New D3: NISA

[sbrylski]

The NASL/NPSL have announced the creation of their new DIII league and are working on debuting in 2018.

http://midfieldpress.com/2017/06/06...onal-soccer-league-expects-to-launch-in-2018/

My opinion of the NASL has been in a downward spiral the last 18 months, but this actually makes me sit up and notice. Their decentralized vision of pro/rel system was never going to work from the top down. Too much initial capital required for such a risky venture against a major competitor in MLS.

But if this D3 league can get off the ground quickly, they seem to have a pretty good plan. It has low overhead ($1.5-$3 million yearly budget) and reasonable attendance/revenue targets.

Their vision for the pyramid then looks approximately like this:

D2 - NASL (20 teams, single table)
D3 - NISL (24 teams, two insular conferences with two divisions each)
D4 - NPSL (probably a pro-version of this regional amateur league)

If, and this may be a big if, the NISL gets off the ground quickly, I would think that's a much more attractive option to D3-level investors than the USL version. One of the draws of D2 USL is a comfortable onramp to becoming an MLS expansion team. These D3 investors don't have visions of paying the $150 million MLS expansion fee anytime soon.

Now letting my imagination run, if the NISL can beat out USL D3, the NASL pyramid will gain a stranglehold on the the grassroots movement. USL D2 will be undercut a bit and starts to look even more like a reserve league by comparison, which snowballs the NISL signups. The cream of the NISL crop finally gives the NASL a pool of quality orgs to promote/expand with.

Good move, NASL. Let's see if they make it happen.

 

[LionNYC]

US Soccer needs to come in and figure out the entire god damn pyramid. So we're going to have 2 D2s (USL and NASL) and now will have 2 D3s (NISA, USL2) ? Sort this out: one league per level...

MLS
USL
USL2
NPSL
PDL
...

 

[sbrylski]

US Soccer needs to come in and figure out the entire god damn pyramid. So we're going to have 2 D2s (USL and NASL) and now will have 2 D3s (NISA, USL2) ? Sort this out: one league per level...

MLS
USL
USL2
NPSL
PDL
...

Yeah, it's a clusterfuck. Soccer in America is very far from maturity.

I honestly think a hands-off approach for the USSF might be appropriate for now though. There's tons of money and innovation being poured into soccer right now, and over-regulation could stifle that. The USSF does try to enforce their standards and we saw them prioritize stability and impartiality over the winter when mediating the NASL/USL negotiations, so they aren't uninvolved.

In a few years they can start throwing around their weight a little more.

 

[JGarrettLieb]

Any investor willing to do the slightest amount of due diligence will find out about the massive problems NASL has experienced and how much of a utter shitshow it has been from a managerial perspective. The likely outcome being they run away so as not to be associated with these characters.

I look at this as yet another attempt by NASL to generate revenue through signup fees. With a side order of getting some much needed additional clubs in the process. But even then it's too late, USL has clearly won the D2 battle and the question of NASL being sanctioned for D2 operations is still an open one. NASL will not meet the targets they were contractually obligated to meet, by NASL's agreement with US soccer, in order to be sanctioned for D2 ops.

More to the point, based on recent rumbling we don't even know if NASL will survive into next season.

 

[sbrylski]

Any investor willing to do the slightest amount of due diligence will find out about the massive problems NASL has experienced and how much of a utter shitshow it has been from a managerial perspective. The likely outcome being they run away so as not to be associated with these characters.

I look at this as yet another attempt by NASL to generate revenue through signup fees. With a side order of getting some much needed additional clubs in the process. But even then it's too late, USL has clearly won the D2 battle and the question of NASL being sanctioned for D2 operations is still an open one. NASL will not meet the targets they were contractually obligated to meet, by NASL's agreement with US soccer, in order to be sanctioned for D2 ops.

More to the point, based on recent rumbling we don't even know if NASL will survive into next season.

1. You're right, if nothing else, the NISL will serve as a nice landing spot if the NASL doesn't make it through the winter.

2. On the other hand, the NASL has almost fully cleared house at the management levels, not that they do much management anyway. They are behind the 8-ball, but if they can hang on a few years, the swell from the D3 level might just lift them out of danger.

 

[sbrylski]

Three teams I would bet money on having signed letters of intent:

Detroit City FC
Chattanooga FC
Atlanta

And there's rumors about Milwaukee and Cleveland.

 

[mgarbowski]

I would be fine if there were multiple lower leagues at the same level if they were regionalized.

 

[Falastur]

Is anyone else confused as to why a league set up by two other organisations which are affiliated to a third organisation is being called the National Independent Soccer Association? What exactly are they professing to be independent of? Other than USL, of course...

 

[Fantazma]

Is anyone else confused as to why a league set up by two other organisations which are affiliated to a third organisation is being called the National Independent Soccer Association? What exactly are they professing to be independent of? Other than USL, of course...

"independent" from the worst thing thats ever happened to US SOCCER ever according to them: MLS

EDIT: I got to read this whole thing and catch up when i get home to see what they are trying to do and if this is going to work.

 

[sbrylski]

And here we go. First 8 markets announced via Twitter (@NISALeague).

1. Charlotte
2. Chattanooga (yay!)
3. Connecticut
4. Miami (does this market really need another team?)
5. Milwaukee (w00t! my native state)
6. Omaha (ripe market, hopefully they play at Morrison)
7. Phoenix (such markets with existing higher level teams are uninspiring)
8. St. Louis

http://www.nisaofficial.com/2017/08...-for-new-us-pro-third-division-soccer-league/

 

[adam]

And here we go. First 8 markets announced via Twitter (@NISALeague).

3. Connecticut

How could they relegate us???? We're in 2nd place!!!

 

[sbrylski]

Charlotte, Miami, Phoenix, and St. Louis seem to be the questionable ones to me. They may struggle with higher level teams already established in their market.

Milwaukee, Omaha, Connecticut, and Chattanooga are quality ripe markets. Hopefully this league continues to grow quickly so they can regionalize their travel schedule fast.

Connecticut was my pick for locating our probable USL team, so I'll be watching that closely.

No Detroit City yet means they may seriously be considering a jump all the way to NASL. Or, they are one of the 7 markets that have signed LOIs but are yet to be approved by the league.

 

[LeeNYCFC]

And here we go. First 8 markets announced via Twitter (@NISALeague).

1. Charlotte
2. Chattanooga (yay!)
3. Connecticut
4. Miami (does this market really need another team?)
5. Milwaukee (w00t! my native state)
6. Omaha (ripe market, hopefully they play at Morrison)
7. Phoenix (such markets with existing higher level teams are uninspiring)
8. St. Louis

So this is a 3rd division in 3 time zones with a huge geographical spread. I would love to see more successful franchises in this country but why do these leagues always try to succeed nationally before they've succeeded locally or regionally.

 

[Fantazma]

Charlotte, Miami, Phoenix, and St. Louis seem to be the questionable ones to me. They may struggle with higher level teams already established in their market.

Milwaukee, Omaha, Connecticut, and Chattanooga are quality ripe markets. Hopefully this league continues to grow quickly so they can regionalize their travel schedule fast.

Connecticut was my pick for locating our probable USL team, so I'll be watching that closely.

No Detroit City yet means they may seriously be considering a jump all the way to NASL. Or, they are one of the 7 markets that have signed LOIs but are yet to be approved by the league.

interesting as he is calling them "markets" not the actual teams....im sure just technicalities. interesting they have USL teams there. Charlotte may have a chance since i think the USL team struggles with attendance

the others seem interesting...i wonder if NISA will try to get people talking about CT when nycfc plays there.

i dont know if detroit jumps all the way....i dont even know if they have the money for it right away thats why i thought NISA was the way for them. 2019 is probably more likely.

 

[Fake Jew]

Miami makes no sense to me. They can't even support the Marlins who expects them to support a D3 soccer team?

 

[sbrylski]

So this is a 3rd division in 3 time zones with a huge geographical spread. I would love to see more successful franchises in this country but why do these leagues always try to succeed nationally before they've succeeded locally or regionally.

They have to start somewhere. At least there's no west coast* or Caribbean teams this time. And they actually have a stated goal of being hyper regional - 4 divisions of 6, playing within your division 20 games, and then the other division in your conference 12 games.

And - they say they already have another 7 teams with LOIs signed. I'm sure some of these markets will miss the 2018 start date and launch in 2019, but they could be in the 12-16 range pretty quickly.

EDIT: *Wow, totally blanked on Phoenix. Yeah, that's the weirdest one.

 

[Davo15]

How could they relegate us???? We're in 2nd place!!!

Heh but on a serious note I wonder where this Connecticut would be? After awhile of having no team , two PDL teams launched this year Hartford City and Elm City Express (New Haven) who actually won the PDL national title. Wonder how this affects them? This is technically a step up from PDL?

 

[sbrylski]

Peter Wilt released a roadmap for an NISA-founded pro/rel pyramid: http://midfieldpress.com/2017/10/18/vision-and-plan-to-use-prorel-to-get-us-soccer-on-track/

If I'm NISA leadership, I'm reaching out to every wealthy person with connections to Columbus to revive the club as a flagship NISA club.

 

[Fantazma]

Peter Wilt released a roadmap for an NISA-founded pro/rel pyramid: http://midfieldpress.com/2017/10/18/vision-and-plan-to-use-prorel-to-get-us-soccer-on-track/

If I'm NISA leadership, I'm reaching out to every wealthy person with connections to Columbus to revive the club as a flagship NISA club.

crew of columbus sc

 

[sbrylski]

crew of columbus sc

With the way the fans in Columbus are being treated, I wouldn't be surprised if attendance went UP out of spite.

Imagine a Columbus Crew v Detroit City rivalry in the NISA in 2019.

I quite doubt that MLS would sell the trademarks to an NISA group, unfortunately. Columbus 1996 SC?

EDIT: This whole thing is so weird. Can't believe we might be losing Columbus.