Last winter it was all USL v. NASL. It looks like the drama of that is now turning into the drama of how the NASL can become a Division II league under the USSF soccer pyramid. The NASL released a press statement this morning stating they have submitted to the USSF their final bid for sanctioning of Division II.

With the USL taking a backseat to the whole D-2 thing now days with their USL-Pro league that they are forming, the NASL is the sole group of teams that hope to keep the D-2 level alive and kicking (no pun intended).

Per the guidelines for sanctioning, the application needed eight teams; six were certain prior to the NASL’s annual general meeting, with two surprises. We knew for certain about those six teams (Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Montreal Impact, Miami FC Blues, and the Puerto Rico Islanders) but the two surprises announced today were the rebirth of the Atlanta Silverbacks and the NSC Minnesota Stars who are run by a non-profit group that are still looking for investors.

The application also includes San Antonio (which will commence play in 2012) and an additional team to be announced (which will commence play in 2013). The group hopes to get sanctioning later this month.

Yes the whole Atlanta and Minnesota thing is causing some heads to spin. We’ll probably know more about Minnesota once Brian Quarstad of Inside Minnesota Soccer finds out what the outlook for potential investors is at the moment.

But as for Atlanta, a club that hasn’t seen any action on the field since 2008 really makes you wonder how the hell the NASL is going to really rely on them considering their intentions to play in 2011 were basically wiped off the table earlier this summer. The Atlanta Soccer Blog wonders if MLS going full force after a New York club for their 20th franchise instead of Atlanta helps the Silverbacks case for a return in the NASL. Possibly.

As a soccer fan in American I have to hope this works out for the best though. With all the financial issues the D-2 leagues have had over the years, seeing a stable and productive D-2 and D-3 league will really go a long way in enhancing the play here in the country.

“This was an extremely difficult decision that was prompted by the dynamic events in our economy and the soccer community,” Silverbacks general manager Michael Oki said. “We would like to thank all of our fans and partners who have supported the team over the years and hope they continue to come out to the women’s games.”

With the Silverbacks are now the first victim of the economic situation here. No word on what this means for the players currently on the roster for the Silverbacks. Also, no word on what it means for forward Mac Kandji, who is currently on loan to the New York Red Bulls, who will play in the MLS Cup Final on Sunday. The Red Bulls acquired Kandji on a loan deal earlier this year that included an option to buy Kandji’s contract outright.

Tough break for Atlanta soccer fans. I think this hurts their MLS expansion hopes a lot here too. Sure a couple bids out there don’t have a USL club right now (like St. Louis) but with the bid already being pretty weak by most standards, having a club fold will definitely hurt their chances. It just doesn’t look good on it.

According to SBI, the league denied the New York’s club bid for a USL player. That means the league basically passed on the 23-year-old Senegalese striker, who was probably more MLS ready than the league would even admit.

You can’t blame Atlanta for the high transfer fee. USL clubs rarely, if ever, get transfer fees for players they lose. So putting a price tag on a guy that is getting a lot of press makes total sense on their part. Plus that kind of cash would easily come in handy for any USL club which would probably help attract some of the younger developmental players from MLS who aren’t getting paid as much.

The Red Bulls secured the necessary funds to pay the asking price for Kandji when it traded goalkeeper Zach Thornton to Chivas USA for an allocation. The league didn’t like the idea of paying that much to a USL club, thinking it would set up a bad precedent for all of the league.

You know, I get where the league is coming from but it makes little sense for them to step in like this and say no to a club who wants to spend their money like this. Its one of those nit-picky rules wrote in pencil that the league really needs to take a hard look at here real soon and change. The issue wasn’t really the transfer fee itself, I think it was the league not wanting to do that sort of business with the “minor league”. Unfair really all around to both sides.

New York is still looking on the market for a speedy forward. Some have thrown out Dallas’s Dominic Oduro and Colorado’s Omar Cummings. Neither make a lot of sense for their current clubs to trade at the moment. he Red Bulls may wind up adding Gambian Sainey Touray, who has been on trial with the Red Bulls. Its also said that the club is looking into another USL player, Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2) Matthew Mbuta, a Cameroon-born winger/midfielder. Most Red Bull fans may recall Mbuta from their US Open Cup loss to Baltimore back in July.

What do you all make of the league stepping in like this? See their point or find them missing the mark on a potential sud of a striker?

New York has submitted formal proposals for USL-1 side Atlanta Silverbacks striker Macoumba Kandji. If you haven’t seen this young Senegalese play in the USL yet, do so, because he is a special talent that will follow the links of Maykel Galino and Brian Ching that have made the jump from USL to MLS.

At 23, Kandji has 12 goals in 27 games for the Silverbacks. Not bad, not bad indeed.

Apparently the Red Bulls have to put in a heavy offer to Atlanta for Kandji. From what I’ve heard they are going to be offering around $200,000 or maybe even more for the striker. Sounds like a lot for a USL player but believe me this kid can play.

New York is also said to be looking at Panamanian forward Gabriel Torres. His rights are currently owned by Chepo F.C in Panama, and he was most recently on loan to Colombian club La Equidad, where he scored 5 goals in 18 appearances.

The 19-year old Torres was apart of Panama’s team in the 2007 U-20 FIFA World Cup.

I don’t recall much of this kid but judging by his age it sounds like a smart move as he should still be a decent project at just 19-years old.

No word yet on who the final striker of those three are but the club has brought in Sainey Touray, a Gambian Under-20 striker, on trial. He most recently led Wallidan to the Gambian League title leading the league in scoring. He won the Golden Boot as the Gambian U-17 team won the Ivorian four-nation Football tournament last year, and has been playing for the U-20s this year in the CAF Youth Championship playoffs.