In a landmark move, owners of the United Soccer League (USL) voted to implement promotion and relegation (pro-rel). The vote, which was held on Tuesday, ended in a supermajority, meaning that more than 50% came to an agreement. This decision comes just over a month after the announcement that USL would be launching a Division One league in 2027-28.
It is expected that pro-rel would not begin until the inaugural season of USL D1. The system will only include its three professional leagues, and not the semi-professional USL League Two that only runs in the summer.
It remains to be seen what exactly the format would be. The Pro League Standards (PLS) that leagues are required to follow will be hard to balance with a system that includes so many clubs moving back and forth in just one offseason. It is likely that USL implements a slightly altered pro-rel system, such as giving franchises the ability to choose if they want to be promoted, etc.
Regardless, this is a huge change on the battlefront of what fans call “the soccer warz.” This tongue-in-cheek term is used to describe the competition between the many leagues in American soccer. There hasn’t been a D1 competitor for MLS since NASL launched in 2011; it folded in 2017, but not without a lawsuit that reached a verdict just a month ago. As for pro-rel, this is the first time that an American professional league has ever actually implemented it. NISA tried, and failed, early this decade.
What does this mean for the local soccer scene?
Pros
USL has millions of fans that attend its matches each season, and the number will only continue to grow. A decent swath of this is concentrated in the tri-state area, with professional clubs like Louisville City, Indy Eleven, Lexington SC, and the newly added USL1 club Fort Wayne FC.
Serious money is being invested into these clubs; all of them have or plan to contruct soccer-specific stadiums to, built competitive rosters, and brought in decent attendance numbers. In theory, pro-rel will give teams more of an incentive to keep spending competitively. If they don’t, it will be reflected in the table.
Aside from the authentic feeling that lower-league soccer has, there was very little that differentiated USL from MLS. From a sporting standpoint, pro-rel makes it a worthy competitor. If local fans become aware of how this format works, it may make USL more entertaining for them.
This could turn USL from little more than a feeder league for MLS with a niche following, to a competitor that draws in larger numbers—which could make the local soccer scene even more bustling.
Cons
There is also a flipside to USL becoming a worthy competitor—it could lose credibility for owners. The league relies on team owners to survive, and these stakeholders might now have to choose between joining MLS or folding if they aren’t rich enough. But why?
In terms of business, promotion and relegation does not suit how American sports work. Owners expect their investment to be returned with a profit. If pro-rel is implemented, they run the risk of losing money if they are relegated; meanwhile, a club that hopes to be promoted doesn’t feel worth the risk of high investment. MLS is a closed league because its owners want to protect their interests.
If USL becomes a worthy competitor, it could still be a con. It would be entirely possible that MLS begins to poach already-existing USL markets, possibly going after two key franchises that happen to be local: Louisville and Indy. There is already speculation that Indy could join as an expansion side, which would surely kill Indy Eleven. There was slight chatter that Louisville could be “promoted” to MLS, but it died down.
MLS choosing to directly combat the USL would be much worse for the latter. The former has already proven itself an attractive business model. It is a league with ever-growing infrastructure, many more fans, and glitz and glamour. For these reasons, USL clubs wouldn’t lose anything by moving to MLS.
In the words of Geoff Tebbetts, the soccer warz have gone nuclear.
Featured2, Fort Wayne FC, Indy Eleven, Lexington SC, Louisville City, MLS, Pro-rel, Promotion and relegation, USL, USL Championship, USL League One, USL League Two
In a landmark move, owners of the United Soccer League (USL) voted to implement promotion and relegation (pro-rel). The vote, which was held on Tuesday, ended in a supermajority, meaning that more than 50% came to an agreement. This decision comes just over a month after the announcement that USL would be launching a Division One league in 2027-28.
It is expected that pro-rel would not begin until the inaugural season of USL D1. The system will only include its three professional leagues, and not the semi-professional USL League Two that only runs in the summer.
It remains to be seen what exactly the format would be. The Pro League Standards (PLS) that leagues are required to follow will be hard to balance with a system that includes so many clubs moving back and forth in just one offseason. It is likely that USL implements a slightly altered pro-rel system, such as giving franchises the ability to choose if they want to be promoted, etc.
Regardless, this is a huge change on the battlefront of what fans call “the soccer warz.” This tongue-in-cheek term is used to describe the competition between the many leagues in American soccer. There hasn’t been a D1 competitor for MLS since NASL launched in 2011; it folded in 2017, but not without a lawsuit that reached a verdict just a month ago. As for pro-rel, this is the first time that an American professional league has ever actually implemented it. NISA tried, and failed, early this decade.
What does this mean for the local soccer scene?
Pros
USL has millions of fans that attend its matches each season, and the number will only continue to grow. A decent swath of this is concentrated in the tri-state area, with professional clubs like Louisville City, Indy Eleven, Lexington SC, and the newly added USL1 club Fort Wayne FC.
Serious money is being invested into these clubs; all of them have or plan to contruct soccer-specific stadiums to, built competitive rosters, and brought in decent attendance numbers. In theory, pro-rel will give teams more of an incentive to keep spending competitively. If they don’t, it will be reflected in the table.
Aside from the authentic feeling that lower-league soccer has, there was very little that differentiated USL from MLS. From a sporting standpoint, pro-rel makes it a worthy competitor. If local fans become aware of how this format works, it may make USL more entertaining for them.
This could turn USL from little more than a feeder league for MLS with a niche following, to a competitor that draws in larger numbers—which could make the local soccer scene even more bustling.
Cons
There is also a flipside to USL becoming a worthy competitor—it could lose credibility for owners. The league relies on team owners to survive, and these stakeholders might now have to choose between joining MLS or folding if they aren’t rich enough. But why?
In terms of business, promotion and relegation does not suit how American sports work. Owners expect their investment to be returned with a profit. If pro-rel is implemented, they run the risk of losing money if they are relegated; meanwhile, a club that hopes to be promoted doesn’t feel worth the risk of high investment. MLS is a closed league because its owners want to protect their interests.
If USL becomes a worthy competitor, it could still be a con. It would be entirely possible that MLS begins to poach already-existing USL markets, possibly going after two key franchises that happen to be local: Louisville and Indy. There is already speculation that Indy could join as an expansion side, which would surely kill Indy Eleven. There was slight chatter that Louisville could be “promoted” to MLS, but it died down.
MLS choosing to directly combat the USL would be much worse for the latter. The former has already proven itself an attractive business model. It is a league with ever-growing infrastructure, many more fans, and glitz and glamour. For these reasons, USL clubs wouldn’t lose anything by moving to MLS.
In the words of Geoff Tebbetts, the soccer warz have gone nuclear.
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