N.A.S.L IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION

Posted on  December 22, 2017

A federal judge has denied the North American Soccer League (NASL) its request to regain the Division II status, according to reports from ESPN. The NASL moved against the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) in a bid to regain it Division II status but Judge Margo K. Brodie denied the application.

The judge heard arguments from either side at the Eastern District Court in New York. The NASL argued that not regaining the designation would ruin it completely. It also added that the USSF was in bed with the top flight league the Major League Soccer (MLS), the marketing arm Soccer United Marketing and the United Soccer League (USL) to harm it.
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NASHVILLE GROUP PLAN 30,000 SEAT STADIUM

Posted on  October 6, 2017

Another prospective MLS ownership group Nashville have revealed plans for a 30,000 seat stadium.

At the Metro Council meeting on Monday, Nashville Soccer Club Holdings unveiled preliminary designs for the stadium to be constructed at the Fairgrounds Nashville site.


 

The Nashville Group are among the prospective 12 sides seeking to tap into the expansion franchise of the MLS. The league is growing in profile and global appeal so many sides want to buy in but only two new teams would be named this year and another two next year.

 

The MLS seeks sides that have soccer-specific stadium alongside their bid to join the league. So the group is making plans to build in their 500,000 square-foot venue in the Wedgewood-Houston neighbourhood. The group has an aggressive timeline in place as financing talks could be done in seven to eight weeks and legislation moves rushed around October. (more…)

COACH BRUCE ARENA FOCUSING INWARDLY

Posted on  August 8, 2017

The current manager of the United States Men National Team Bruce Arena has been focusing inwardly, preferring options in the Major League Soccer (MLS).


 

After the exit of former coach Jurgen Klinsmann, Arena was expected to focus his attention on players from the league. The former Los Angeles Galaxy coach, who also managed the New York Red Bulls and DC United, up until the recent 2-1 victory over African side Ghana rarely went that route.

 

Arena handed debuts to three players: English-born Dom Dwyer, Kelyn Rowe and Kenny Saief. The assumption is that the game was preparation ahead of the forthcoming Gold Cup. During the tournament, players from the MLS and the CONCACAF are generally selected ahead of their European counterparts that would be playing or preparing for the pre-season.

 

Arena has gradually linked the US top flight with the USMNT as it used to be pre-Klinsmann. The biggest prospects in the MLS are sure to graduate to the senior US team now.

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FC Dallas star Kellyn Acosta for example is widely expected to fill the shoes of Michael Bradley in the coming years.

 

Dwyer, who was impressive during the friendly, is one of the biggest prospects for the team. The MLS star has scored 57 goals in 128 games for Sporting KC, earning his invitation to join the big boys. He is a very good option for JozyAltidore and he could be that difference at the Gold Cup.

 

In sharp contrast to Klinsmann, Arena believes that home based players can develop enough to make the national team without playing the Europe where the competition is believed to be more intense. If he continues with this mentality, it would help develop the connection with the league but Arena still needs to maintain that link with Europe for balance.

Atlanta United is injecting new life into the MLS

Posted on  June 3, 2017  in 1

Atlanta United FC was founded back on 2014 but it wasn’t until 2017 when they began to compete in the MLS for the very first time and even though the club has only recently started to participate in the American League, they already have a huge support and backing from fans, this is becoming clear by the fact that Atlanta United are receiving the highest number of attendances from their matches.


Seattle Sounders has traditionally been the club that has received the largest amount of fans in terms of attendance but this has recently changed as the newcomers Atlanta United are attracting the attention of more people.

The average attendance for the Seattle Sounders during the 2016 season was around 42,636 while Atlanta United has already managed to surpass that amount with 49,077 fans per game in their very first season.

One of the reasons of why fans have been so enticed to watching the matches of Atlanta United and attending their games is because of the playing style which has been labeled as ‘’aesthetically pleasing’’ (more…)

Jim Curtin Takes Responsibility for Philadelphia’s Poor Start

Posted on  April 28, 2017  in 1

Pressure is mounting on Philadelphia Union after the club extended their winless run to 5 matches.


Philadelphia Union are one of the three clubs in the 2017 MLS campaign to yet to succeed in a single game. They have managed to secure just two draws in the opening five matches. They have also averaged just a goal per game while allowing nine goals in the five matches. Goalkeeper Andre Blake says that the entire Philadelphia Union outfit is frustrated with this disappointing start to the campaign, but they are confident that the results will improve going forward.

The club suffered a 3-1 loss against Portland Timbers last weekend. They have a chance to redeem the faith of supporters when they take on New York City FC this weekend. Since New York City struggle to make an impact in the away games, it is a perfect timing for Philadelphia Union to aim for a first win of the season. (more…)