[photo by Jose Oquendo]

• by Nick McJannet, writing from Charlotte, NC

Last week we took a look at four of the franchises that will make up the 2011 NASL: The Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, FC Tampa Bay, and Miami FC. We discussed how two of those teams, Atlanta and Carolina, are in different stages of financial partnership with Traffic Sports, owners of Miami FC, and argued that this backing was a desperate attempt to keep the league at the minimum eight teams for USSF sanctioning. We also discussed how Tampa Bay still has no confirmed home for the upcoming season and how Miami is pushing for an MLS berth with the apparent backing of David Beckham. Could the NASL be unraveling after only one year of operation? This week we look at the remaining four teams that will compete in 2011, as well as two prospective franchises that hope to join the league in 2012. The news is not all that good I’m afraid.

AC St. Louis: St. Louis has a reasonable pedigree in pro soccer, dating back to the 1967 Stars. The current club was formed after two failed MLS bids, in 2008 and 2009, by Jeff Cooper’s St. Louis Soccer United organization. Apparently MLS felt the financial backing was not strong enough for the team, and so Cooper refocused on a division two outfit. After changing to the current name he later sold his share of the organization to the Vaid brothers. Everything looked rosy: the club had reasonable fan support at a little less than 3000 per game, an extensive network of amateur leagues within its structure, and the promising WPS Athletica team. But it will come as little surprise to anyone that things have taken a turn for the worse.

The Vaid brothers pulled their money out in May 2010 (one can only speculate but perhaps they were misled about the financial state of the club? Otherwise their actions are just ridiculous – pro soccer teams are not good short-term investments), and handed the cash-strapped team back to Cooper. The Athletica disbanded, player contracts were bought out and terminated (including that of star player and MLS great Steve Ralston, who was sold back to the New England Revs), and the team hobbled along into second-last place in the USSFD2. Considerable speculation surrounded the team’s appearance in the 2011 season, but somehow they appeared on the roster just in time for the USSF sanctioning committee to approve NASL’s division two status. Phew! Well, that’s a relief then…

FC Edmonton: It’s great to see new franchises appear. Everyone gets excited, there’s always that faint hope the team might make it to the second year of operation. It’s great. But you know me, ever the optimist I have to say this team will not be around in 2012. FC Edmonton will play in the worst stadium in the league. Foote Field is a college athletics track with a soccer field in the middle, and a staggering 1500 seats! Just to be clear, this stadium would have excluded them from entry into USL1, so if anyone can tell me how this franchise will survive, when the RailHawks are going under with gates of 2250, I would love to hear it. Perhaps the owners will bankroll the team to the tune of half a million bucks a year? In spite of everything we have covered so far, nothing gives away the frantic state of the NASL like the inclusion of FC Edmonton in the 2011 roster. Next!

NSC Minnesota Stars: Replacing the defunct Minnesota Thunder, the Stars scraped into the playoffs in their inaugural season, finishing seventh overall in USSF2. Playing at the reasonable National Sports Center in Blaine, which boasts some 12,000 seats, attendance was simply pitiful. Minnesota averaged 1300 fans at regular season games. The team is owned by the NSC, and as far as I can tell there are no big money backers involved. No one is picking up the tab for those empty seats. I give them two more years, tops.

Puerto Rico Islanders: The Islanders, formed in 2003, split their resources between the NASL and Puerto Rico Soccer League. They draw reasonable crowds of 4000 to 6000 for regular season games at Juan Ramon Loubriel baseball stadium, and have had some success in CONCACAF Champions League and previously the CFU Club Championship. They are also the current NASL champions.
Clearly Puerto Rico is one of the more stable and viable teams in the NASL. The problem here is that the Puerto Rico Soccer League has grown significantly in popularity in recent years, and since the Islanders joined in 2010 they have sparked a fierce rivalry with River Plate PR, who they previously prevented from joining USL due to regional rights. If NASL starts to fall apart, this team has another league, of the same size (and caliber?) to play in, one that has the added competitive edge of relegation to the Puerto Rico National League, and does not require the expensive travel inherent to them in the NASL. Don’t count on the Islanders to stick around when things get ugly, as they probably will.

San Antonio: As far as expansion teams go, San Antonio seems to be a pretty good one. They appear to have a reasonable fan base already, and owner Gordon Hartman comes highly recommended and seems to know what he is doing. Plans are afoot for a soccer-specific stadium, though I could not find many specifics at the time of writing, and so it would appear the only thing San Antonio needs, is a stable league to play in. The team will be ready in 2012. Let’s hope the NASL is still around to great them.

Baltimore: Formally Crystal Palace Baltimore, the team has decided to take a year away from the game to restructure and rebrand, after breaking ties with Crystal Palace FC of England. The franchise is seeking a new, 7000 multi-purpose stadium from Baltimore City Council. The plan is for the revamped Baltimore team to return to NASL in 2012. I think everything Baltimore is doing is positive and logical. Breaking with CPFC will allow the team to find its own identity, the stadium idea is bold and necessary, and given the circumstance I think restructuring and rebranding the club warrants a year off.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Baltimore franchise is not the only soccer team seeking a new home in the city. DC United, who’s owners have grown increasingly resentful of their current, crumbling surroundings at RFK Stadium, have had high level talks with the City Council about a 25K seat stadium, pending a feasibility study. That study is now complete, and includes numbers for both proposed stadiums, and has concluded that both are workable ideas. It seems unlikely that both stadiums will be given the go-ahead, especially in the current economic times. So it really depends on whether the council opts for the big-bang MLS option, or the more subtle division two back-up plan. Very little information has been released on the matter since the study was concluded, so we will just have to wait and see what happens. If DC United moves to Baltimore, then the NASL Baltimore franchise will surely have to relocate to survive.

As I mentioned before, I was a real NASL fan boy when the league first broke away from USL. Given the instability we have looked at over the past couple of weeks I find it hard to believe the league will survive beyond 2011, and perhaps that is for the best? The USL has certainly learned some lessons from the conflict, and is focusing more on the longevity and sustainability of its clubs. If the new format lives up to its goals, maybe it would be better for the NASL to fold and be reabsorbed into the revamped USL? I guess we will find out soon enough.

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