After reading Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I realized that I have left some areas untouched.
1. Team uniforms- Currently MLS has an exclusive contract with Adidas to supply the uniforms for every team. That contract expires after the 2014 season. Around that time is the earliest that my proposal could realistically take effect, so it should be a non-issue. When it does expire, whether a promotion & relegation system is adopted or not, teams should be allowed to partner with their own uniform suppliers. Imagine how weird it will be when Portland takes the field in an Adidas kit with Nike literally in their backyard...
2. Jersey sponsors- This is an area that MLS got right. MLS clubs are currently allowed to sell the space on the front of their jerseys to advertisers (excluding tobacco, hard liquor, and online gambling companies) for a minimum of $500,000 per year. The league receives $200,000 from the deal. I am not sure if this is a flat $200,000 or an annual payment. For clarification, the new league would collect $200,000 annually from sponsor deals. The rest would be money that does not count towards the teams' profits.
3. Schedule- Unlike Italy, Spain, and France, much of the US gets frigging cold in the winter. Competing in Chicago during January is about impossible; forget about getting fans to attend. Add in the NFL, NCAA (football, basketball, soccer, & hockey), NBA, and NHL seasons as more hurdles. How could MLS compete? In addition, PDL and NPSL teams would die as their bread and butter NCAA athletes would be unable to compete due to school (on & off the field) obligations. Adopting the "traditional calendar" would kill US development. Instead the league will stick to its current March-November schedule where the only competition for fans is baseball (yes I realize that the above listed seasons start before the current season ends).
Yesterday's section of the outline took a bit more space than I planned so I split it up. Today will be the rest of the outline and will conclude the series on fixing professional soccer in the US.
III. National Tournaments
A. League Play
1. MLS, USL-1
a. Every team will play a 30 game schedule
b. Every team in the league will be played at least once
c. Regional opponents will be played twice
d. Final standings will determine the champion, promotion, and relegation
2. USL-2
a. Every team will play a 20 game schedule
b. Attempt will be made to play against every regional league team
c. Schedule will be completed through competition from teams in nearby regions as needed
d. Winners of each regional league will compete in a playoff tournament
1.) To determine USL-2 Champion
2.) To determine teams eligible for promotion
3.) To determine US Open Cup qualifiers for following year
3. USL-3, PDL
a. Every team will play a 16 game schedule
b. Attempt will be made to play against every regional league team
c. Schedule will be completed through competition from teams in nearby regions as needed
d. Winners of each regional league will compete in a playoff tournament
1.) To determine USL-3, PDL Champion
2.) To determine teams eligible for promotion
3. ) To determine US Open qualifiers for following year
B. Cups and Trophy
1. Lamar Hunt US Open Cup
a. Six teams per league
b. Teams in the United States only
c. MLS
1.) Top four finishers from previous year qualify automatically
2.) Remaining US-based teams qualify for final spots in predetermined early season games
d. USL-1
1.) Top four non-promoted teams qualify automatically
2.) Remaining US-based teams qualify for final spots in predetermined early season games
e. USL-2, USL-3, PDL
1.) Non-promoted conference winners qualify automatically
2.) Remaining US-based teams qualify for final spots in predetermined early season games
f. NPSL, USASA
1.) Independent leagues
2.) Independent qualification standards
2. League Cup
a. Open to all teams in MLS, USL-1, & USL-2 regardless of country
b. Teams are randomly drawn for matches
c. Tournament begins prior to MLS season
d. Tournament ends after the MLS season
e. Championship game at a predetermined site
3. MLS Cup
a. Single game to open MLS season (first official game)
b. MLS Champion vs League Cup Winner
c. Counts as regular season game for both teams, regardless of league
4. League Trophy
a. Open to all teams in USL-3 & PDL regardless of country
b. Teams are randomly drawn for matches
c. Tournament begins prior to USL-3 season
d. Tournament ends after USL-3 regular season, prior to playoffs
IV. International Tournaments
A. CONCACAF Champions League Qualifiers
1. MLS champion
2. US Open Cup winner
3. US Open Cup runner-up
4. League Cup winner
5. Canadian Championship winner
6. Play-off between remaining teams:
a. MLS second place
b. MLS third place
c. Canadian Championship runner-up
d. Top professional team from
1.) Puerto Rico
2.) Bermuda
3.) Other nations competing in the US league
B. SuperLiga Qualifiers
1. MLS teams only
2. Top four teams not qualified for CONCACAF Champions League
V. Promotion Standards
A. MLS
1. Stadium
a. At least 15,000 permanent seating capacity
b. Meets FIFA specifications
c. College or professional stadium; soccer specific stadium preferred
d. Access for all league games
e. Ability to sell food and beverage, including beer and malt liquor
2. Ability to meet league salary floor
3. Ability to function with potential losses in revenue
B. USL-1
1. Stadium
a. At least 10,000 permanent seating capacity
b. Meets FIFA specifications
c. College or professional stadium; soccer specific stadium preferred
d. Access for all league games
e. Ability to sell food and beverage, including beer and malt liquor
2. Ability to meet league salary floor
3. Ability to function with potential losses in revenue
C. USL-2
1. Stadium
a. At least 5,000 permanent seating capacity
b. Meets FIFA specifications
c. High school, college or professional stadium; soccer specific stadium preferred
d. Access for all league games
e. Ability to sell food and beverage
2. Ability to meet league salary floor
3. Ability to function with potential losses in revenue
As I said before, I do not necessarily think that any one of my suggestions is the best option. I am merely throwing them out there as an idea of how things could look. Mostly I was curious about how a promotion & relegation system could work in the US. I have also thought that the various cups need more emphasis and that the MLS playoffs make the rest of the season meaningless. Above all I would really like to see American soccer find a way to expand and thrive in our crowded sports market.
Fixing the Gold Cup
