In the MLS threads over the years, we've talked about making a separate thread for the lower leagues in the US. Let's kick that off with a primer for those who are understandably unfamiliar with the chaotic and unstable world of lower league professional leagues and high-level amateur leagues.
Professional Leagues
North American Soccer League (D?)
They might not be around for much longer.
The NASL broke away from the USL at the end of 2009 and after a USSF-brokered joint D2 season in 2010, operated as the sole D2 league in the US from 2011-2016. In 2017, they shared D2 status with the USL. Currently, the USSF has denied the NASL D2 sanctioning for 2018 and a lawsuit between the two entities is ongoing.
The NASL was in a commanding position in 2011, but the USL played its cards right while the NASL has been disastrously managed. The league is now left with a small handful of clubs. Thus far San Francisco has folded, FC Edmonton has withdrawn, and North Carolina FC has bolted for the USL.
Seven clubs remain for 2018, two of them unproven expansion clubs in San Diego and Orange County. Another of the seven, Puerto Rico FC, is in dire financial straits.
If the league goes bust, as seems quite possible, I hope the viable clubs can find a soft landing in USL. However, I personally have a hard time feeling bad for a league that has been so disastrously managed over the last four years.
United Soccer League (D2)
The USL is part of a long-running empire that has always included professional minor leagues, but also an amateur summer league (PDL), a now-defunct women's semi-pro league (W-League) and a youth league (Super Y). On the men's professional side, its lineage is very complex, but ultimately dates back to a regional indoor soccer league in the mid-1980s.
From the late 90s to the late 00s, the USL was the sole minor league operator in the US. They ran two leagues - USL1 (D2) and USL2 (D3). When the NASL broke off in late 2009 and took most of the biggest clubs with them, they retrenched to D3 in a league called USL Pro. In 2011, the league was almost exclusively based on the eastern seaboard. An early success was Orlando City, who became the first "big" USL club of modern times.
In 2014, the next "big" USL club joined in the form of Sacramento Republic. Also joining were solid if less spectacular OKC Energy and the first MLS2 club, LA Galaxy II. This was a watershed moment not just because the USL began to establish a firmer footprint west of the Mississippi, but because the proliferation of MLS2 clubs following in Los Dos' footsteps would play a huge role in reducing operation costs.
A pivotal moment in the fortunes of the NASL and USL was this MLS partnership. MLS went to the NASL first, but were turned down by the new Bill Peterson & New York Cosmos regime, who had forced out original commissioner David Downs. MLS then went to the USL, and the rest is history.
2015 saw the addition of four more western MLS2 teams in VAN, SEA, POR, and RSL and others in the east. Additional independent clubs joined in Tulsa, St Louis, Austin, and Colorado Springs. Orlando departed for MLS, but their USL franchise was sold and moved to Louisville, which has been pretty successful. Only Austin was a failure. Crucially, all this expansion allowed the league to regionalize the schedules and effectively split into two geographic regions. Converting plane trips to bus trips is a big money-saver at a level where travel costs outpace salaries.
The USL lost Austin in 2016, but gained two new Texas teams in San Antonio and McAllen area. Three more MLS2 teams joined (Bethlehem, ORL, KC) as well as the "biggest" USL club to date - FC Cincinnati.
The USL's growing strength allowed them to get provisional D2 sanctioning for 2017. It looks likely that USL will remain at the D2 level for the foreseeable future. Although they will almost certainly lose at least one of their bigger clubs to MLS (Sacramento and/or Cincinnati), the league feels healthier and more stable than it has ever been. That's relative of course - Rochester Rhinos who were the "big" minor league club of the 1990s announced that they are going on hiatus for 2018 today.
2017 was a quiet year for expansion. Ottawa and Tampa Bay defected from the NASL. Reno came in as an expansion club and although they are the smallest market in the league, they drew fairly well.
Expansion continues apace. ATL2, Fresno, Las Vegas, and Nashville begin in 2018. North Carolina FC joins from the NASL, and it's possible Indy and/or Jacksonville could move before the winter is done.
In 2019, the league has announced Birmingham, Memphis, and Austin thus far, though Austin USL is in doubt due to the machinations of Columbus Crew owner Andrew Precourt.
While the USL had a LONG history of sketchy expansions involving fly-by-night owners, the league has a much better recent record of sound management. There are never guarantees, but in recent expansion decisions the USL has had far more hits than busts, so they've earned some level of trust for these 2018 and 2019 clubs.
Professional Leagues - D3
There were no D3 leagues in 2017 and there won't be any in 2018. There are, however, two proposals for 2019.
USL D3
Shortly after earning D2 sanctioning, the USL announced their intention to form a D3 league consisting of regional divisions in smaller markets. Think cities the size of Knoxville, Asheville, Toledo, Fort Wayne, etc. They've publicized various PR/barnstorming tours, but there haven't been many concrete announcements. If there's nothing substantial by the end of this winter, I'll have questions about their readiness to launch in 2019. One of the selling points of D3 has to be minimizing travel costs and I'm sure it's tough to get enough clubs in one region on line all at once.
National Independent Soccer Association (NISA)
This is the project of Peter Wilt, a former Chicago Fire exec who also helped bring the NASL to Indianapolis. He's viewed as a reasonable, non-crazy person, but like with USL D3 there hasn't been much concrete progress. They published a list of "applicant markets" in August, but it is unclear how serious these applications actually are.
In their rhetoric, NISA has loosely aligned itself with the NASL. One advantage USL D3 could have over NISA is that some of the financially weaker clubs in USL D2 might be able to drop down, thus seeding the league with an established presence. This is 100% speculation on my part, but the USL might also be able to convince a few MLS teams without USL teams to create one at the D3 level. It would be cheaper and perhaps a more appropriate level for clubs who wish to dedicate their USL teams towards really young rosters.
Amateur Leagues
Premier Development League (PDL) and National Premier Soccer League (NPSL)
These are summer leagues that are essentially the soccer version of the Cape Cod League. The bulk of the players are from the NCAA, though there are plenty of older amateurs as well. Seasons are quite short because it has to fit in the college summer break.
The PDL is part of the USL umbrella and has been around for a long time. The NPSL is relatively newer. Both have national footprints, though clubs play regionally until the playoffs. Based on US Open Cup results, the leagues seem roughly equivalent in quality.
Message board pyramidistas like to daydream about PDL and NPSL clubs stepping up to the pro ranks, but it rarely happens. A small minority of PDL and NPSL actually have a halfway decent following, but the large majority play in HS football stadiums in front of small crowds. Standout clubs in the NPSL include FC Chattanooga and Detroit City FC. On the PDL side, teams in Des Moines and Fresno have traditionally drawn in the low-to-mid thousands.
NCAA
This is more recognizable turf. It's the usual schools that you know. Well, most of them. SEC and Big 12 schools are largely absent from the college soccer landscape with the exceptions of West Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina.
The relevance of college soccer has diminished considerably. Many more top Americans bypass college soccer either for MLS or offers abroad than ten years before thanks to increased foreign scouting and the advent of MLS academies and the homegrown rule. The homegrown rule has also made it easier to fish former academy products out of NCAA waters after just 1-2 seasons as well.
On the last USMNT roster vs. Portugal, only Ream, Bedoya, and Sapong played four years of NCAA soccer. They were three of the four oldest players in the squad, too.
Williams, Villafaña, Hamid, Agudelo, Brooks, Gonzalez, Horvath, Miazga, Acosta, Gooch, CCV, McKennie, Adams, and Sargent all played zero years of NCAA soccer -- 2/3 of the squad.
To compensate for the loss of the best young American talent, NCAA programs have become increasingly international. As the popularity of NCAA soccer as a destination for top US youth has waned, it has increased for a certain type of European. I'm talking about the sort of player who is cut from a good academy's U19 team and might have some sort of D2/D3 offer, but they'd rather hedge their bets with a decent education. As a result, a growing percentage of interesting players in the MLS draft are the cream of the crop of ex-academy rejects.
Professional Leagues
North American Soccer League (D?)
They might not be around for much longer.
The NASL broke away from the USL at the end of 2009 and after a USSF-brokered joint D2 season in 2010, operated as the sole D2 league in the US from 2011-2016. In 2017, they shared D2 status with the USL. Currently, the USSF has denied the NASL D2 sanctioning for 2018 and a lawsuit between the two entities is ongoing.
The NASL was in a commanding position in 2011, but the USL played its cards right while the NASL has been disastrously managed. The league is now left with a small handful of clubs. Thus far San Francisco has folded, FC Edmonton has withdrawn, and North Carolina FC has bolted for the USL.
Seven clubs remain for 2018, two of them unproven expansion clubs in San Diego and Orange County. Another of the seven, Puerto Rico FC, is in dire financial straits.
If the league goes bust, as seems quite possible, I hope the viable clubs can find a soft landing in USL. However, I personally have a hard time feeling bad for a league that has been so disastrously managed over the last four years.
United Soccer League (D2)
The USL is part of a long-running empire that has always included professional minor leagues, but also an amateur summer league (PDL), a now-defunct women's semi-pro league (W-League) and a youth league (Super Y). On the men's professional side, its lineage is very complex, but ultimately dates back to a regional indoor soccer league in the mid-1980s.
From the late 90s to the late 00s, the USL was the sole minor league operator in the US. They ran two leagues - USL1 (D2) and USL2 (D3). When the NASL broke off in late 2009 and took most of the biggest clubs with them, they retrenched to D3 in a league called USL Pro. In 2011, the league was almost exclusively based on the eastern seaboard. An early success was Orlando City, who became the first "big" USL club of modern times.
In 2014, the next "big" USL club joined in the form of Sacramento Republic. Also joining were solid if less spectacular OKC Energy and the first MLS2 club, LA Galaxy II. This was a watershed moment not just because the USL began to establish a firmer footprint west of the Mississippi, but because the proliferation of MLS2 clubs following in Los Dos' footsteps would play a huge role in reducing operation costs.
A pivotal moment in the fortunes of the NASL and USL was this MLS partnership. MLS went to the NASL first, but were turned down by the new Bill Peterson & New York Cosmos regime, who had forced out original commissioner David Downs. MLS then went to the USL, and the rest is history.
2015 saw the addition of four more western MLS2 teams in VAN, SEA, POR, and RSL and others in the east. Additional independent clubs joined in Tulsa, St Louis, Austin, and Colorado Springs. Orlando departed for MLS, but their USL franchise was sold and moved to Louisville, which has been pretty successful. Only Austin was a failure. Crucially, all this expansion allowed the league to regionalize the schedules and effectively split into two geographic regions. Converting plane trips to bus trips is a big money-saver at a level where travel costs outpace salaries.
The USL lost Austin in 2016, but gained two new Texas teams in San Antonio and McAllen area. Three more MLS2 teams joined (Bethlehem, ORL, KC) as well as the "biggest" USL club to date - FC Cincinnati.
The USL's growing strength allowed them to get provisional D2 sanctioning for 2017. It looks likely that USL will remain at the D2 level for the foreseeable future. Although they will almost certainly lose at least one of their bigger clubs to MLS (Sacramento and/or Cincinnati), the league feels healthier and more stable than it has ever been. That's relative of course - Rochester Rhinos who were the "big" minor league club of the 1990s announced that they are going on hiatus for 2018 today.
2017 was a quiet year for expansion. Ottawa and Tampa Bay defected from the NASL. Reno came in as an expansion club and although they are the smallest market in the league, they drew fairly well.
Expansion continues apace. ATL2, Fresno, Las Vegas, and Nashville begin in 2018. North Carolina FC joins from the NASL, and it's possible Indy and/or Jacksonville could move before the winter is done.
In 2019, the league has announced Birmingham, Memphis, and Austin thus far, though Austin USL is in doubt due to the machinations of Columbus Crew owner Andrew Precourt.
While the USL had a LONG history of sketchy expansions involving fly-by-night owners, the league has a much better recent record of sound management. There are never guarantees, but in recent expansion decisions the USL has had far more hits than busts, so they've earned some level of trust for these 2018 and 2019 clubs.
Professional Leagues - D3
There were no D3 leagues in 2017 and there won't be any in 2018. There are, however, two proposals for 2019.
USL D3
Shortly after earning D2 sanctioning, the USL announced their intention to form a D3 league consisting of regional divisions in smaller markets. Think cities the size of Knoxville, Asheville, Toledo, Fort Wayne, etc. They've publicized various PR/barnstorming tours, but there haven't been many concrete announcements. If there's nothing substantial by the end of this winter, I'll have questions about their readiness to launch in 2019. One of the selling points of D3 has to be minimizing travel costs and I'm sure it's tough to get enough clubs in one region on line all at once.
National Independent Soccer Association (NISA)
This is the project of Peter Wilt, a former Chicago Fire exec who also helped bring the NASL to Indianapolis. He's viewed as a reasonable, non-crazy person, but like with USL D3 there hasn't been much concrete progress. They published a list of "applicant markets" in August, but it is unclear how serious these applications actually are.
In their rhetoric, NISA has loosely aligned itself with the NASL. One advantage USL D3 could have over NISA is that some of the financially weaker clubs in USL D2 might be able to drop down, thus seeding the league with an established presence. This is 100% speculation on my part, but the USL might also be able to convince a few MLS teams without USL teams to create one at the D3 level. It would be cheaper and perhaps a more appropriate level for clubs who wish to dedicate their USL teams towards really young rosters.
Amateur Leagues
Premier Development League (PDL) and National Premier Soccer League (NPSL)
These are summer leagues that are essentially the soccer version of the Cape Cod League. The bulk of the players are from the NCAA, though there are plenty of older amateurs as well. Seasons are quite short because it has to fit in the college summer break.
The PDL is part of the USL umbrella and has been around for a long time. The NPSL is relatively newer. Both have national footprints, though clubs play regionally until the playoffs. Based on US Open Cup results, the leagues seem roughly equivalent in quality.
Message board pyramidistas like to daydream about PDL and NPSL clubs stepping up to the pro ranks, but it rarely happens. A small minority of PDL and NPSL actually have a halfway decent following, but the large majority play in HS football stadiums in front of small crowds. Standout clubs in the NPSL include FC Chattanooga and Detroit City FC. On the PDL side, teams in Des Moines and Fresno have traditionally drawn in the low-to-mid thousands.
NCAA
This is more recognizable turf. It's the usual schools that you know. Well, most of them. SEC and Big 12 schools are largely absent from the college soccer landscape with the exceptions of West Virginia, Kentucky, and South Carolina.
The relevance of college soccer has diminished considerably. Many more top Americans bypass college soccer either for MLS or offers abroad than ten years before thanks to increased foreign scouting and the advent of MLS academies and the homegrown rule. The homegrown rule has also made it easier to fish former academy products out of NCAA waters after just 1-2 seasons as well.
On the last USMNT roster vs. Portugal, only Ream, Bedoya, and Sapong played four years of NCAA soccer. They were three of the four oldest players in the squad, too.
Williams, Villafaña, Hamid, Agudelo, Brooks, Gonzalez, Horvath, Miazga, Acosta, Gooch, CCV, McKennie, Adams, and Sargent all played zero years of NCAA soccer -- 2/3 of the squad.
To compensate for the loss of the best young American talent, NCAA programs have become increasingly international. As the popularity of NCAA soccer as a destination for top US youth has waned, it has increased for a certain type of European. I'm talking about the sort of player who is cut from a good academy's U19 team and might have some sort of D2/D3 offer, but they'd rather hedge their bets with a decent education. As a result, a growing percentage of interesting players in the MLS draft are the cream of the crop of ex-academy rejects.