameplate belongs to NY Cosmos. It is hard to imagine soccer in North America continuing without a club using that name. Will the Cosmos transfer to USL? Will they step up to MLS? Can the New York metro support 3 top flight clubs? So many questions…Keep calm. Remain hydrated. And stay tuned for more surprises.
Speaking of which…