The pandemic isn’t the only reason for the constant churn facing the USL – Courier Journal

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions

The United Soccer League is boom and bust. Expansion and contraction. Stunning growth tempered by frequent failures.

Since Louisville City FC joined Americas second-tier professional soccer league in 2015, expansion fees for the USLs championship level have soared from $1 million to $12 million with no sign of saturation.

A league comprised of 11 teams as recently as 2012 finished its 2020 season with 35 franchises, with new additions duein both 2021 and 2022.

By any tangible metric, this is a league that is heading in a pretty incredible direction, said USL vice president Ryan Madden. I think despite our relative youth, the future of our league has never been brighter.

Yet the USLs growth has coincided with collapse. Two of the leagues championship clubs Saint Louis FC and Reno 1868 went out of business within the last month. Two other teams Philadelphia Union II and Portland Timbers 2 have withdrawn from the USL, presumably to resurface in an anticipated Major League Soccer reserve league.

Though some of the USLs shrinkage is attributable to MLS awarding St. Louis a franchise in the top tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid, and some is surely due to financial pressures exacerbated by COVID-19, soccers boom-and-bust cycle is nothing new. Since 2015, at least 22 USL championship teams have either folded, rebranded, relocated, gone on hiatus, left the USL entirely or dropped to a lower level.

If there has been a constant, it has been churn.

Theres a long history of lower-division soccer and thats been a tumultuous history, said Connor Tobin, an active player in USL League One who also serves on the USL Players Association executive committee. It speaks to the unique challenge that we have in the United States to build out the structure.

More: Louisville City FC's Ben Lundt named 2020 USL Championship's Goalkeeper of the Year

On a macro level, Americas soccer explosion is undeniable and seemingly inexorable. In 1967, the number of people playing soccer in the U.S. was estimated at 100,000. By 2015, it was 24.4 million.

As its participation rate has rocketed, so has the size of soccers audience. The USL reported a 500% rise in viewership for its games on ESPN+ in 2020, and a 39% increase in its social media following. Over the past five years, MLS expansion fees have jumped from $70 million to $325 million.

But while successful launches such as Louisville City FC underscore the broadening appeal and financial potential of the sport, the rush to get in on the ground floor has resulted in numerous casualties.

Including Louisvilles Lynn Family Stadium, the USL has opened three soccer-specific venues since 2019, with two more expected next year. Meanwhile, Reno 1868s failure to make progress on the facilities front has been blamed for the demise of that franchise. Bethlehem Steel FCs move and rebranding as Philadelphia Union II was prompted, at least in part, by the inadequate lighting at its Lehigh University home.

Build it and they will come. Dont build it and they are likely to leave.

Earlier: Rowdies spoil party with 2-1 win over LouCity in USL Eastern Conference Final

I do think there are clubs like ours that will continue to get stronger, LouCity coach John Hackworth said. But without a facility, I dont think Louisville City survives if they dont get out of (Louisville) Slugger (Field) at some point.

To maintain its second-tier sanctioning within U.S. Soccer, the USL championship league is required to operate 75% of its franchises in markets with at least 750,000 people, with a principal owner whose net worth is at least $20 million and a stadium that seats at least 5,000 spectators.

But because 11 of the remaining USL championship-level clubs are either owned by or affiliated with MLS teams, they tend to pursue different priorities than independent investors such as those of Louisville City. Their focus is on developing young players rather than upgrading facilities and chasing championships with veteran teams. Accordingly, as their costs and franchise values rise, some of them may follow the leads of the MLS-owned Philadelphia Union II and Portland Timbers 2 and head for the exits.

To some degree, a little bit of contraction is a solution, said LouCity chairman John Neace. I dont think theyve expanded too fast, but were reaching the point where a lot more expansion would not make sense at least in the Championship league.

Also: Racing Louisville FC selects Tobin Heath and Christen Press in NWSL Expansion Draft

Here, there could be conflict. Though the USL reportedly provided more than $5 million to its franchises to help cover the costs incurred because of COVID-19, it does not distribute expansion fees directly to its franchises. Its growth strategy, as chief operating officer Justin Papadakis outlined in a recent interview with The Athletic, allows for the addition of another eight or so independent clubs before membership is capped.

I definitely think theres growth that can occur, Tobin said. One of the things we want is that whatever growth happens, its stable growth. ... Its gut-wrenching every time you see a local community lose their football club.

Boom and bust can be a vicious cycle.

Tim Sullivan: 502-582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @TimSullivan714.

See original here:
The pandemic isn't the only reason for the constant churn facing the USL - Courier Journal