Aaron Davidson, CEO of the NASL, commented, “We have invested a lot of time, energy and resources over the past four years to establish a proper team-owned and governed professional second division soccer league and separate ourselves from the instability and annual team turnover of USL, the former second division.  The USSF and the soccer community have realized that it’s time once and for all to launch a new second division with higher standards which finally ensure the stability, growth and prosperity of second division soccer in North America.  We are prepared to respond to the USSF’s concerns and look forward to delivering on our commitments to our teams and fans to re-launch second division as the NASL in 2011.”

IMS later spoke with U.S. Soccer’s Neil Buethe late Friday afternoon.  Buethe said there where issues regarding ownership and organizational details to make sure the league was prepared to start the season, which is less than 3 months away.

“The biggest hurdle was really some of the financial requirements.  An unstable league or team can damage the market place and the sport overall if teams fold or have financial issues.” said Buethe.

The NASL is comprised of 8 teams that will play in 2011 including: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Miami FC, Montreal Impact, NSC Minnesota Stars, and the Puerto Rico Islanders .  Aaron Davidson, CEO of the NASL and president of Miami FC has worked with several struggling teams to ensure they have the financial capital necessary to operate this year under the more stringent USSF D2 Standards.  You may remember reading a previous post when Traffic Sports announced they would take part ownership in the Atlanta Silverbacks.  At the end of 2010 the NASL announced that the league would purchase the NSC Minnesota Stars while looking for a new long-term owner.  Reports have also emerged that the previous owners of the Carolina Railhawks have dissolved their organization and either the NASL &/or Traffic Sports could be taking over as early as this week. However, those plans could be placed on hold in light of the recent developments.

The NASL continues to move forward and provide the USSF with what it believes are the necessary requirements.  IMS quoted Davidson as saying,

“We’ve provided the federation with what we believe was the missing information. We feel we live up to the standards of second division as they were set forth in October. The Federation now have over $6 million in letters of credit that are joint and several for a league who runs budgets around $2 million a team. Traffic is involved with three of the teams, the league is involved with Minnesota and Montreal stands on its own. That means there are three teams left this season that don’t have Traffic or Montreal behind them. If all three teams were to default immediately, you would still have enough money amongst the collective group to run all three of those teams for an entire season.”

At the end of the day I personally think NASL will be sanctioned as Division 2 for 2011.  The USSF stepped in for 2010 to make sure things worked out and that the games would be played.  I believe the USSF needed to flex some muscle to show the NASL that they were serious and probably to resolve the finance issue to their liking.

Brian Quarstad at www.insidemnsoccer.com has done a fantastic job of breaking and following this story. You may remember him from the 2010 Best Blog nomination he received from US Soccer.  If you’re looking for more detail then check out his site and follow him on twitter (@MinnesotaSoccer) for the latest on what’s happening.

What do you think will happen with NASL in 2011? Do you think attendance would change significantly for the Silverbacks if they were playing in D3 or unsanctioned?

The first game is scheduled to be played at Atlanta Silverbacks Park on April 9, 2011 against NSC Minnesota Stars.  In all the Silverbacks will host 14 regular season home games next year.  Traditionally bring on a new coach and finding players would be a difficult task with only 4 month’s till kickoff.  However, with the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps making the leap to MLS they are leaving several of their players behind.  Additionally, there are at least two teams, AC St. Louis and Crystal Palace Baltimore, that competed in 2010 that will not return in 2011.

“After working five year to create a league that is team-owner controlled and managed we are thrilled that USSF has sanctioned the NASL and we are excited to get back to playing soccer again,” said Boris Jerkunica, Chairman of the Atlanta Silverbacks.

Many questions still remain unanswered but we hope to find out more in the coming weeks and months.  To see the official announcement please click here.

So what are your questions for the Silverbacks? Do you think the fans will come back strong after the hiatus or do you think the departure has created a resentment that will take time to win fans back?

However, during the NASL’s Annual General Meeting two additional teams for the 2011 season have been approved – The Atlanta Silverbacks and NSC Minnesota Stars.  Aaron Davidson CEO of the NASL said, “We were encouraged by fans to return second division soccer to Atlanta after a two season hiatus”. Copy of the full release is below.

The NASL now waits to hear from the USSF Board of Directors to see if their submission has been accepted.  The USSF has a meeting scheduled on November 21 in Toronto, Canada in which the decision could be made.  The NASL application also includes San Antonio (2012) and a team to be announced later (2013) in the submission.  This would give the NASL the USSF required 8 teams and account for Montreal’s spot once they join MLS in 2012.  The 8 teams submitted to play in 2011 are: Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Montreal Impact, Miami FC Blues, NSC Minnesota Stars, and the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Was Atlanta’s CEO Soccer Cabinet somehow involved in an effort to increase Atlanta’s chances of being a World Cup host city?  Do you think MLS’s commitment to New York, not Atlanta, as the 20th team made re-entry more appealing?

Full Press Release Below

North American Soccer League Concludes Successful AGM and Finalizes USSF Application

Teams in Minnesota and Atlanta Added for 2011 Season

November 10, 2010 — The North American Soccer League (“NASL”) recently concluded its 2010 Annual General Meeting held in Miami, Florida on November 7th and 8th.  The meeting was highlighted by the approval of two additional teams for the 2011 season – the NSC Minnesota Stars and the Atlanta Silverbacks – and their inclusion in the application to the United States Soccer Federation for sanctioning as a Division II league.  The completed application, which was originally submitted with six teams on September 28, 2010, was submitted to the Federation immediately following the conclusion of the meeting.

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 NASL is looking forward to favorable consideration of the application by the Board of Directors of the USSF at its meeting on November 21 in Toronto, Canada.

“This is an exciting time for the NASL as it nears the finish line in its two year quest for second division sanctioning from the USSF.  We were encouraged by fans to return second division soccer to Atlanta after a two season hiatus and are thrilled that over twenty years of continuous professional play in Minnesota will continue in 2011 and beyond ” said Aaron Davidson CEO of the NASL.

Club owners and general managers will continue working on developing the schedule for the 2011 season over the coming weeks. The NASL plans to release the opening weekend schedule of games later this month.

The North American Soccer League (NASL) was established in November 2009. The NASL member teams include: Atlanta Silverbacks  (resuming play in 2011 and  2022 FIFA World Cup ™ Bid City), Carolina RailHawks, FC Baltimore( 2022 FIFA World Cup ™ Bid City) , FC Edmonton, Miami FC  (2022 FIFA World Cup ™ Bid City), NSC Minnesota Stars, Montreal Impact (joining MLS in 2012), Puerto Rico Islanders, Rochester Rhinos, San Antonio (beginning play in 2012), AC St. Louis, FC Tampa Bay (2022 FIFA World Cup ™ Bid City) and Vancouver Whitecaps FC (joining MLS in 2011). The NASL has applied to the United States Soccer Federation for sanctioning as an independent second division league starting in the 2011.