I believe it was only really going to be a matter of time before things got real nutty with this whole USL/TOA/NASL/USSF mess. The Kartik Report found out this morning that the USL is suing the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Crystal Palace Baltimore and the Rochester Rhinos for breach of contract.

The three clubs had allegedly committed contractually to play 2010 in USL’s First Division but instead opted to play in the yet to be sanctioned North American Soccer League. (Here is a link to the court filing.)

Seeing the league sue these clubs is probably a bit about protecting their best interest and I don’t think we can blame them for doing so since these clubs were slated to be apart of the USL in 2010.

I’m sure this was one thing the meeting with the USSF wanted to avoid here. Going down this road has to be a troubling path for both sides. This whole time I haven’t really been on either side of the fence between the USL and NASL. I like some things both have done but I’ve tried to stay as neutral as I can here with it. I do think though right now the NASL needs to cool their jets a bit though. They are a very ambitious bunch that still has loads of work to do like putting schedules together, getting a front office, doing some PR, etc. All that and more with only a few months time to do it in.

If the NASL wanted a season so bad in 2010, they should have decided to do a shorter season to get their stuff in gear before doing an actual full season in 2011. Sort of a dry opening before the grand opening if you will.

Now as far as the USSF goes, they need to act quickly here to cool the bad press that will come of this news. We know they put together a little “task force” to over see things here with this mess but really that won’t be good enough here. It’s pretty clear the USSF has no real stance on this situation right now, other than being sort of confused I think.

This messy situation just keeps getting messier.

A nice little media event took place earlier today in the Gateway City with Jeff Cooper and the rest of the St. Louis United bunch to reveal the club’s name and crest.

The club is going to be called AC St. Louis. The logo as you see is pretty basic and I definitely like the colors (I’m a sucker for anything green and yellow). I think some folks will like the logo and others will not. To me it is a simple logo that doesn’t jump out at you, which I like. Elements like the St. Louis Arch are shown in the logo which are a must for any St. Louis team I think.

The teams website can be found here. Not much to go on here so far though for the new club, the website is basic and lacks a little design if you ask me.

Hat tip to Inside Minnesota Soccer for posting the logo.

So the news came down today that the TOA league would be dubbed the new North American Soccer League. Yes the return of the NASL is possibly more about the name than the actual league here. The TOA group went for name recognition right away with this choice.

The league has nine clubs now that Tampa and Baltimore have jumped ship and they could look to add a tenth with the possibility of Rochester leaving the USL after 2010.

Currently there are only 5 teams remaining from last year’s USL-1 season.  Austin, Cleveland, Portland, Puerto Rico and Rochester, with the expansion team of  New York bringing the league to 6. Some may say what about Charleston? Well, they are headed to the USL-2 in the form of a self-relegation. Some folks are saying Cleveland could easily do the same.

Let’s not forget that after this next season for the USL they will stand to lose Portland. That bring their lovely total down to just four for the 2011 season unless they get some expansion sites up in a hurry before then.

The USL does looked doomed here but will this NASL really work? Vancouver and Montreal are headed MLS’s way in the near future but this little league could be fine if the chips keep falling for the USL. But the thing that worries people like me is how in the world will they get all their crap together before the start of the season next year? At the very least they could have a website up now that they have a name but since http://www.nasl.com is already taken they could be in trouble on that front.

Things do look good for the TOA, or now rather the NASL, which is still a stupid name in my mind to go with.

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Yes, the Team Owners Association finally came down with a name and you guessed it, they got creative with this one. The new breakaway league will now be known as the North American Soccer League. This release was just sent out about the news.

NEW MEN’S SECOND DIVISION PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE

ANNOUNCES NAME:

NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE

Nov. 23, 2009 – Formally announced two weeks ago, the new men’s second division professional soccer league slated to begin play next spring has announced its name, and it is a familiar one to soccer fans and players in the United States and Canada – the North American Soccer League (NASL).

NASL was the name of the men’s outdoor professional league that operated in the United States and Canada from 1968 to 1984, which played its final match 25 years ago last month and generated historic moments and memories for players and fans alike throughout its 16-year run. Legends such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Johan Cruyff and Karl Heinz-Granitza played in the NASL, which served as the birthplace for numerous men’s professional outdoor franchises still in action today.

“By becoming the NASL, we are paying respect to the players, coaches and leaders who were pioneers for men’s professional soccer in North America, many of whom remain involved and committed to the growth of our game in various capacities throughout the U.S. and Canada,” said Selby Wellman, principal owner of the Carolina RailHawks and newly appointed president of NASL, LLC. “For that, we honor and thank them with a new era for the NASL.

“Further, by going with NASL, we’re obligated to operate our league at a high standard befitting a name that means so much to the soccer community throughout North America. Our intention is to offer an elite brand of soccer and outstanding experience for our partners and fans, something the old NASL did very well during its day. We will do the same in the new NASL.”

Currently comprised of nine teams – the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, St. Louis Soccer United, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Vancouver Whitecaps FC – the league has submitted an application to the United States Soccer Federation for sanctioning as a Division II Men’s Outdoor Professional League.

NASL is also active in its search for a full-time commissioner and will introduce an extensive marketing campaign in the coming months.

I plan on discussing this a little more tonight in the Evening Links and Thoughts post.

Just when we were beginning to wonder if this TOA league would really get off the ground with just seven clubs they go and add two more. Yup, now they are up to nine as Inside Minnesota Soccer has learned they have snatched two prime USL teams away with Tampa Bay rejoining the group and now a new addition in Crystal Palace Baltimore.

The Tampa and Baltimore will  join the owners of the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, St. Louis Soccer United and Vancouver Whitecaps in this new venture.

The name of the new league is expected to come down next week. One hot rumor is it could be called the NASL. Yes the same name as the old league that failed back in the 1980s. Yes Miami FC is the group that has gone out and reportedly gotten the trademarks on NASL. Big Kudos to USLNews.com for digging up that dirt.

Well what do we make of this news? Getting Tampa back was huge for the TOA but adding a solid group in Crystal Palace Baltimore really helps their cause out in a big way. Not only does it bring a good owner to the mix but it puts them to the nine team mark. Nine is a good number in case say the Minnesota Thunder don’t get their act together financially.

As for the news of this league possibly being called the NASL, I just don’t buy it. While I have a feeling it could end up this way with this recent news I just don’t see a way that people will take this new version serious after the old one died off back in the 80s. Should they want a league name that isn’t associated with failure and collapse? I dunno that is just me maybe more people like the idea of that name returning.

Today has been a day to say the very least. The news from the TOA group that they are forming their own league certainly took over a lot of folks reading and writing today. I know it did for me as I am still going to be talking about it tonight and maybe more for the coming days. I have some more thoughts about it as well as some other items to discuss.

Interesting that this new league, that has no name is expected to just be another step below Major League Soccer here. Think about this for a minute about each club that is involved with this new league, most aren’t in a good place right now financially and a couple are looking towards MLS for their future. Additionally we don’t know what to call it and there is no PR team set up, no media site for us to look at, nothing. I know its early but this group really could have had their act together a little more if they wanted to make themselves sound legit.

Now I got to thinking earlier about each club and where they’ve been at over the last year or so. Some look good for this league while most just down right scare me for the future of this new league.

Atlanta: They had to stop operations in the USL last year because of money. I really and truly wonder if their money situation is any better today than it was a year ago when they decided not to play in 2009.

Carolina: One of the better clubs last year in the USL. Apparently they have a pretty solid group of owners here. One of the few clubs I’d be worried about in this league doing well.

Miami: Remember they barely got a team on the field in the USL for the 2009 season? Yeah, I know they have a big money backer in Traffic but we all know the issues in Miami are real even if some paint them in a different light. They don’t do well at the gate and in a new league it will be even harder to do so.

Minnesota: As reported earlier on here and other places the club is in bad shape. They just released their players because of money and that doesn’t sound good for a club going into a new league that has no history.

Montreal: Winners of the USL in 2009 and we know where they stand as far as going to MLS in a couple years. From what I’m being told we will probably hear that they are getting a MLS expansion bid for 2012 or 2013 later this year.

St. Louis: Never fielded a team in any league, ever. Don’t really know what kind of market this is and we still have to wonder if this owner (Jeff Cooper) is still holding out for a MLS club.

Vancouver: Runner up in USL, but also headed to MLS in two years. Apparently will field another club or reserve team in this new league when in MLS.

Then there is also the possibility of Tampa returning to this group to make eight clubs.

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I’ll be honest, I can’t seem to get much done today because of this news about the TOA group starting their own league. We knew this news would probably come down eventually in one form or another but I honestly didn’t expect it to consume me as much as it is.

If you aren’t reading a couple sites like The Kartik Report or Inside Minnesota Soccer for news on this matter then you are certainly missing out. Both have been spot on with their reports on this situation from day one.

One thing we know is true the league will need (if they haven’t already) to get a waiver from the USSF to start the league because of the number of clubs they currently have. Apparently eight is the magic number for the USSF and I believe the same goes for FIFA and CONCACAF.

Now one thing seems clear as well from The Kartik Report is that Vancouver was a big time player in this deal for the TOA. According to Kartik, without Vancouver they would not be able to form this league because the USSF requires the league to span three time zones. I know some folks will say that the USL-2 doesn’t span three time zones, but that is because this is apparently for new leagues, not old. So without Vancouver this would be a no-deal.

But even with all of that there are still loads of questions out there. Jason Davis at MatchFit USA has a few good ones. Some have already been asked here but I do think Davis posed some big questions surrounding this league like broadcasting, the role from SUM/MLS, and the overall stability of each club right now.

My big question is how will people take this league serious? If they can’t get a national TV deal of any kind out of the gate, they don’t address where they stand financially, and they don’t find an eighth club then how can we take them serious?

A lot of ifs surround this league still. We know Vancouver is MLS bound and that Montreal will certainly do their best to join them (apparently Joey Saputo has been invited to MLS Cup this year). We also know Minnesota is in trouble financially and that there are no other markets jumping out to go with them at the moment.

But what may be a bigger question to some, what the hell will they call this league? At this point it is anyone’s guess.