Back in August, I wrote a post on how big the end of 2009 could for American soccer. At the time, I focused on the MLS CBA negotiations, possible MLS expansion, and the World Cup draw; little did I know at the time that second division drama would trump all but one of those.
So here we are, with 2009 just about done and dusted, and a review seems to be in order. Of my three chosen happenings, only one actually came to pass, the one we knew for sure would; the World Cup draw. As it turned out, it was everything we could have hope for and more, thanks both to a group from which the US is capable of advancing, as well as the bonus of a high-profile opening match with world class England.
The buzz for the USA-England match has faded just a bit in recent days, and will probably chug along at a low hum for at least the first three months of 2009; but as the World Cup creeps closer, and the two nations media complexes (obviously that applies to England more than the US) get into full hype mode, you might need earplugs to block out the noise. Everything, and I mean everything from a USMNT standpoint, hinged on that draw. In more ways than one, it did not disappoint.
Unfortunately, the other two areas I pointed out as important for '09 won't be sorted until '10. The CBA negotiations, which are ongoing even as we get very little in terms of actual updates, don't appear to be close to a resolution. Both sides still have heels dug firmly into their respective grounds, and since both belief their ground is high, the stalemate show no signs of breaking. The current CBA expires on January 31st of next year, so the likelihood that the league will be operating without one for at least a short period of time is rising with each passing day. Remember too, that the league won't announce salary cap and roster guidelines until after the CBA has established the basic framework for player compensation.
Expansion, while not as imperative to the health of MLS as the new CBA will be, is nonetheless still a hot topic. Don Garber's recent visit to Montreal to speak with Joey Saputo and local officials makes it seem as though the Impacts "promotion" to MLS is imminent. There's no reason to believe that isn't true, but again, with only a few weeks left in 2009, Montreal's official announcement is likely to happen in 2010.
Meanwhile, the USL/NASL fight has risen to a place of prominence on the list of concerns heading into 2010. The USSF has yet to decide on the status of the newly formed NASL, and it will be that action which dictates the direction that battle will take. If the USSF sanctions NASL, then at least we'll know that those clubs signed up with the new league will definitely play in 2010; with the amount of time, effort, and money they've put into their new endeavor, it would be a pity to have it go any other way. The USL lawsuit, naming three NASL-committed teams (Rochester, Tampa Bay, and CP Baltimore) will linger no matter the USSF ruling, and will also need to be sorted out. A peek at the Hillsborough County court website indicates that a hearing has been scheduled for early March.
In retrospect, the expansion and CBA questions were long shots for answers in 2009. It's 2010, with both club and country being in the news, that will ultimately be when those answers will come.
