Banging Your Head Against The Wall For 115 Years Hurts

A close examination of American soccer history shows that club supporters in 1894 faced the same basic predicament we face today – the inability of the American closed league pro sports model to realize the unlimited potential of the beautiful game.

For the first one hundred years, despite remarkable team successes, notable international accomplishments, record-breaking individual performances, storied clubs, remarkable popular sentiment, unprecedented youth participation, and fantastic global growth, every credible attempt at a top-flight American professional club soccer league ultimately failed.

1994 marked the beginning of the second century of professional US club soccer, but the adherence to the closed league model remained strong.  While we hosted the most successful World Cup Final in history, the open league model featuring autonomous clubs and promotion/relegation had delivered professional club soccer to unassailable global dominance, and US club soccer continued to cling to the closed, tried and failed model in the form of the highly anticipated new top league, Major League Soccer.

Today, the USMNT progresses deeper into international competitions than ever before.  European club friendlies draw enormous crowds in American cities.  Three channels of predominantly soccer programming play to American cable and satellite TV audiences.  Youth participation in soccer is enjoying a third consecutive decade of national dominance. Despite all of the burgeoning promise of the game, and the remarkable success of a reincarnated NASL franchise in Seattle, the MLS lags far behind these indicators. Our top domestic league has experienced a precipitous drop in average attendance this year. TV ratings for MLS matches lag far behind their NASL predecessors and even some European international matches.

Here in the twenty-first century, American club soccer enjoys the highest potential in its storied history.   Unfortunately, it continues to suffer the same inability of our nineteenth century closed pro-sport franchise model to realize it.

So take a trip through the web of intrigue, infighting, limitations, and failures of a century of failed closed leagues.  Where the new boss is, indeed, just like the old boss.  Through ups, downs, takeovers, bankruptcies, mergers, acquisitions.  Through the thrilling accomplishments and dubious underachievements the beautiful game under our closed franchise model.

1884

A group of ex-British enthusiasts meet in Newark, NJ to form the American Football Association.  It already the fourth attempt to form a national governing body for soccer.

 

1892

The governing body of English football adopts an open league model featuring promotion/relegation between two top leagues of independent, professional, autonomous clubs.  They decide the existing FA Cup, a competition open to every pro, amateur or league club in the country, will continue unchanged.   This basic system would stay largely stable and intact until the present day, and would be embraced by the vast majority of nations over the next century.

 

1893

AFA preference for semi-pro clubs drives amateur New York clubs to break away and form the American Amateur Football Association.

 

1894

The first attempt is made to establish a fully professional American soccer league, and the first attempt by another major American sport to co-opt professional soccer into the budding American franchise model.  The six-team American League of Professional Football (ALPF) is not promoted by any of the existing soccer associations, but is formed by a group of professional baseball owners from the National League.

 

ALPF collapses among heavy financial losses during its first season.

 

1895

The National Association Football League (NAFL) is formed on a closed league model, but is created by lifting top teams in the New York City and New Jersey regional leagues.  Founding members include Kearney Scots, who endure into the twenty first century.

1898

NAFL is suspended due to waning fan interest.

 

1904

FIFA forms. 

 

US soccer supporters are unable to coalesce behind a national soccer organizing body, and cannot secure membership.

 

1906

St. Louis Soccer League goes professional, but does not adopt promotion/relegation open league model that has already produced a thriving, stable pro league in England.

NAFL is revived, again under a closed league model.

 

1913

After nine years of infighting between AFA and AAFA, FIFA finally accepts AAFA assembled bid for US membership - the United States Football Association.  Despite this victory for supporters of the professional game, a divisive rift between professional and amateur club supporters will persist for fifty more years.

 

1914

The Southern New England Football League forms under a closed league model.

1921

In a move designed in part to purge poor, low performing clubs stagnating in their respective closed leagues, NAFL merges with SNEFL to form the nucleus of the American Soccer League.  This marks the beginning of the first golden age of US club soccer.

 

1922

Sam Marks builds first large capacity soccer specific stadium in the United States in East Providence, RI.   It becomes home of the Fall River Marksmen.

 

1923 (approx)

ASL becomes the second most popular pro sport league in the United States behind baseball’s National League.

 

1924

Fall River Marksmen celebrate their first ASL championship.  ASL refuses to allow its clubs to enter the National Open Challenge Cup (later to become the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)

 

1925

American Archie Stark sets current world record for most goals scored in a single season for a first division club – 67 in 42 games for Bethlehem Steel, FC.

 

Attendance at ASL matches regularly passes 10,000.

 

1926

Vienna Hakoah, an all-Jewish side, tours the US.  Hakoah's first three matches against ASL opponents draw 25,000, 30,000 and 36,000 spectators respectively.  The tour culminates in the famous May 1 1926 match against the ASL New York Giants at the Polo Grounds.  The match draws 46,000 spectators, an attendance record for an American soccer match that will stand until 1977.

ASL establishes first international club league with three ASL and five top Canadian clubs.

 

1927

The problem of cash strapped low performing clubs lingering in a closed league strikes again.  Recently purchased Philadelphia FC struggles mightily out of the box and id dropped from the season via a league office decision.  In order to balance the schedule the league abruptly drops Hartford, another struggling team.

 

1928

American "Soccer War" begins, and the ASL flounders.   ASL announces that it wants the Open Cup competition moved to the end of the league season or its teams exempted until the season was over.   The USFA refuses, and the ASL orders teams not to participate.  Bethlehem Steel FC, Newark Skeeters and New York Giants defy league and participate anyway.  ASL President Bill Cunningham institutes fines and suspensions on these clubs, who appeal to the USFA.  ASL refuses an order from the USFA to reverse these actions and is suspended by the USFA.
 

ASL continues to operate as an outlaw league, and the USFA assembles the three renegade ASL teams with other clubs from the Southern New York State Association, leading to dispute between the SNYSA and the USFA.  SNYSA teams up with the ASL against the regional Eastern Soccer League and USFA.

 

The New Bedford Whalers jump to the ESL mid season.

 

1929

Disappointed in the quality of ESL play, New Bedford jumps back to the ASL.

 
The ASL and USFA reach an exhausted compromise.  ASL abandons partially competed fall 1929 season, and in another move to purge the league of poor, underperforming clubs, merges strongest teams with better ESL teams to form the Atlantic Coast League.

 

1927

La Liga forms as the first division of Spanish club soccer and unites top clubs under an open league model featuring promotion and relegation. 

 

1929

Serie A forms as the first division of Italian club soccer and unites top clubs under an open league model featuring promotion and relegation.

 

1930

US MNT reach semi finals in the first World Cup.

Storied NAFL and ASL club Bethlehem Steel FC folds.

 

1931

Storied SNESL and ASL club Fall River Marksmen folds.

 

1933

ASL is reorganized out of existence, ending the first golden age of U.S. club soccer.

 

The second American Soccer League (ASL II) formed with entirely new line up of clubs as a closed league - but elevates strongest amateur and semi pro teams from local leagues, including storied NAFBL clubs Kearny Scots and Kearny Irish.  Initially, league is confined to NY/NJ/Philadelphia region.   It will become longest surviving extra-regional league in US history.

 

1934

USMNT exits World Cup in first round, losing to Italy 7-1.

 

1937

Kearny Scots win first of five consecutive ASL II league titles.

 

ASL II sponsors first Charlton Athletic US tour.

 

1943

First national professional league formed in Mexico.

 

1945

United States Football Association changes name to United States Soccer Football Association.

 

1946

North American Soccer Football League (NASFL) formed on the closed franchise league model.

 

ASL II sponsors first Liverpool FC US tour.

 

1947

NASFL folds.

 

1950

ASL II sponsors first Manchester United US tour.


USMNT stun England 1-0 in first round of World Cup, despite a roster composed largely of amateurs.

 

1960

The second International Soccer League (ISL II) a closed league formed with off season international clubs including Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon, and Red Star Belgrade, and a U.S. club of stars from ASL II.

 

1963

West German soccer unites from regional, semi-professional closed leagues into the modern Bundesliga and adopts an open league model featuring promotion and relegation.

 

1966

ISL II folds.

 

ASL II expands nationally with franchises in the Midwest and Northeast.

 

Inspired by high American television audiences for the World Cup, two rival investment groups led by owners of other professional sports franchises form the United Soccer Association (USA) and the National Professional Soccer Association (NPSL).  Both are closed franchise leagues.  They are the second and third attempts made by owners of other major American pro sports to co-opt US club soccer.  The United Soccer Association is led by NFL owners Lamar Hunt and Jack Kent Cooke and wins FIFA sanction.  NPSL owners include NFL greats Dan Reeves and Bill Bidwell.

 

Per the ISL II model, the USA imports entire international clubs for their inaugural season in order to get a leg up on NPSL rivals.

 

1967

USA and NPSL compete for the same market and nearly go bankrupt.

 

1968

USA and NPSL both purge low performing clubs in each league and merge to form the North American Soccer League.  It retains the closed league franchise model.

 

1970

NASL drops to five clubs.

 

1971

New York Cosmos admitted into NASL

 
1974

 
Seattle Sounders admitted into NASL.

 
San Jose Earthquakes admitted into NASL.

NASL’s New York Cosmos sign Pele.

Portland Timbers admitted into the NASL.

 
The second golden age of U.S. club soccer begins - NASL reaches twenty clubs.

 


1976

 
Giorgio Chinaglia joins Cosmos.

 

1977

Playoff game between the Cosmos and the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers draws 77,691 fans to Giants Stadium, breaking the record set by Vienna Hakoa and the ASL’s New York Giants forty-nine years earlier.

 
Cosmos defeat Sounders in 1977 Soccer Bowl

 

1980

ABC averages 2.7 rating for NASL telecasts – about 2 million households – more than double the ratings of any single MLS Cup telecast.

 
George Best, Guus Hiddink, and the 1980 San Jose Earthquakes.

 

1983

ASL II, the longest surviving closed franchise professional soccer league in the world, folds.

United Soccer League (not to be confused with the United Soccer Leagues) formed on the closed franchise model.
 

Seattle Sounders drop out of NASL.

 

1984

(approx)  Soccer becomes the most popular youth sport in the United States.

 

Los Angeles Coliseum draws large crowds for Olympic soccer matches.

 

Western Alliance Challenge Series (Later the western Soccer Alliance) another closed franchise league, begins with teams in San Jose, Victoria, Seattle and Portland, playing an abbreviated 7-game season.

 

1985

Chicago Sting win Soccer Bowl.

 

NASL, seventh in a line of extra regional American top division soccer leagues employing the closed franchise model, folds.

 

The most storied US club since the Fall River Marksmen and Bethlehem Steel FC, New York Cosmos is reorganized into a local soccer academy.

 

Portland Timbers reincarnated into WSA.

 

USL folds.

 

1986

Only four professional outdoor soccer clubs remain in North America – the lowest number since 1905.

 

USMNT fail to qualify for World Cup final.

 

1987

Lone Star Soccer Alliance debuts in Texas and surrounding states as a closed franchise league.

 

The third American Soccer League (ASL III) debuts as a closed franchise league in the eastern US.

 

1988

FIFA awards World Cup 1994 to the US on the condition that the USSF establish a first division professional league.

 

1989

Sunbelt Indoor Soccer League (SISL) a closed franchise indoor league based in Florida and run by Former NASL executive Francisco Marcos, debuts an eight-club outdoor season.

 

1990

FIFA endorsed candidate Alan Rothenberg defeats long time incumbent USSF President Werner Fricker.

ASL III merges with the WSA to form the American Professional Soccer League  (APSL) under the closed franchise model.   FIFA sanctions APSL as the US second division league.  Together, they employ future US MNT stars Marcelo Balboa, Tab Ramos, Kasey Keller and John Harkes.

 

1991

APSL nearly folds, but survives through another purge of non-performing, financially weak US clubs from a closed franchise league.

 

1992

SISL outdoor league grows to 21 clubs under a closed franchise model and is renamed the United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL).

 

An investment group headed by USSF President Alan Rothenberg, APSL, USISL, and the indoor MISL all vie for FIFA first division sanction.

 

1993

The closed franchise Canadian Soccer League folds.

 

J-League inaugural season marks the beginning of an open league model, featuring promotion and relegation, for Japanese club soccer. Japanese professional baseball maintains American closed franchise model.

 

Rothenberg led group prevails in battle for US first division club soccer and Major League Soccer (MLS) is born.

 

FIFA sanctions MLS despite continued adherence to a closed franchise model – the eighth such national attempt in US club soccer history.

 

USMNT play record 34 matches in preparation for 1994 World Cup Final – nearly a full club season in many countries.

 

1994

World Cup USA draws record 3.6 million spectators, at a record average of 67,000 per game, despite the fact that the country does not have a running first division soccer league.

 

USMNT advance to second round for the first time since 1930.

 

Seattle Sounders reincarnated into APSL.

 

1995

APSL changes name to A-League.

 

In a consolidation of power unprecedented in over one hundred years of professional US club soccer, the A-League and USISL work out an agreement to act as farm systems for the MLS.

 

For the first time, the United States has a recognized three-tiered league structure, sanctioned by FIFA – although clubs are still institutionally blocked from moving between divisions.

 

1996

Major League Soccer (MLS) arrives and places a high priority on relative team parity and discount pro-sport ticket pricing.  In response to the problems their predecessors encountered applying the American closed franchise model to national club soccer, MLS is armed with an unprecedented array of intrusive top-down policies and procedures.  On paper, MLS is organized under a single entity corporate structure but with teams managed by investor/owners as separate franchises.  In reality, the league office manages all player salaries, signings, allocations, approves all trades limits teams to five foreigners, institutes a salary cap of $1.25 million per team and a maximum player salary of $175,000.  Investor/owners of each team “invest” to the tune of $75 million - ostensibly to cover expected operating losses for the first five seasons of the league.  Ten corporate sponsors sign, and television contracts are signed with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and Univision.   NFL owner and long time soccer supporter Lamar Hunt is a major investor.

DC United wins inaugural MLS Cup.

 

MLS average attendance hits all time high of 17,695.

 

USISL establish Select League of top teams in an effort to gain second division status.

 

1997

Select League and A-League merge and receive second division status under A-League name.

 

MLS average attendance drops by over 1000 fans per game.

 

1998

DC United wins CONCACAF Champions Cup.

 

DC United become champions of the western hemisphere by defeating South American club champion Vasco De Gama in the InterAmerican Cup.

 

1999

USISL changes name to United Soccer Leagues. 

 

A-League is absorbed into USL-1 and recognized as American second division, USL-2 as third division.

 

2000

 

Former NFL International chief Don Garber named Commissioner of MLS.

 

MLS average attendance drops to all time low of 13,366.

 

LA Galaxy wins CONCACAF Champions Cup.

 

2001

MLS contracts to ten teams by purging low performing and financially struggling Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion from league.

 

Portland Timbers reincarnated into A-League/USL-1.

 

2002

In their best showing since 1930, USMNT advance to quarterfinals in the World Cup.

 

San Jose Earthquakes reincarnated into MLS.

 

2003

MLS sells Tim Howard to Manchester United for $4 million transfer fee.

 

2006

MLS sells Clint Dempsey to Fulham, FC for $4 million transfer fee

 

Once In A Lifetime – The Extraordinary story of the New York Cosmos debuts in theatres.

 

San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston and become the Dynamo.

 

2007

David Beckham signs with MLS.

 

MLS average attendance rises to 16,202.

 

2008

MLS sells Jozy Altidore to Spanish first division club Villareal for record transfer fee of $10 million.

 

San Jose Earthquakes re-reincarnated into MLS.

 

FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces that preference will be given to prospective World Cup host nations who adopt an open league model featuring promotion and relegation.

 

Australia’s soccer governing body announces plans to move from franchise model to open league model featuring promotion and relegation. 

 

Once completed, this move will leave the United States the last major soccer nation running a closed league franchise model for domestic club play.

 

Average MLS attendance drops 1.8%.

 

ESPN MLS regular season telecasts average 200,000 households, roughly one tenth of “failed” ABC regular season NASL telecasts in 1980.

 

2009

Seattle Sounders re-reincarnated into MLS for a reported franchise fee of $30 million, and average nearly 30,000 fans per game.

 

MLS sets Portland Timbers re-reincarnation for 2011.

 

As of early June, MLS average attendance drops 8.8%, despite Seattle’s remarkable success.

 

 
USL-1 club Puerto Rico Islanders advance further than all MLS teams in CONCACAF Champions League play.

 

US President Barak Obama announces bid for 2018 World Cup Final.

 

David Beckham, on loan from MLS to AC Milan, makes it known that he would like to stay with the Italian club instead of returning to the LA Galaxy – despite being promised an MLS franchise upon retirement.

MLS announces plans to reincarnate Portland Timbers into

 

MLS Commissioner Don Garber threatens to move storied DC United unless a new stadium deal is struck.

 

As of early June, MLS average attendance drops 8.8%, despite Seattle’s remarkable success.

 

MLS Commissioner Don Garber responds to question on promotion/relegation and open league play on the MLS.net:

“Unfortunately our country does not have the infrastructure to support promotion/relegation at this time.   We’ll continue to monitor this, but it will likely be at least ten years before promotion/relegation could ever be considered.”

 

Meanwhile, Americans lead the way in World Cup 2010 ticket sales.....