After seven long years of waiting for NASL’s antitrust lawsuit against US Soccer and MLS to go to trial, a verdict was reached earlier this week in favor of USSF and Major League Soccer. As my good friend Kartik Krishnaiyer wrote this week, “The complexity of business issues that impact lower division soccer in the US is hard enough to explain to soccer fans in this country over the course of many years, so I would not expect a jury to get it in just a few short weeks.”
While soccer fans wanting reform in the United States may have been disappointed with the jury’s verdict, NASL looks likely to appeal the decision. NASL counsel Jeff Kessler told Front Office Sports, “We have great respect for the jury process, but there were some fundamental legal errors made which prevented the jurors from receiving important evidence or being instructed on the correct legal standards and claims. Our client accordingly expects to appeal.”
US Soccer issues bizarre statement
Certainly, the NASL has made a catalog of mistakes during its existence as well as during its case against US Soccer and MLS. NASL is no angel, by any means. But I have to take issue with the US Soccer Federation in its statement following the decision.
In particular, the point raised by US Soccer that “this decision validates US Soccer’s commitment to fostering a broad and healthy ecosystem of professional soccer leagues across all divisions” struck a nerve with me.
As both Krishnaiyer and I have argued many times previously, US Soccer has been an absentee landlord when it comes to regulating the men’s soccer leagues in the United States.
Without any shadow of a doubt, the United States does not have a healthy ecosystem of professional soccer leagues. Certainly, it does have a very healthy Division I league in MLS. However, everything below that is a chaotic mess as a result of the United States not creating a pyramid, as well as its reluctance to seemingly do anything to put pressure on MLS.
For US Soccer to describe US soccer as a “healthy ecosystem of professional soccer leagues across all divisions” is laughable. After all, the United States has the worst record of soccer clubs going out of existence. From 1992 to the present, more than 150 men’s and women’s professional soccer teams have gone out of business.
Furthermore, when MLS announced it was quitting the 2024 US Open Cup, its decision violated the Pro League Standards from US Soccer which requires Division I leagues to play in the US Open Cup.
Instead of US Soccer disciplining MLS, the US Soccer Federation bowed down to MLS and agreed on a compromise that allowed select Major League Soccer teams to play reserve sides in the competition.
In what world does US Soccer seriously believe that its ecosystem is healthy?
US Soccer NASL lawsuit doesn’t change a thing
After the compromise was reached for the 2024 US Open Cup, which was very much in favor of Major League Soccer, MLS has again snubbed US Soccer by announcing it will only send a portion of its teams to play in the 2025 competition.
As respected US soccer expert Nick Webster wrote this week, “MLS is the piper that calls the tune, and US Soccer is the organization that is dancing.”
To put it another way, when MLS says JUMP, US Soccer says HOW HIGH?
Regardless of whether NASL appeals this week’s decision or not, it doesn’t change the fact that US Soccer seems more interested in its national teams than it is in the professional club game. Instead of applauding its win in the NASL lawsuit, it should be a wake-up call to US Soccer that it needs to structure its professional leagues in a way that benefits the sport as a whole.
Loading…
