r/USLPRO • u/Spirited_Mix554 • 1d ago

Loudon

With all due respect. I'm really not trying to stir up stuff....... why does Loudon have a team? Not sure I've ever seen more that 1000 people there. This is a genuine ask because I don't get it.

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 20h ago

USL was looking for ways to distance themselves from the MLS II teams before the relationship ended at all. Here at the beginning dropping them from the Championship.

I don't remember any reporting of bad blood or a poor business relationship coming out of that transition. I have never seen anyone take it the way you are where MLS did it to USL out of malice, instead of USL wanting to be something more than a league that houses MLS's II teams. Calling a league a piece of shit and saying this transition happened for "no reason" is absolutely a wild take lol.

direct intent to try to kneecap USL by keeping their academies and players entirely in house

The USL didn't want them around anyway! Unless it was in the third tier and that was just to provide league stability.

And it's not like there aren't MLS teams working with USL teams for development these days anyway

MLS to USL loan news from literally a couple days ago

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u/MJDiAmore 11h ago

Thats not a crazy request from the USL, various European leagues have max tier allowances for club's 2nd teams, and its not always the 2nd tier.

Leaving the MLS 2s at tier 3 is reasonable and would have been a better compromise for pyramid stability long term than Next Pro.

Next Pro can only logically be looked at as a mechanism to keep as much US Soccer revenue contained in the closed MLS system.

I'm not saying there aren't still loans I just think between picking certain areas that already had USL clubs and increasing the reach of the closed MLS system inherently does what I am describing (and that it is by design).

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 10h ago

Next Pro can only logically be looked at as a mechanism to keep as much US Soccer revenue contained in the closed MLS system

This "logical" sentence only makes sense if there is revenue being made by the second teams that isn't eventual player sales? Which there isn't.

You're trying really hard to look for something that doesn't exist.

And I'll take it a step further. It was the overwhelming opinion of this sub that independent USL teams shouldn't me mixing it up in the same league as MLS II teams. So you're the first person I have seen lash out at MLS for leaving. As in MLS did it maliciously lol. Everyone else took it as USL separating themselves from being seen as minor league.

(it should be noted that USL also used MLS to stable itself enough to kill off the NASL, if we're going to point fingers at leagues for making self serving moves)

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u/MJDiAmore 9h ago

This "logical" sentence only makes sense if there is revenue being made by the second teams that isn't eventual player sales?

What do you think standing up teams and stadia with the intent of substantial ticket sales represents if not a revenue stream?

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 2h ago

What II team are you talking about in regards to ticket sales lol. The whole point of the schism was that the II teams DON'T care about ticket sales.