USL President Tim Holt
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clubs in question have chosen to remove themselves from the league, the contracts they hold with their players are no longer valid.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.

It's that time. After weeks of buildup, a lot of nonsense on my part, and passionate voices all around, I'm finally at the end of the journey.

Two teams left, and it's all down to this.

This last showdown will be a departure from the previous USL-1 Project entries, as I'm going to simply announce my new team, and then back it up with a brief summation of the process.

Announcement after the jump, of course.

Today, I'm proud to announce that I am the newest fan of the Puerto Rico Islanders. There was something about the Islanders, their story, and all of their fans that represented here just made the choice for me. This is nothing against, the Thunder, of course, as I have the utmost respect for their passionate fans. Some of them came here and made their case, and for that I am grateful.

I know that some will call me a front-runner or a fair-weather fan. I know that some will question my motives, wonder if the Islanders CONCACAF Champions League run played too large a role in my choice. Though I would be lying if I said that the CCL success didn't play some part in my interest in the club (hell, it was the reason for starting the project), I promise you that I came to this decision exactly the way I had hope I would; completely naturally.

I recently told someone that I wanted my new club to choose me rather than the other way around. As I'm not locally connected to any of the teams, I needed some kind of visceral reaction to organically happen for me to know I was making the right decision. It's even possible that I would have ended the project without choosing a club if I hadn't found myself truly pulling for one. In fact, it was almost as if I was subconsciously giving my heart to the Islanders without even realizing I was doing it.

I'm ecstatic with out the project turned out; I was true to my principals, refusing to artificially choose a club just so I could say I did (or to finally bring this project to an end).

So there you have it. A banner day for me. Now I just have to figure out how to get my hands on an Islanders jersey...

Before I go, let me give a final thank you to everyone that participated and helped in the course of this project; so many of you voted, emailed and commented that it's almost staggering. It just goes to show you how deep the passion in USL runs, and I hope, despite my newly minted allegiance, to highlight more of that passion from even more teams in the future.

GO ISLANDERS! (I'm obviously going to have to work on my Spanish)

Four teams standing, and only one will gain the loyalty of yours truly. This is the semi-finals, where four USL-1 clubs fight it out for the right to be my club.

I expect that when the winner is finally announced I'll receive phone calls of welcome from owners and chairmen, be feted in the streets, and be lavished with team-related paraphernalia to the point of overkill.

Okay, so maybe I won't get all of that. But I will have a new club to call my own, and for that I'm truly excited.

Let the semis begin. No detailed breakdown this time around, just a simple comparison of the clubs based on my impressions to this point in the project.

Montreal Impact v. Minnesota Thunder


MFUSA Vote: Advantage Minnesota (16% to 9%)
Passionate Comments/Emails: Advantage Minnesota (barely)
Cool YouTube videos of supporters: Advantage Montreal
MFUSA's Gut: Even (cop out, I know)

Winner: Minnesota Thunder

That was a nail-biter. If it was a soccer match, it would have come down the last penalty, which was apparently saved the Minnesota keeper.

Good showing, Montreal.

Austin Aztex v. Puerto Rico Islanders


MFUSA Vote: Advantage Puerto Rico (35% to 12%)
Passionate Comments/Emails: Even
Did That Ginge Didn't Choose: Advantage Puerto Rico
MFUSA's Gut: Advantage Puerto Rico (barely)

Winner: Puerto Rico Islanders

The Ginge thing is a joke of course, though I couldn't really choose the same team as him, now could I? Seriously thought, my gut said Puerto Rico, and the Islanders fans truly represented in the poll. Can't ignore that.

It's too bad the Aztex went up against the Islanders in the semis; the might have otherwise made the finals.

One more round to go. Finals are now set:

Minnesota Thunder v. Puerto Rico Islanders

Stay tuned, the finals are coming soon. If you've got a horse in this race, if you're a fan/supporter of either club, step up and hype up your team just one more time.

After a brief break, the USL-1 Project returns. Up next, the Minnesota Thunder.

Thanks to Brian Quarstad of Inside Minnesota Soccer (I highly suggest you go there, get educated, and then return here to read the rest of my nonsense), I have plenty of good information on the Thunder.


Geography

I'm beginning to think that it was a bit unfair of me to include "geography" in the scoring process; I'm not likely to have strong connections to any of the localities involves, which generally leads to low scores for everyone. I prefer to be consistent, and since Minnesota is team number six in the journey, I'm going to stick with it. As you can probably guess from my babbling here, Minnesota doesn't do well on my arbitrary scale; no family connections, never lived there, etc., etc. I did fly through Minneapolis once, and that has to be worth something, right?

Scoring: 5

History

This is where Brian's information came in particularly handy. The Thunder were established in 1990 as part of USLSL, the forerunner of the modern United Soccer Leagues. Twenty years of continuous operation is pretty damned impressive in American soccer, and speaks well of the Thunder's support and management through those years. Add to that solid history the fact that the Thunder have had three (THREE!) head coaches in their entire history, and this is looking like a big winner for the club up North.

Score: 8

Name/Colors

I'll try not to be too harsh here, and please remember that this is a subjective exercise based solely on my ridiculous feelings: but when I hear "Minnesota Thunder", I think minor league hockey. It's not something I can help. I spent a few years in Wichita, Kansas, there the local minor league hockey team was known as the "Thunder"; I therefore connect "Thunder" to that minor league hockey team, which lead to my negative feelin about Minnesota's nickname. Still, I don't mind the colors, and the logo is nice, so I won't completely kill the Thunder in this category.

Score: 6

Supporter Passion

Again, I have to thank Brian for giving me a little background on the Thunder's support (Inside Minnesota Soccer, and it's not just Minnesota focused). The main supporters group for the team is called the Dark Clouds, and they're clearly passionate about their team. Brian himself is prominent in this piece from the Star-Tribune. I taken by this group; this is exactly the type of thing I love to see at any level of professional soccer in the U.S., so I could absolutely see myself joining up. Atmosphere is tough to judge from my vantage point (something I've mentioned ad nauseum; sorry about that), and Brian concedes that almost all USL stadium atmospheres trail that of Portland: but it's not always about the numbers, and I'm still a big fan of the passion Thunder supporters display.

Score: 8

Total Score: 27

Very strong score for the Thunder, no doubt influenced by the extra information I received directly from one of their most ardent supporters. I'm not above being influenced by something like that, especially because both appreciate the effort and see it as visible evidence that the team engenders the type of passion that makes a team attractive.

Thunder links, before we get to the updated scores:

Inside Minnesota Soccer (one more time, because it's a fantastic site)
Minnesota Thunder Official Site
Dark Clouds Forum
Minnesota Thunder Wikipedia Page (wish this was a little better)

On to the current standings:

Montreal Impact 30
Austin Aztex 29
Minnesota Thunder 27
Carolina RailHawks 22
Cleveland City Stars 20
Charleston Battery 18


Still tight at the top. This is going to go down to the wire (and bonus points could still be awarded at my discretion).

The remaining clubs:

Miami FC
Rochester Rhinos
Portland Timbers
Vancouver Whitecaps
Puerto Rico Islanders

The 2009 USL-1 season will kickoff tomorrow, with two evening games on the schedule.

As I have yet to decide on my USL-1 side, I'm anxious to watch some league action in the hopes that I'll find myself drawn to a team.

Of the four teams playing tomorrow, I've only examined one of the them to this point: the Charleston Battery. I'll be looking to see if I was too harsh in my scoring of the club on the MFUSA Arbitrary Scoring Scale. The match, against the Whitecaps, is taking place in Vancouver, so I will still be without a idea of their stadium atmosphere and home support.

Vancouver obviously comes into their next-to-last USL season riding the high of MLS expansion; it will be interesting to see if the news will have any effect on the Whitecaps support in 2009. Their current home, Swangard Stadium, seats 5,200. You would expect that excitement for MLS in 2011 would lead to sellouts in '09 and '10, though I have no idea what's expected. If I'm able to watch the match via USL Live, I certainly will.

The early game tomorrow pits the Minnesota Thunder against the Carolina RailHawks (don't know if I realized until just now about that weird capitalization thing), two clubs I know absolutely nothing about. I am aware the the Thunder are usually a pretty good side, and that they seem relatively well supported (if the Internet is any judge). Carolina, a team based in the Raleigh suburbs, has former Galaxy and San Jose forward Gavin Glinton up top.

Unfortunately, I don't expect to be able to watch the early match. Family obligations on the holiday weekend will keep me away from a computer until late in the evening.

I hope to post reactions to whichever match I'm able to see, both in the context of the USL project and as an exercise in simple soccer appreciation.

If you're at all intrigued by USL, I suggest you go sign up for their free online video service; it's a great marketing tool, one that will only add to the exposure of the league. Perhaps MLS will learn that lesson in the future. For the time being, however, you can't beat free streaming soccer, American style.