"A Leap in the Dark"

September 26, 2019 by Dan Vaughn

Last week, NPSL announced a new season, split between the spring and fall. This season won’t replace the existing summer league, but would be an addition and all clubs that planned to participate in the new season would be required to also participate in the traditional NPSL summer league. The logic behind this expansion, according to NPSL Chairman Kenny Farrell, is that “a longer season will provide more opportunities for our players, while teams will benefit from a year-round presence in their market.” Other reporters have done a great job reporting on this new season and, if you aren’t up on the details, I’d refer you to this Midfield Press’ article.

Rather than repeat the league talking points that you can read in every other article about this move, I’m going to instead try to take the mile-up point of view on what this move actually means. Some basic questions came to mind as soon as I heard the announcement and I’d like to discuss those rather than repeat the carefully-crafted talking points that the league is distributing. I don’t think the league is lying or candy-coating things, I think they are painting this in the best possible light, like EVERY organization would. So let’s jump in with both feet.

Appearances May Be Deceiving

We all know how the Founders Cup fell apart. It seemed half-baked and reactionary from the start and things began crumbling before the ink had dried on the announcement. There was the issue of minimum standards and what clubs could actually afford to be involved. Then, clubs began dropping out before a schedule was even constructed. Then, the issue of insurance (or the lack thereof) reared its head and finished the thing off. It was a black eye for the league and felt the entire thing felt rushed.

What I didn’t know was that the NPSL held off on announcing this new Spring/Fall league BECAUSE of the Founders Cup, in an effort to give the fledgling pro league a chance to shine on its own. In fact, Farrell feels this delay directly led to the departure of certain big name, former NPSL clubs. “We held off on releasing this league because we were trying to get the Founders Cup off the ground. That may or may not have hurt us a bit because some of the teams had decided they needed to play year round and moved to NISA. Had the league been in place, announced in June like we wanted to, we may not have lost those teams. If we had this organized last year, there would have been no need to go to NISA. But then again, maybe they truly want professional players. It’s up to them on what they want.”

That statement is shocking to me because it REALLY emphasizes how unready the Founders Cup was. This Spring/Fall league may feel rushed and reactionary, but it may be nothing more than on pace with the general movement in grassroots soccer. Rather than a reaction to NISA’s rollout or UPSL’s dual season approach, the NPSL may have been on pace with these other leagues but behind closed doors. However, only now did it come into the public’s awareness. If so, good on them for running that tight of a ship.

But what is 100% clear, Founders Cup was a trainwreck from day one. And it was a damn shame. I can only hope that, no matter what this league ends up being, it has been well-thought out and planned.

Seemingly Obvious Concerns

I do worry about the dilution of what a “NPSL championship” means. It might be my biggest complaint against the UPSL model and it applies to this new NPSL model as well. No matter what the league says, one of these championships will grow to dwarf the other, especially considering one season is longer and requires an opt-in that will only be feasible for the larger and better-funded clubs. When I spoke with Farrell, his first response was that “we just don’t know yet” if one championship would top the other, but that “when they are playing the games, it won’t matter to anyone [meaning the players].” And while he called the traditional summer season the “golden child,” he emphasized that this whole move was part of a process and that “to get to where we want to go, we have to be somewhat flexible and creative. We’re taking a leap in the dark.”

And the requirement that clubs participate in the summer season will certainly hurt some of these clubs’ chances in the longer season. Will we see clubs alternate rosters during the summer season to save their better players for the fall stretch run? Mitigating injuries and managing rosters will creep into managers’ minds because it’s an obvious factor they need to consider. I can see scenarios where a club could be leading the spring/fall season standings and then drop down during the summer season.

And while we’re on the question of rosters, we need to discuss the elephant in the room: college players. NCAA soccer season runs August to November. The NPSL has leaned heavily on college talent traditionally, because how else do you fill the rosters of over 100 grassroots clubs without young people willing to play for the benefits of development. So without this talent to fill rosters, what will that fall portion of the longer season look like when all those student-athletes return to their programs to prepare for their collegiate seasons. One side effect is that clubs will be incentivized to build balanced rosters, but amatuer or ex-pro talent willing to play for free is hard to come by. Considering the growth of the USL system and NISA, that pool of available talent is even shallower.

There isn’t an announced deadline for the spring/fall league, nor is there a branded name for this extended league. Both of these facts are a little troubling, particularly if Farrell is accurate about the planning timeline. The NPSL Chairman mentioned that the league was in the works for close to 5 years. And no one decided what to call the thing? Why not iron out the branding before the announcement so it all rolls out as a complete package? There may be a master plan in place, but, at this point, the logic isn’t obvious to me.

One common complaint against the current iteration of the NPSL is there are too many exemptions for clubs who can’t fulfill league minimum standards. According to the NPSL’s press release, standards will be raised for the spring/fall season. Some of those standards affected specifically highlighted include “stadia, staffing, budget, and referees.” To quote Farrell, “we’re not going to have teams just pushing bleachers up to the fields.” That will be welcome news to many owners who have complained both publicly and privately about clubs not achieving the standards. This requirement alone, if enforced as written, will eliminate many of the current NPSL sides. Long-term it will serve to bring everyone up to a certain level, but many teams may sense that their welcome is wearing thin. Will we see rifts grow between clubs who can afford the longer season and those that can only participate in the summer league?

A Fan First

When we started Protagonist, we decided early on to emphasize the positives in every story. And another, longer league is a good thing, without a doubt. I could have tried to write a glowing article about the exciting aspects of a new, longer NPSL season. But at this point in the site’s development, I am also confident we can speak the truth, even to a partner like the NPSL. There is, of course, a chance my fears are unfounded and everything turns out fine. And regardless of your perspective on me or my work, I promise you, that is my wish. But even Farrell has his own reservations about the unknown aspects of this move by the league. “We’ll see where it goes. We don’t know where this will be in two years. It may fail, I doubt that it will fail, I think it could be one of the most popular leagues in the country.” I hope so, too.

- Dan Vaughn

Dan Creel's Best of the new Badges

September 25, 2019 by Dan Vaughn

Welcome back, badgekateers, for another scientific discussion of the relative merits of football club badges. In this installment we’ll be looking at the top 10 clubs recently introduced to join the not-formally-an-actual-division-but-helps-us-better-understand-the-chaos-of-US-soccer Division IV men’s leagues.

#10 La Máquina Futbol Club

La Máquina FC returns to UPSL following a year off and a move from California to the Houston suburb of Fulshear, Texas. The badge is simple and iconic. Gets you the information you need. This machine scores goals. And, I guess per the torches on either side, leaves the lights on when you stumble home from the bar after a well-earned victory celebration.

#9 Valeo Futbol Club

Based in Newton, Mass., Valeo F.C. will join the NPSL’s North Atlantic Conference in 2020. If you want a classic badge Valeo’s got you covered. Shield? Check. Lion? Check. Cannon? Sure, why not? The name’s right there at the bottom including an abbreviation of Futbol Club with honest to god periods. No pretense there, and I’m here for it. The shield reminds me of playing old school turn-based combat board games on an old Macintosh. Attacker gets to pick one unit and chooses the lion. Defender gets two units: glass cannon and a soccer ball. The ball is obviously only there just as fodder to absorb all the damage so the cannon has one extra turn to defend.

#8 Somerset Soccer Club

The team recently began the UPSL season in the Central Conference’s Division III UPSL. The club is based in The Colony, Texas. I believe it’s common law that when a community has a capitalized “The” in front of its name all residents above the age of 16 are required to have a maintain a max handicap of 12. But I digress…

Another classic shield and traditional American soccer blue and yellow colors. Props, as always, for calling itself a soccer club and not a football club. Do you see any pads or helmets? Is the game stopping every 10 seconds? No. It’s soccer, you Philistines.

The club’s motto is prominent. But, points off for not making the phrase an infinite loop by incorporating the final “TO FAIL” as the beginning “TO FAIL”. Remember your ouroboros style points, folks.

#7 Palm Beach Flames SC

HOLY @&^%!!! GET THE HELL DOWN!!!

“Don’t try to slide tackle PBFSC’s comet ball or your legs will get melted into a torpedo-like stump” is the club’s motto.

Points for the eighties-style balloon letters on “FLAMES”.

It’s a fever dream. I love it. Wait… do I love it? What’s happening? I’m sweating…

Palm Beach… call me...

#6 Fort Wayne Football Club

Expansion club joining the NPSL in 2020. Now this a modern, professionally crafted badge. Nice blue color palette. But, the “FWFC” at the top is a bit extraneous. Supporters are automatically gonna figure that out from the jump and hashtag it all on their own. Maybe put a little boat around it sitting on the waves?

Points for the full name. Points off for not embracing that it’s soccer we play in America. If anyone ever has the cajones to call themselves a Soccer Football Club they will win all the points. I mean, you gotta know that some recent Notre Dame grads are gonna launch a club with a crest shaped as an Edison bulb and literally put “South Bend Soccer Football Club” on it. The kits will be sponsored by a hard seltzer company that uses locally sourced ingredients and Mayor Pete’s gonna kick the first ball making South Bend S.F.C. the most authentic club in the state of Indiana. Fort Wayne’s gonna be stuck with just being a “football club” and a bunch of Gen Xers for fans who are fine with that because we’re slackers who don’t care enough to be the change the world needs.

#5 Jaguars United FC

Another Greater Boston team on the list, Jaguars United FC, is joining the UPSL this fall. Big black cat on a gold shield. Nice. But something’s missing. Can you guess?

Yeah, there’s only one jaguar! It’s not Jaguar United. It’s Jaguars. Plural. I want to see a bunch of jaguars. Or one big jaguars made up of a bunch of smaller jaguars. Like Voltron. During each match the supporters group should yell, “Jaguars, unite!” and the fans clump together to form a huge jaguar soccer robot tifo.

#4 Association Soccer Los Angeles

AS Los Angeles has joined the SoCal Division of the UPSL for the fall season. I love the club’s commitment to recognizing that the sport is literally “association football”. It would be a perfect name if they made it Association Soccer Football Los Angeles. ASFLA just rolls off the tongue.

The badge has a lion and stars and a soccer ball. Not sure why the lion is so mad at the soccer ball though. And, too bad that Los Angeles’ abbreviation is LA rather than LAN. If it was the latter the badge would read ASLAN which would go perfectly with that lion.

#3 Universidad de Chile USA

I had to use Google translate, but the name of the club in English turns out to be “University of Chile USA”. Huh, I would never have guessed. The club is based in the Miami metro area and has joined the UPSL’s Florida South. The badge has an owl. Owls are awesome. Therefore, by the transitive property, this badge is awesome.

#2 Sarasota Metropolis FC

Based in the bustling metropolis of Bradenton, Fla., the Sarasota Metropolis FC joined the United Soccer Leagues League Two this summer. I know that’s not that recent, but this kid named Joss (Or Josh maybe? It was hard to read his scribbled handwriting.) wrote in and begged us to include it.

There’s a cool dragon and a stylized “M” on the head of the dragon. The font used for “SARASOTA” doesn’t excite me. But, overall, it’s iconic and well done. So, yeah, Jess, I like it.

Oh, and it’s blue, like Fort Wayne FC. Oof, now I’m starting to feel bad that I may have been too hard on Fort Wayne earlier. But, stiff upper lip Fort Wayne, tough love and whatnot.

#1 Las Vegas Legends FC

Vegas, baby! Fedoras! Pocket squares! Mobsters just daring you to take the ball as “Little Green Bag” plays in the background! Will you take that bet? Will you, punk?

The Legends, formerly a pro indoor soccer club, returns after a long hiatus and will join the NPSL’s Southwest Conference in 2020. Just when you thought they were out, NPSL pulled them back in.

Badge motto should be: “Club. Redefined.” You can have that for free. But the next one will cost youse guys.

- Dan Creel

Week 7 of the GSMU Top 25 Poll

June 25, 2019 by Dan Vaughn

Week 7 of the Grassroots Soccer Media Union Top 25 Poll was released this morning with little change in the top 10. The top 4 stayed in the same position with the Cosmos continuing to hold down the top spot. The newcomer to the top 5 was #5 Detroit City FC. With their stellar defensive play, they’ve moved up the rankings to join the top clubs in the nation. For the entire poll, check out the GSMU Press Release.

New York Cosmos
FC Golden State
Miami FC
Orange County FC
Detroit City FC
Cal FC
FC Arizona
Des Moines Menace
FC Golden State Force
AFC Ann Arbor
Brooklyn Italians
South Georgia Tormenta FC 2
Greenville FC
Minneapolis City SC
FC Waco
Florida Soccer Soldiers
Chattanooga FC
Tropics SC
Reading United AC
Miami United
Boca Raton FC
Duluth FC
Med City FC
San Antonio Runners SC
SC United Bantams

Godspeed, All of Us

March 20, 2019 by Lola Vaughn

Sometimes a back story isn’t needed, but a writer can’t help himself, so here goes.

Unlike so many other leagues, MLS has a very modern and recent history. In 1988, when USSF was attempting to win its bid for the 1994 World Cup, it pledged to designate a division one professional soccer league. That came to fruition in 1996, when MLS kicked off with the founding 10 franchises. Of course, readers of this site probably know what I’m about to write, but I can’t help myself. I say “franchises” because they are not “clubs” - clubs imply independence and individuality - MLS, of course, is single-entity. Every team in MLS is owned by MLS. Every match, from preseason to MLS Cup isn’t much more than intrasquad scrimmages. This was done for the purpose of stability, and, considering the history of leagues coming and going in the United States, maybe there is some logic in that decision. However, the shaky beginnings of MLS are far in the past and the usefulness of the current practice is debatable at best. For fans of MLS, I know you’re tired of us poking at your league, but it’s got to be done. Aside from the single entity issue, there is another issue, the reason for this article. Yup, you already know, pro/rel.

Promotion/Relegation is a big deal for many reasons, but at its core -

It rewards good management.
It penalizes mismanagement.
It aligns the pyramid with the international (FIFA) standard.

“There’s no economic rationality to promotion/relegation whatsoever in the era that we’re in today.”

— Don Garber

While the first two are common sense based arguments (which many poo-poo), they are still good arguments. Fans of other sports may look at the monopolized version of soccer and assume that’s normal, but the reality is that the closed MLS/USSF system is rare in the world sport. Extremely rare. The Cleveland Browns and LA Clippers and their woeful performances are accepted within their respective leagues (and yes, I know both are better now than they’ve been in the past), but in soccer that won’t play. If you continue to underperform, you fall out of your league. If you succeed, you move up to take their place. That is the norm in the soccer world. Except in the United States, where the Colorado Rapids (or whichever underperforming franchise you’d like to fill in the blank with) continue to struggle and play in division one. And it’s probably safe to say that if it wasn’t happening in the United States, it wouldn’t be allowed. That’s because FIFA, the governing body of international soccer (football), has rules about how its member nations are expected to run their domestic leagues.

A plan for Pro/Rel from day one. Image courtesy of FourFourTwo.

When MLS was formed there were long-term plans to transition to a pro/rel system, but those long-term plans kept stretching forward in time. And now, it seems that timeline has transitioned to never, or at least if Don Garber, MLS commissioner, gets his way. In a widely-quoted interview with the Kansas City Star, he seemed to be attempting to put the issue to bed. “Just because there is promotion/relegation in other leagues that were founded on different principles doesn’t mean that it would make sense in Major League Soccer. We have a vibrant No. 2 league in the USL. We have (Sporting KC principal owner) Cliff (Illig) and his partners that have just put $60 million of capital, along with the public, into this building. If all of a sudden they’re playing in a different division that doesn’t have national revenues — because the USL doesn’t have that — how does that make any sense? There’s no economic rationality to promotion/relegation whatsoever in the era that we’re in today.”

“We as a federation aren’t going to legislate that.”

— Sunil Gulati

Garber’s job is to speak for his franchise owners, I get it. They have all bought into this closed system with the understanding that they will see a return on their investment, without the risk of losing their money. The cost of a franchise is now over 100 million dollars and has been rising since day one, I can understand and appreciate their concern. The vast majority of soccer fans respond: “they should be owning franchises in some other sport then.”

Attempts have been made to get MLS to open up the doors to pro/rel and nothing has worked so far. Calls for the Federation to get involved have to this point have been unsuccessful, leading many to question the desire of the USSF to change the state of play. Consider the words of then outgoing Federation president, Sunil Gulati (booo, hiss) - “there's a whole bunch of people that came in under one set of rules, and some have paid $150 million and built a stadium for another $250 million under a certain set of rules. If they sit down and start this other league and say, 'We want to do promotion/relegation,' for all the reasons that people think are positive, fantastic. We as a federation aren't going to legislate that.” Carlos Cordiero, the current Federation president, has done nothing but dodge the question of pro/rel - I'm not in position to comment on anything related to that, or remotely related to that, without getting myself into hot water [due to litigation]. So I do not want to, and cannot, comment on anything that may be related to one or the other of those pending situations. I'm a vice president of the Federation and the Federation is part of all of this. Unlike the other candidates, who can speak their minds on this, I'm not in a position to talk to any of those points.”

While it is difficult to read minds (ok, impossible), it isn’t difficult to look at the actions and words of people and figure out where they stand. While USSF may not WANT to legislate promotion/relegation, they could threaten MLS with removal of division one status and force the matter. If MLS refused, USSF could easily designate another league, an open league, at tier one. But USSF seems to be comfortable in the bed they share with MLS and SUM (Soccer United Marketing), ignoring the rest of the Federation for the most part. Consider that Don Garber is on the USSF board of directors. The commissioner of a league is on the board of directors of the regulating body for the league he represents. How is that not a massive conflict of interest? And how can change ever come if he remains in place?

Last year, Kingston Stockade’s Dennis Crowely and Miamia FC’s Riccardo Silva filed a suit in the Court of Arbitration for Sport alleging that USSF (and MLS) are not living up to their FIFA obligations - specifically Article 9 which states that member nations’ clubs’ right “to take part in a domestic league championship shall depend principally on sporting merit” and that “a club shall qualify for a domestic league championship by remaining in a certain division or by being promoted or relegated to another at the end of a season.” It is obvious that MLS is not in line with these requirements and USSF is ignoring their responsibility to regulate their domestic leagues. The challenge brought is still being considered and, with the FIFA council meeting in Miami, another wrinkle has been added to the fight for pro/rel.

“This letter is an opening salvo, and not the end.”

— Daniel Workman

Organized by two key figures in lower league soccer in this country, Daniel Workman and Chris Kessell, a letter was delivered to FIFA President Gianni Infantino (as well as other council members and USSF leadership) begging for USSF to engage on the issue of non-compliance with Article 9. Because that is the real issue. Rail against MLS for not wanting pro/rel, but USSF is the muscle that can make this change, even if that means removing division one designation from MLS.

The letter sent was signed by Kessell, as a representative of his local soccer club, West Side Soccer Club. Along with his were over 100 signatures of club representatives from all over the United States. That number has grown to over 150 and is being added to every day since it was announced (if you’d like to add your club, go here). What happens now remains to be seen. FIFA has not made an official response, nor a private one that Kessell is aware of.

For Kessell, his expectation and hope is movement - “As the number of clubs and organizations signing on continue to rise since the news broke, we expect US Soccer to enter into a meaningful dialogue about FIFA Article 9 and US Soccer Bylaw 103 compliance. This project is step one, but there is a lot more we can and should do going forward. Waiting on US Soccer generally doesn't work, so as the movement continues to scale we need to continue to work on connecting independent leagues and clubs across the country. Unity is a powerful thing. We believe that combined with action we can achieve substantial progress.” Workman also sees this letter as only the beginning - “This letter is an opening salvo, and not the end. We are just getting started and as the movement continues to grow, we expect that US Soccer will begin a real, meaningful dialogue with these clubs and organizations.”

For now, the names of the clubs signed on is being kept secret, out of concerns, at least partially, that there may be retribution from the Federation (see tweet below). But Kessell is thrilled with the response so far - “The reception has been amazing, just as we expected. Clubs nationwide want the opportunity to grow and compete. Having passionate dialogue with clubs from all over the country has done nothing but made us redouble our efforts to bring everyone to the table and find a solution.”

Discretion is the better part of valor in this case. We are seeing clubs signing up daily. Publishing would hurt that endeavor. We’re not at a tipping point where there are enough clubs involved to provide those who have voiced support protection from USSF retribution.
— Daniel Workman (@danielworkman) March 20, 2019

The chorus of voices calling for change has been non-stop for the last 20 years. Sometimes more quiet, sometimes louder. USSF has always managed to ignore the calls. Will this letter and the movement it begins bring the change that MLS is fighting against? It’s hard to tell, but what definitely feels different is the amount of coverage from the mainstream media. Even Mr. Better Mousetrap (Alexi Lalas) himself tweeted a post about the letter. Outlets like The18.com, The Independent, The Guardian, have all run stories in the last couple of weeks discussing the matter. Sadly, because most of American media ignores soccer, we aren’t seeing the same level of interest in our own country, but that may change as this story progresses.

The questions that remain (from my perspective anyway):

Does FIFA have the will to force USSF to comply?
Does USSF have the ability to disentangle themselves from MLS?
What does Cordiero do?
Can MLS be cracked open and how would that be done?
What would an open pyramid look like in the United States?
How would the lower leagues organize themselves and would they do it willingly?

There are no simple answers to any of those questions, but I, for one, am thrilled at what Chris and Daniel are doing (please visit Workman’s site). Not to mention the 150+ clubs who are risking their reputation and will have to deal with a potential backlash. Bravery doesn’t always mean success, but nothing great has ever been accomplished without it. I cannot and will not speak for every member of Protagonist staff, but I, for one, am 100% behind the push for promotion and relegation. It is right, just, and should be demanded by all fans of the sport in this country. Godspeed, all of us.

“Unity is a powerful thing. We believe that combined with action we can achieve substantial progress.”

— Chris Kessell

- Dan Vaughn

Our (Soccer) Christmas Wishes

December 25, 2018 by Lola Vaughn

As we enjoy another Christmas Day, we thought we’d make our wish list for Santa, much as we did when we were in grade school, except today we focus only on our soccer wishes. What would we ask for if we could could have these gifts under the tree on today? Our staff sat down and made three wishes we’d ask Santa to grant this holiday season! Happy Holidays everyone!

Dominic Bisogno

1. My first wish is for soccer in America, lower league and otherwise, to continue to embrace its diverse roots. In a time when world football is facing the racism that exists within it, I hope that soccer in the US can reflect the utter melting pot that it and the country itself are. I wish that clubs don’t hide their immigrant roots or inspirations. I wish that clubs don’t avoid connecting with their neighborhoods and communities and settle for a cardboard cutout blueprint of what a club in the US is supposed to look or sound like.

2. My second wish is that every club out there continues to grow in exposure. More supporters, more likes, more tickets, more views, whatever that may mean, I want every club out there to grow this Holiday season and in the upcoming year. This is hugely important for a club’s survival and having that foot print is key to a club being remembered.

3. For my third wish, I wish for the continued growth in local soccer and local soccer journalism in this country. While things are not always great or perfect, the environment seems to be ever crawling toward improvement and the amazing reception our site has received makes me feel this is truer than I’d ever realized prior. We’re making history every day, I hope you all allow us to keep doing that in 2019.

Dan Vaughn

1. Of course my first wish is Pro/Rel for this American pyramid. I want teams to have the chance to stand on the merit of their play. It makes for a better environment, it trims the fat, it grows the game through excitement and hope. No fan of lower league soccer would ever argue against Pro/Rel, but I think the positives vastly outweigh any negatives. I’m sure all my other writers skipped this one because it’s so obvious. It’s the proverbial wish for more wishes, but whatever - Pro/Rel Now, Santa.

2. For three more teams to join Northern Ohio Soccer League. We’ve interviewed the guy running NOSL, he’s a solid guy who just wants to see growth of regional soccer in Ohio. He’s got three clubs, he wants six to start the league with, I wish some people would step up and put together some clubs. It’s great for talent growth and would create another regional league we can all support.

3. Finally, for UPSL clubs to focus more on brand management. Look, we want to support all clubs in the lower tier, but it would be amazing if more clubs took time to better their crests. So many clubs seem to be in a hurry to roll out, but not willing to focus on growing social media, polish their website, update their timelines. It’s 2018 (soon to be 2019), managing the technology and polishing the brand aspects of your club are bare minimums to grow your following and increase your chances of survival!

Joaquin Colon-Nava

1. The Return of Women’s Soccer to Boston - Since the final collapse of the Breakers in January there has no women’s soccer team from the Boston area in any sort of national league. For that matter there’s no team in Boston of any kind that sells tickets. At this point it’s unlikely there will be a team in 2019 as well. My hope is that halfway through the year it’s announced that someone is bringing women’s soccer in Boston back to that higher level, hopefully not later than in 2020.

2. A Successful launch for the New Leagues - The more soccer the better and 2019 is big year for lower league soccer expansion. From the Wisconsin Primary Amateur Soccer League(WPASL) to the National Independent Soccer Association(NISA) there are quite a lot of new leagues looking to launch next year. Here’s to hoping they pull it off successfully and provide homes to countless teams in the future.

3. Greater collaboration among independent soccer - If there has been one constant since the beginning of US Soccer it has been instability and infighting. Likewise, the “independents” of men’s lower league soccer have often been the victims infighting. With competing leagues, clubs vs their own leagues and our own governing bodies, in a not insignificant way it’s affects practically everyone nowadays. The American soccer community can’t seem to get out of our way. Now I don’t think we’ll ever see all the infighting stop but players, clubs, leagues, fans all have enough problems on their own. Can we try communicating properly and not stabbing each other in the back?

Brian Burden

I am looking forward to 2019 being the year of the little guy and the city that surrounds that little guy. My first wish is that stories like the one I wrote on Cleveland SC become commonplace for NPSL and UPSL clubs, as well as other teams working hard every day away from the spotlight to better themselves and the cities they play for. We will be highlighting those cities as well; their youth systems, their supporters, the professionals they have helped prepare for the next level. Nobody was talking about Atlanta and soccer in the same sentence just a few years ago. My plan is to make sure you know about the cities you are cheering for before they hit the big time.

Much closer to home, I am rooting for a big 2019 for Christos FC. They recently won their four straight Maryland Major Soccer League Fall 1st Division Title (story to come soon) and they narrowly missed out in the qualifying stages on reaching their third straight US Open Cup. Everyone who falls soccer at these levels now knows of Christos FC’s run to the fourth round of the 2017 cup, and it is precisely those David vs. Goliath fantasies that make the little guy in all of us root that much harder. Christos FC has also come to an agreement with FC Baltimore, which is now FC Baltimore Christos, for the upcoming NPSL season. FC Baltimore Christos reached the playoffs in its inaugural season. Let’s hope this collaboration produces an even deeper run next season.

We profiled Rose Shoen and her incredible influence on Azteca FC and Sacramento-area soccer. Her story is inspiring. Let’s stop making it an exception. There are numerous hard-working, talented young female coaches in the game today. The more that have the opportunity to coach and influence on the NPSL level, the better. Diversity and open minds can only make the game continue to grow at an educated rate in this country.

I am certainly a homer here, but I wish that former University of Maryland product Zack Steffen has a successful move to Europe in 2019. No, I am not naïve. I know the signing with Manchester City does not mean he will slide in behind Ederson at the Etihad, or even earn a loan at another top side, but Steffen needs to set the bar high for this new, young generation of talented US netminders. He certainly has the chance to snag the men’s team position for the next decade, but the least he needs to do is make it so that whomever does earn the spot between the pipes is top quality.

Last, but certainly not least, no matter if you were a fan of the hire, I am hoping that 2019 is the year you get behind Gregg Berhalter as head coach of the US men’s national team. To say that the selection and interview process was flawed would be an understatement, but now is the time to back Berhalter’s boys as they prepare for 2022 qualification. Everyone is excited about the newest, youngest and brightest making highlights now, but patience is key. There are guys you are not even thinking of that will be critical for the national team by the time the qualification cycle ends. There has not been a national team coach that has made every right decision, and you are certainly going to quibble with several of Berhalter’s, but the malaise that surrounded the last qualifying cycle was as big a problem as the poor performances on the pitch. Stop assuming we are going to make the World Cup and do your part, whatever that may be.

Steven Ramirez

Dear Soccer Santa,

I've been such a good supporter this year. I volunteered with my local club and still bought my ticket each week. I went to watch high school soccer and spoke with players about honing their ability and trying to achieve the ultimate goal. I watched countless matches on Mycujoo and traveled all throughout Southern California to watch local soccer. I wrote about players, owners and clubs who all strive to put the best product out on the field and while I had criticisms about the state of soccer, I always put faith in the many people trying to make this soccer landscape live up to the potential it has. All I have is three wishes Soccer Santa, just three wishes that I feel would benefit not only my experience and love for this game, but every fan's relationship with the beautiful game.

1. I wish lower league clubs take an initiative to inform the public on who their players are.

Not many clubs take the initiative to keep an updated roster on their site or social media. Shout out to the clubs like Motorik FC Alexandria who take the time to announce all of their player’s information: name, age, nationality, number and most importantly position. Then there are the game day lineup announcements. I have watched countless matches and always have to refer to players by their number. This means I don’t know who to follow and if I love the way a player plays I have no name to help continue to following his or her career. If a players information is public, fans and writers can help develop hometown heroes and create stories that help promote their club.

2. I wish that mainstream media can shine a light on lower league soccer and stop ignoring the beautiful history our sport has.

U.S. Soccer is not 26 years old. It did not begin with MLS and it seems that the mainstream media outlets have ignored that fact. It should start with the promotion of the U.S. Open Cup and while the tournament is going through its own troubling changes, it’s still the biggest event that can shine a light on the amatuer clubs in the country. Most of that tournaments games aren’t even on national television, rather they sit on the U.S. Soccer website where they lack promotion and are viewed far less than they deserve. What would happen if these lower league clubs got the promotion they deserved?

For the longest time, I thought my closest choice to watch live soccer was either High School, Orange County SC or LA Galaxy. I had to search to find my local club, but many other soccer fans around our nation won’t do that same work. Without mainstream media taking a focus on lower league soccer more fans will continue to travel hours to watch their “closest” club, when some of the best soccer stories lie a few blocks away from them.

3. I wish for bigger sponsors at a lower level.

While soccer in this country is starting to gain more traction and develop a bigger fan base, more big name companies need to get involved with promoting the sport. Target has become a huge promoter of soccer and are helping to create more safe places to play and even help create more coaching schools around the country. What would happen if another big company got involved and provided scholarship opportunities for children to play within various expensive academies? Or a company provided grants to coaches who are looking to create free academies for boys and girls.

I would also like to see bigger sponsors of regional and national leagues. If there was an airline or travel company that sponsored NPSL pro, teams could fly their squad around at a lower cost. Big companies could also sponsor regional tournaments that offer a large prize pool that could help sustain a club for a few years. While amateur soccer isn’t played for the money, it takes a lot of money to keep clubs afloat and bigger sponsors means more competitive clubs.

Phil Baki

Let’s get one out of the way, my perennial wish is that US Soccer had a true pyramid and promotion and relegation but I’m going to focus on the more immediate (and perhaps more grantable in the near term) wishes about American Soccer.

1. My first wish is that the State Soccer Associations across the country would have had the courage to force a true election and debate by providing Chris Kessell (or any other candidate who comes from outside the US Soccer Federation itself) with the three letters of nomination required for a candidate to run. Our current system is so insular and exclusive in the way it is run that only a few people knew of Cindy Parlow Cone’s candidacy and in that secrecy the Athlete and Pro Councils basically consolidated all the votes necessary to win her the election before she was even nominated. The State Associations would not have the power to overturn her election, but they could have driven the conversation surrounding important soccer issues into a broader public forum. Instead they chose the status quo, and another opportunity for discussion about true reform is passed by.

2. My second wish is that USSF had maintained US Open Cup Local Qualifying rules through this year's tournament at least. Teams won their 3rd Qualifying Round games and in the past that would mean a berth in the US Open Cup First Round. Now, we know there will be at least a Fourth Qualifying Round to pare down the amount of local qualifiers even further. These teams entered the process in August, with three qualifying games being the target. Now that more professional teams are slated to exist in 2019, the number of local qualifying slots is being adjusted. Here’s my simple solution, once Open Qualifying begins, that should be the cut off for adding new pro teams to the tournament. After your first full season as a professional team, then you get your entry to the USOC. Instead, pro teams are given far more time to prepare for the USOC while local qualifiers are jumping through hoops before the Final of the previous year’s Cup is even played. The USOC 2019 Handbook does outline that a Fourth and Fifth Qualifying Round might be necessary, but teams won their 3rd qualifier with no understanding of what that meant. The Open Cup should encourage amateur participation, and I wish USSF would stop doing everything they could to discourage it.

3. My final wish is that USSF, USASA and the stakeholders of amateur level soccer in the US would get in a room and hash out a legitimate structure to the game Division 4 and below. The lack of true structure in US Soccer is problematic for a number of reasons, but the most obvious effect that it has is that it is exceptionally hard to define what success for a given club, player, or manager is. The thing about the amateur levels though is that, right now, we have the infrastructure in place to structure the game and help these clubs define success for themselves. While they wander the wilderness that is D4 and below right now, lots of smart people are figuring out solutions to this problem. With a bit of structure from the governing bodies that are supposed to provide it, the game could be a lot more secure at these levels.