<div id="attachment_7033" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="http:\/\/www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/st-louis-arch-address.jpg"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a>AC St. Louis Fills A Big Gap</div>
Professional Soccer has often been a spottingly available product across North America, and MLS, as a Premier Division, cannot fill the gaps by itself.&nbsp; This is where USL has often filled in, in the past, although USL has often been perceived as small market, for good reason in many cases. The reformed NASL aims to change that.
The North American Soccer League 2.0 (Special Edition, Director’s Cut, etc) has stepped up where USL had failed previously.&nbsp; While many of the teams in the NASL remain small market teams, there has been some significant progress made, specifically with regards to the new clubs entering the league (St. Louis, Atlanta, Tampa and a jumped up Baltimore).
Major League Soccer and USL had previously failed to succeed, or even enter, in certain major markets in the United States and Canada. In all of the cases of folded teams, we have numerous examples in the wasteland which is the southeastern United States, and of course, “Western Canada” (read as Alberta).&nbsp; In the case of non-starters, we have St. Louis, among others.&nbsp; But regardless of case, the reason for failure has largely been due to poor business plans.
It seems that NASL seeks to learn from the mistakes made by both the MLS and the USL.
Evidence can be found with the new club in Edmonton, known at this point as FC Edmonton (a name which I hope they keep, it has a nice, crisp feel to it).
Where the Drillers have failed before, FC Edmonton seeks to succeed. It seems the ownership and management understand the need for a successful team in what could be considered a barren wasteland for the beautiful game. They certainly have shown an understanding for the Prairie psyche, and are establishing a youth academy in order to reach out to talented youngsters across the three provinces. What is most promising is what seems to be the commitment to winning, and the acquisition of pedigreed coaching in Dutch-Canadian Manager Dwight Lodeweges.
Other smart moves taken by NASL can be found with AC St. Louis.
It has already been documented on this website that AC St. Louis has acquired Steve Ralston from the Revolution, in both a player and coaching role, but one cannot emphasize the importance of such an acquisition. The talented player will undoubtedly be important in what could be a rocky start for the expansion side. Even more important though, is his role as a coach as well as a player. It is little secret that once players get over the hump of 30 years of age, their abilities start to decline quite quickly.&nbsp; Ralston is well over that hump and will be making the transition from player to coach, and potentially manager one day.
Essentially, NASL (AC St. Louis in particular) is making an investment for the future in this acquisition, and sending a clear message that they’re serious about sticking around.
We can also talk about the Florida market and the attempt by NASL to lock it up with teams in Tampa and Miami. One should note that MLS has left this place a soccer wasteland.
Essentially, NASL has filled the gap of pro soccer in mid-major markets in North America. This will allow for more professional opportunities for youth across the continent and allow for longer term development. Why is it able to succeed where USL has failed? Simple branding. The North American Soccer League is a brand which remains one of the strongest in North American football and it will play an important part in filling a major gap in the availability of association football in North America.
In my next piece, I will discuss the importance of capping MLS at 20 teams and which markets should fill the final positions.

NASL Stepping Up to Fill Important Gap - World Soccer Talk

NASL Stepping Up to Fill Important Gap

Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto, Giorgio Chinaglia – The New York Cosmos. The mission: conquer America. Once In A Lifetime (2006) is the documentary film&nbsp;about the rise and fall of the North American Soccer League (NASL) told from the mouths and memories and seen through the eyes of players and staff from the&nbsp;New York Cosmos. The film takes an in depth look at the short history of the league, growth, peak and ultimate demise and dissolution of the league.
The Cosmos were the brainchild of Steve Ross, Godfather of American soccer,&nbsp;CEO, President and Chairman of Warner Communications. Warner was responsoble for&nbsp;American institutions&nbsp;the likes of Atari, DC Comics, Sports Illustrated, Atlantic Records and of course the Warner Bros. studio in Hollywood. Ross always had a passion for soccer though and set out in 1971 to bring soccer to the masses in the United States. He wouldn’t rest and he wouldn’t give up until he saw soccer succeed and he planned on spending whatever it took to make it happen.
In 1966, the World Cup Final between eventual winners England and West Germany was broadcast live in the United States by the BBC. The&nbsp;match remains to this day, the most viewed broadcast in the history of the BBC. But what that broadcast did in these United States was to further the introduction of the game to Americans on a massive scale. In the 1960’s, there was no passion for soccer in America&nbsp;because it simply didn’t exist. There were no youth leagues, professional leagues, no feeds coming from Europe to broadcast the English game or Spanish game. Nothing. Steve Ross changed that.

Ross set out to bring the best footballer on the planet to America in hopes he’d help attract other players to do the same and more importantly bring fans to stadiums. The exorbitant sum payed to Pele to leave Brazil and former club Santos seems, at least from the film’s perspective, a mystery. Regardless, it was in the millions and Pele came – and more players came – and fans came – and then more fans came. Ross was on his way to achieving his dream, but the league lacked that one vital ingredient&nbsp;in becoming a legitimate sports league in America, the lucrative television contract.
At the height of the league’s popularity in 1979, the NASL entered into contract talks and were eventually successful in&nbsp;negotioations with ABC. Without giving too much of the film away, what failed&nbsp;probably could have been&nbsp;avoided. The question that ultimately surfaces is, was America really ready for a professional soccer league on TV? And for those who remember back to the national NASL broadcast days, in your opinion, what was it about the broadcasts that didn’t work?
The meat of the film itself covers the arrival and playing days of Pele and the much maligned Chinaglia. Love him or hate him, he definitely comes across as the antagonist to Pele’s protagonist. But he did score goals and the Cosmos were a force when&nbsp;at their best. Once In A Lifetime is a quality film and an interesting documentary.&nbsp;It’s expertly edited and contains in-depth interviews&nbsp;interspersed with symphonic and almost balletic images of on the field play. If you’ve not seen it, the film comes highly recommended and is available on DVD. For Americans who are fans of the beautiful game, the film is an essentially history lesson of the sport in your country. See it!
It could be argued (probably futilely) that in the 1970’s, soccer reached the pinnacle of popularity in America. Regardless of your stance, one thing was certain, the New York Cosmos were the Real Madrid, the Manchester United and the Brazil ’70 to soccer fans in the States. Steve Ross had a dream and I believe he achieved at least a portion of that dream. The ultimate dissolution of the NASL&nbsp;directly paved the way&nbsp;for the boom of youth soccer across the country in the 1980’s. I was one of the millions of children in the 80’s&nbsp;who benefited from these youth leagues. Ross was instrumental&nbsp;in bringing the growth to this country and I salute him for that.

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