USL/TOA Situation Updates
No new reporting on my end, but a some interesting nuggets from other websites and newspapers.
The always irresistible Jeff DiVeronica, one of the best reporters that consistently covers USL, on the TOA and the Rochester Rhinos future.
DeVo always has good tidbits. While I often disagree with his opinions, his reporting on USL is second to none. I wish other USL markets had reporters as committed to covering the league as he is. Then again, he’s been covering USL since the mid 1990s.
Football in Miami and beyond reports Tampa Bay could still leave USL for the TOA
From my reporting, I can tell you the Rowdies situation is very complicated because they have put up a $750,000 fee to USL for a new franchise and cannot get that money back if they join the TOA league. Additionally, they would be open to a very strong lawsuit from USL for violating the new franchise agreement. One thing we would know, is that with both the league and team being based in Hillsborough County, FL, the litigation would be in a local court.
Tampa Bay may be best served to take Rochester’s approach that DeVeronica is laying out in his article. Play 2010 in USL-1 and then make a decision about the future based on whether or not the TOA league moves forward and whether USL makes the changes owners are looking for.
Geoffrey Arnold reports on the changes the Timbers will face in its last USL First Division Season.
USL says they should have a minimum of eight teams next year in the first division. that is good news for all fans, as I don’t think it would be anyone’s interest if USL’s top professional division stopped playing.
Jason Davis of Match Fit USA has five very important questions for the TOA owners
Good article here that everyone should read and questions listed do need answering at some point in the future.
Questions Questions and more Questions. This whole thing has so many questions! I am really wondering how everything is going to come together by next spring.
1. If Vancouver is a key team in a new league for the TOA in 2010 and are joining MLS in 2011, are they going to have a team in each league?
2. If not how is a 7 team league going to go to 8 if they lose one of their biggest clubs after the first year?
3. Is Montreal going to be in the same boat if they move to MLS in 2012?
4. Is Tampa Bay using the USL for just one year?
5. Are there any ideas for the name of the new league?
6. Can somebody please ask USSF why in the world would a 3rd divison has to be in 3 time zones!? The USL-2 is mainly on the east-coast and this works for the league. It would be nice to see another 3rd divison on the west coast to help with player development as well as club development. This is a business and the clubs need to grow from the grass roots too. When this is not allowed to happen the right way, we end up with Richmond (in the USL-1 championship game the year prior) and Pittsburg (to big a market for 3rd division) going down and Cleveland going up (not ready as a club).
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My guesses on the answers to those questions.
1. Yes. They may fold the PDL Residency team into the TOA franchise.
2. The subtext seems to be that a number of teams will be looking to see whether 2 things happen. Can the TOA get a league off the ground and prove stability? Will NuRock keep their promises of “reform”? Reading between the lines, it looks like Tampa and Rochester could be induced to jump next season if things roll TOA’s way. We’ve also heard reports that the TOA have contacted the owner of the Kitsap Pumas to gauge interest so we should assume that promising, but underdeveloped markets in USL-2/PDL have also been probed and be keeping an eye on the situation.
3. I doubt it. Saputo has said nothing about it, unlike Lenarduzzi.
4. Looks like they’re financially obligated to. This would also seem to explain the sudden shift back to the USL and total silence regarding that shift.
5. They haven’t thought one up yet.
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2. Not just Tampa and Rochester. There were lots of comments in the runup to the TOA announcement that Puerto Rico was sitting on the sidelines to see what happened. So it’s not just this year that will be ‘interesting times’, but next year. If the TOA league gets off the ground and does reasonably well, we could see a mass exodus from the USL. If the TOA league sputters, we could see an ‘abandon ship’ the other direction. But, life and business being what it is, I wouldn’t be shocked to see things sputter along for both, and an exchange of teams next year this time.
3. Saputo hasn’t, but they do have a reserve team in the CSL, and there has been plenty of other speculation from reasonably reliable blogs that that side could move up.
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1- Vancouver is more committed to the TOA league concept than Montreal, IMHO. Even though Saputo has had lots of run ins with USL thru the years including sitting out a season, the Whitecaps are committed to fielding another team in the league when they go to MLS, while Montreal isn’t totally committed to fielding its current first team in the TOA league just yet.
2- They’ve lost Minnesota already, as USL has replaced the Thunder with a new team there. So they are down to 6 as of this morning and 5 in 2011. But, I am told the prospects of teams joining the TOA league are high if they actually get approved. The teams on the initial release do not represent all the teams interested or talking to the TOA.
4- TB is in a tricky situation having posted a $750,000 franchise fee and an additional bond. So perhaps yes, they play one year in USL and move.
5- They are likely to sell the league name to a sponsor IMHO. No hard evidence for that, but simply a hunch.
6- Old, arcane rule. USL-2 was started with 3 time zones, so the fact they have only two now does not matter.
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Saputo did mention numerous time in local media that he was going to field a second team in the TOA when the Impact leave for MLS. Maybe you didn’t get the information as often as us in Montreal (because the articles are often in french), but there’s no doubt that the Impact is as committed as Vancouver to field a second team in TOA league when they will leave for MLS. The current best candidate location for the second team is Quebec.
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Garber mentioned the TOA/USL thing in his State of League Address
I haven’t found a full text of it, but IIRC he says that he is following things closely
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