Editor's Note: A few months back, the idea of pro/rel was batted around at MFUSA; regular reader and commenter Vnice had an alternative idea. This is his presentation of a "farm system" for American soccer.
by Vnice
A few months back, Jason Davis posted an article advocating the creating of a promotion/relegation system between MLS and USL. It combined his thoughts with an article found on Soucie on Soccer. It’s a great idea, but personally, I think it would never work, so I proposed a farm system instead. The idea of a farm system between MLS and USL has been talked about on several blogs and websites around the internet for a while, especially as rumors surrounding USL’s imminent demise or restructuring continue to grow. Promotion and relegation is highly unlikely to ever happen in the North American sports landscape. But, I believe it doesn’t have to. A farm system is less exciting for sure, but it’s an effective and practical solution to how we can solve the divide between MLS, FIFA’s recognized top flight of American soccer, and USL, which comprises the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th tiers of the soccer pyramid.
“What’s a farm system, dude?”
Well, let’s say DC United of MLS has a USL-1 affiliate in Charleston, and a USL-2 affiliate in Bermuda. A player can start off with Bermuda and work his way up through the system until he is playing with DC United, and vice versa. Often, in major league baseball, stars that are injured or have surgery make their comebacks in a minor-league affiliate until he is up to par. A farm system would work to develop players all over the US and Canada. If a player on the Rapids isn’t cutting it, he moves down to a USL side to work on his skills, and vice versa. If a Puerto Rico Islander shows considerable progress and skill, he might get the call from his MLS parent club to play in the big time. Lots of sites on the internet can describe the technical aspects of a farm system much better than I, so go look them up for details.
So, let’s examine why this would be a good idea:
Development. A lot of people debate how MLS can sustain its player pool, and how the US National team can develop talent. A farm system would align the leagues in such a way that moving up and down becomes seamless. This makes it easy for teams to maintain effective squads, while identifying those who need more development. It also allows players who can’t quite cut it in MLS to maintain a professional career, and makes it easier to spot players going through a professional renaissance or rejuvenation. Obviously, the benefits more immediately impact the individual MLS teams, but that’s kind of the point. The top flight should have everything at their disposal to ensure player development. Imagine what MLS teams could do with the farm system and their academies at their disposal?
Ambition. Part of the America’s “soccer problem” is that its millions of youth players do not see soccer has a way to make a living. The farm system immediately creates a far larger, integrated infrastructure in which to make a living as a player, coach, front office personnel, etc. Now, it really is possible to work your way onto a Galaxy squad when you start at the bottom. The potential is easier to see, which immediately makes the talent pool in the US expand. With more youths giving soccer a chance, an increased number of superior domestic players will float to the top. All of this adds up to the US National Team (and Canadian, by the way) having an even bigger pool to draw from.
Settles the pro-rel argument. Look, MLS owners will NOT go for promotion and relegation. But, it will be open to a farm system, which strengthens and integrates the leagues to make soccer a force to be reckoned with.
No massive changes needed. The great thing about a farm system is that the USL does not need to sell out to MLS. MLS does not need to buy USL. They can be separate. In baseball, the National and American leagues remain separate entities from the minor leagues. The affiliation is where they have common ground. USL and MLS can each retain their ways of doing things. Players sign contracts with the respective MLS parent sides, and agreements would have to be made regarding league wage minimums, etc. But, I think these are obstacles that are easier to overcome than the actual merging of MLS and USL, or instituting pro-rel.
Now, there are a number of valid arguments against a farm system, so let’s take a look.
Pro-rel is better. Well, maybe it is in the grand scheme of world football. But, it’s not practical in the North American sports environment, nor would MLS owners go for it. Plus, many USL sides lack their own stadiums, or stadiums that would be acceptable in MLS. A farm system means that Austin Aztex, currently in a high school American football stadium, wouldn’t get promoted to MLS, and be an embarrassment of Astroturf and gridiron lines on TV. However, player development can still happen, which is the bigger overall goal here, anyway. Besides, if we forced pro-rel, a lot of the money bag owners would be alienated, possibly driving them away, and potentially ruining MLS.
Lower league teams would be filled with old guys. Not so, I believe. They, like MLS, would be comprised of players of all ages. Besides, a lot of the old guys are still burning up MLS (Keller, McBride, etc.). Also, how old is “old”, anyway? The same argument can be made for super young players. Blah blah blah.
A farm system is too radically different than the rest of the footballing world. It’s so…American. Well, of course it is. And while MLS has rightfully taken out a lot of “Americanisms” from soccer, some should remain. The calendar, for instance, should remain as is. The western European calendar makes no sense for MLS, weather wise, and would force it to compete with all the major sports except baseball. MLS should keep the current calendar, except for international play periods. Pro-rel just wouldn’t work here, either. Should we force it, because the EPL does it? No way. What’s good for the goose is not always good for the gander, so we shouldn’t force this issue either.
USL isn’t second division football. Yes it is. As long as FIFA says so, that’s the way it is, people.
To give you an idea of how this could work, here is a mock up of what it could look like. For the sake of this mock up, I combined USL1 and USL 2, and created a new USL 2 out of some PDL teams. It also looks at the landscape after Portland, Vancouver, and probably Montreal leave USL for MLS, and FC New York and Tampa Bay join USL. (I have seen better mock ups online, but frankly, I couldn’t find them. My apologies to anyone who feels ripped off…email me, and I promise to give you credit in this article. After all, I only wrote this after reading extensively on the issue). This mock up establishes team affiliations in a manner similar to that of professional baseball. If baseball can be successful with this, why can’t we? Anyway, here we go:
Of course, the rest of the current PDL could serve as the 4th tier of soccer, the footballing version of Single A minor league baseball. Now, this set up pays no attention to any practical aligning of the teams. It was kind of random, except for USL-2, where I just found teams near the parents MLS side. *shrug*. It’s a mock up…just a general idea. But, say Beckham got hurt. He stays out a few weeks, and makes his return via Hollywood United. Whoa, the attendance goes up for them. Maybe he stops through Rochester for a game, too, before heading back to Galaxy. A fun thought.
Anyway, I think the farm system is familiar enough to Americans to make it acceptable, and practical enough to work swimmingly. MLS and USL should give it a chance, and make it happen, for the sake of North American soccer, and for the US and Canadian national teams.
Image credit Bill's Sports Maps
