The future of USL-1 remains in limbo thanks to ongoing contention between a group of team owners and the leadership of USL. The Team Owners Association (TOA), a cadre of USL-1 club owners dissatisfied with the direction and structure of the league, is threatening to pull out, and have refused to renew their league membership agreements. The most recent salvo was fired by the league office on in the form of a letter to players contracted to TOA clubs Minnesota, Carolina, and Miami, informing them that they have been released from their contracts.
USL contends that because the three clubs in question have chosen to remove themselves from the league, the contracts they hold with their players are no longer valid. The teams disagree and have assured their players that their contracts are with the club, and the the club's league status has no bearing.
Either way, the status of the TOA clubs, which includes Vancouver and Montreal, for the 2010 season is in serious question. It's fully expected that the two Canadian sides will receive the same correspondence from the league office when their seasons are completed, and were left off of the original list due to the ongoing playoffs.
You can catch up on the recent happenings in the USL-TOA battle at Inside Minnesota Soccer, and read a revealing interview with Carolina RailHawks President Brian Wellman at Triangle Offense. Both provide excellent insight to the mess.
While the future of USL-1, the TOA clubs, and those that remain on the periphery of the disagreement should be of keen interest to anyone that cares about professional soccer in the United States, for the fans of the clubs themselves (aside from Vancouver and Portland, teams destined for MLS) are more interested in the survival of their beloved teams.
My observations from afar seem point to dividing lines being drawn; for the fans of TOA teams, it's simply a matter of their clubs finding a place to play next year, though they certainly want the best for their teams' business futures. For fans of non-TOA clubs, there's a definite resentment toward both the TOA and the league for creating a mess that may leave their teams without a place to play in 2010.
Meanwhile, MLS fans sit back and observe with bemusement; some might care, in the big picture sense of soccer in America, but for most it's more about a potential USL-1 (or the clubs that might leave USL-1)-MLS relationship. The disintegration of USL-1, as disheartening as it might be for fans of that league, is viewed as a possible gain for Major League Soccer.
I'm not so sure that will be the case. I'm enjoying the drama simply because it's interesting to watch unfold, but I understand that larger implications that both sides could come out losers. If the TOA teams decide to leave USL-1, they will either have to convince others to join them in a breakaway league (a minimum of eight is required for FIFA sanctioning, something the TOA is thought to be seeking), or scramble to find ownership groups in other cities willing to enter teams. Meanwhile, USL itself will be forced to fill out their top league with clubs from the lower divisions; as we've seen with the Cleveland City Stars this season, the jump to USL-1 shouldn't be taken lightly, both in terms of players and the money required.
It's a worst case scenario, but instead of one strong USL-1, problems or not, MLS defectors or not, we could instead see a pair of weakened leagues, neither doing itself any favors by fragmenting an already small fan base.
