What a long strange trip it's been
We had a feeling this was going to happen. The legal showdown finally started Wednesday, when the USL filed suit against the three teams from the USL that are attempting to jump ship to the NASL.
The USL is suing the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Crystal Palace Baltimore and the Rochester Rhinos for breach of contract. What is this all about? Why are a bunch of second-division American soccer teams fighting over the footy market? What do most problems boil down to? In this case it’s Control, but that leads to our long time friend Money, the root to the half of all problems.
Earlier this week, the US Soccer Federation generated a generic press release that gives the typical blah-blah about ‘productive meetings’. I guess they could not come to some suitable terms, as it seems from this report, the USL has filed suit in Florida, against the Rowdies. There is even a court link that I hope will have PDF documents as the case moves along. The USL has issued this press release on the issue.
But the problem is control, and the money that comes from that control. The USL was owned by Nike, and recently sold to the holding company NuRock. The ownership block – called the Teams Owners Association (TOA) – is getting big britches now that Father Nike is no longer supporting and controlling the League. The TOA want a league where they have more control over their teams; and probably their brand (ie, their merchandising) and a better income stream. They have not been happy with the current structure.
It seems like the USSF is allowing the USL and NASL to break out the handbags and fight it out in court. The winner will be the one they give the second division title to. This will not make the new owners happy if they lose this, and there may be some pressure to have Nike assist in keeping teams in line, or in changing their rules slightly. There is an argument that the USL in its current form is not a FIFA-qualified league in terms of ownership and management.
What the TOA are missing from this exercise is for most purposes, minor league soccer was dormant in the US and in a perpetual coma. The fact that the USL managed to get soccer interested into a very niche market in the US should be congratulated. It doesn’t mean they need to be given carte blanche. But what is the life of a second division soccer club in the US? 5 years?
From the press release:
“USL further believes TOA is tortuously interfering with USL-1 team owners that are contractually obligated to participate in the 2010 season…. USL will vigorously defend its legal interests against the TOA’s tortuous interference in contractual relationships with its team owners.” (Emphasis added.)
Goodbye tortious interference, hello tortuous interference.
I wonder if they have any colorable claims for torturous interference.
USL employees continue to post false information and articles on the internet which claim USL stil has a following. How dumb do they think soccer fans are. The only fans still interested in USL are fans of three teams who are comenting all over the internet that they want their clubs to join the NASL.
Sorry USL, but writing yourself fan mail is not going to change the fact that the USL is DONE!