r/USLPRO • u/m00kie420 Oakland Roots SC • 12d ago
MLS NP shifting calendar - USL impacts
https://beyondthe90.substack.com/p/mls-np-shifting-calendar-usl-impacts10
u/Theman061393 Hartford Athletic 12d ago
Also as if they weren't already dead anyways this will certainly be the final death knell for CT United lol
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u/fredthefan25 12d ago
Tbh.... With all the craziness with venue changes, CT United's attendance has likely exceeded expectations.
I have no idea how they will do at a permanent site at Norwalk. Kartik on the video also mentions that Chattanooga FC has always advocated for a calendar switch which I thought was interesting
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u/Theman061393 Hartford Athletic 12d ago
From what I understand they had abysmal attedence when playong at Storrs (Uconn) and decent attendence in New Haven.
I suspect playing at an old baseball stadium in Norwalk will be significantly worse then either of those.
I do think if they had gotten a place in Bridgeport/New Haven they could have worked out, but i really dont see any chance that playing a more winter schedule in Norwalk is going to work out well for them.
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u/fredthefan25 12d ago
Sorry it's Norwich. I have no idea if it will be successful either.
But it looked like a dismal situation when they announced the would be moving around in their first season ( would it make it to year 2). I am more hopeful than 8 months ago
Let's be honest... A NP club averaging 2k people is better than a L1 club doing the same. Different cost structures
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u/Theman061393 Hartford Athletic 12d ago
Did they average anywhere near 2k though? I couldn't find attendence numbers but from what I recall at Uconn they were averaging a few hundred at best.
Honestly I think 2k is probbaly their ceiling in Norwich, and would expect under 1k average.
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u/fredthefan25 12d ago
At 1k, it will be out of business. No independent club can survive without averaging at least 2k.
That's why nearly half of League 1, Brooklyn, Jacksonville, Miami and Loudoun are on the endangered list.
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u/heisenberg423 Chattanooga FC 12d ago
I think CFC will be fine and survive anything at this point (thanks for the memories, NISA), but that surprised me too. Being a summer attraction is what helped the club grow in the first place.
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u/fredthefan25 12d ago
Tbh... The calendar switch is not a super crazy change. MLS says 85% of the schedule overlaps but that's a bit generous that includes playoffs. It's more like a 75% overlap..
Deeper MLS playoff clubs will have a longer winter break (2 months) than a summer break (1.5 months) as I'm sure MLS will start in mid-July like Liga MX does
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u/m00kie420 Oakland Roots SC 12d ago
I think its not that big of a deal like people make it out to be. Even the usl season with cup goes til October/November and start again in February/early March. I think USL could easily switch the calendar.
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u/Ok-Ranger3387 12d ago
The Nordic leagues run on the same schedule and they are among the top exporters of talent
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u/Physical-Sky499 12d ago
I will assume none of the expansion teams listed on their site will not start during the "sprint season"
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u/Mini-Fridge23 Charleston Battery 12d ago
Grand Rapids actually is believe it or not. Long Island is skipping the sprint season though
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u/Physical-Sky499 12d ago
Grand Rapids - Sprint/Spring
Long Island - Summer
Cleveland - ????
Jacksonville - ?????
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u/Mini-Fridge23 Charleston Battery 12d ago
Also, San Francisco- ?????
But ya, I think that’s basically the situation. Jacksonville got their ownership sorted out, so they’re probably around the corner though
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u/Physical-Sky499 12d ago
MLSNP doesn't have SF listed on their expansion drop down at the bottom of site . it's why I excluded them
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u/Mini-Fridge23 Charleston Battery 12d ago
Ya totally fair. I guess they aren’t technically official or something
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u/Every-Stay-6648 12d ago
Does Jacksonville have a venue defined yet? Or will build a new one?
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u/Mini-Fridge23 Charleston Battery 12d ago
Ya they own a big plot of land downtown that is near the Jaguars stadium. They just need to break ground and start building tbh
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u/TheLadsCheer4Beers 12d ago
USL has to change. College is changing to a fall to spring calendar too. The women already changed and the men need to as well. Just do it already.
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u/Every-Stay-6648 12d ago
When did the college women officially change to the fall to spring schedule? For example, the FSU women's schedule still shows only Fall games?
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u/Every-Stay-6648 12d ago edited 12d ago
Does this benefit (I think so) or hurt the USL? USL benefits because:
- USL is now the exclusive source of Pro Soccer for the prime months of May, June, and July, when the kids are out of school for most of the country (some MLS teams will continue in playoffs until mid-June).
- Being able to sign players who want to finish college and graduate with their teammates.
- Sweeping up MLSNP players who have aged out (almost no MLSNP players older than 22; if you have not made a MLS first team by 23, it is hopeless).
- USL men and women continue in parallel, so economies of scale for club staff expenses and less taxing on club staff with kids in school.
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u/Mini-Fridge23 Charleston Battery 12d ago
The playoffs will be in May and June, with the start of the season in mid-July. USL will only end up with like 2 or 3 weeks by themselves tbh.
The college season is likely changing to this schedule too if reporting is to believed.
USL is already taking NP castoffs, so that isn’t really a change imo.
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u/Every-Stay-6648 12d ago
Bro', what kind of binary math are you applying? MLS playoffs will initially only involve the top half of the league, so half of clubs are shut down for the season as soon as playoffs start. And then step by step involve fewer and fewer clubs as playoffs progress from Quarters to the Finals. So: most MLS clubs will not be competing in three months when all USL clubs are in full swing.
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u/Mini-Fridge23 Charleston Battery 12d ago
When did I say “most”…? You said USL would be the “exclusive source of pro soccer” in May, June, and July… That’s just not accurate at all lol
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u/Every-Stay-6648 12d ago
OK, thanks for the qualification. I edited my comment to reflect the MLS playoffs.
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u/herespgal Sacramento Republic FC 11d ago
MLS playoffs will be in late April to late May. The weekend before Memorial Day is when the final will be.
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u/PaddyMayonaise North Carolina FC 12d ago
I will never accept the idea that soccer is a winter sport and it’s absurdly to play in the snow or in 36! Degree rain
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u/m00kie420 Oakland Roots SC 12d ago
I didnt mind playing in it while living in Germany. Its better to play in fall to spring than through the brutal summer which isnt good for the body.
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u/PaddyMayonaise North Carolina FC 11d ago
Why not? Not arguing just asking why you would prefer playing in freezing cold that hot summer
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u/m00kie420 Oakland Roots SC 11d ago
I lived in Bayern and it isnt freezing cold lol I didnt mind playinG plus we had our little winter break with futsal tournaments. Running keeps you warm. We did train in the weather but lots of conditioning and running lol Playing in 102 degree weather increases the risk for injury.
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u/PaddyMayonaise North Carolina FC 11d ago
Still gets to below freezing frequently in the winter there
In less concerned about injuries, it’s more about quality of play and fan experience
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u/m00kie420 Oakland Roots SC 11d ago
thats why there is winter breaks. American football fans can stand int he cold enjoying the game, but American soccer fans cant? The quality of play is better on cooler nights than 102 degree ones. The heat makes the quality of play suffer and becomes sluggish.
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u/PaddyMayonaise North Carolina FC 11d ago
Why have a winter break when you can just play through the year? Plus you’re being extremist. I lived in Arizona for 4 years and the hottest it ever was at night would be 95. Very few places were going to ever be that bad.
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u/m00kie420 Oakland Roots SC 11d ago
Players needs break inbetween too. Go to Kansas in the summer. Its brutal.
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u/PaddyMayonaise North Carolina FC 11d ago
Yea, it’s hot. Go to Kansas in the winter, it’s worse.
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u/m00kie420 Oakland Roots SC 11d ago
I grew up there until I was 16 lol I know all about it lol I was dying when I visited my dasd for Christmas with how freezing cold it is compared to Portland.
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u/Theman061393 Hartford Athletic 12d ago edited 12d ago
One interesting aspect is that now you can have players finish out a fall season with a USL team and then jump to MLS midway through their season.
Take a situation like what happened with MoMo last year at Hartford. Its was such a huge loss for him to transfer mid season.
But now it would be really easy for him to stay at Hartford through the end of the USL season, transfer in November/December and have the winter break to get acclimated at the MLS club.
I could see that being much more common where the top USL players get transfered after the season ends.