Second Division Pipe Dreaming

While everyone is distracted by that big international going-on in South Africa, I can't help but want to get all meta on the American soccer landscape.  It occurs to me that the World Cup Break basically symbolizes the halfway point of MLS season (dont call out the math), and we are all one step closer to Portland and Vancouver joining the league in 2011.  I still cant look at that, along with Montreal headed for 2012, and not think "Man, USL is in some deep deep trouble."  Holding everything equal, 2012 USL is basically this:

-Austin 

-Minnesota

-Puerto Rico

-Rochester

-Tampa Bay

-Orlando (?)

-St Louis (?)

-Carolina

-Crystal Palace Baltimore

-Miami

That's 10 teams, assuming Orlando still has everything in order to get playing next season and St. Louis doesn't fall any further down the rabbit hole.  I argue so far as letting the other USL-2 teams into the mix.

Current USL-2 teams:

-Charleston

-Charlotte

-Harrisburg City (PA)

-Pittsburgh

-Real (Really?) Maryland

-Richmond

The whole setup strikes me as basically an East Coast/Southeast league that, while not the biggest markets in the world, has some regionality to keep things going.  Yeah, I'm banging that regional drum once again, and the league has some outposts out in St. Louis, Austin, and Minnesota, but these are far cries from Portland as far as travel is concerned.  In fact, Austin and Minnesota are big (enough) markets so that shouldn't be too much of a factor, if, and this is a big if, the league can gain some traction.  

I'm not suggesting that America is 4 teams away from a real live 40 team, two-tier, pro-reg system, but a bit of stability in the second division would go a long way to improving the caliber of the American professional soccer player.  No, its not going to find the next member of the USMNT any time soon, but a functional second-league would be the beginnings of developing a true middle-class of soccer talent in this country.  The USL has always prided itself on player development, and in recent years I have seen a number of players sent to USL for seasoning or getting a crack at MLS.  However, the league has been such a forgettable mess in many aspects.  The stretched out conference map, some here today gone tomorrow type teams, and the whole USL-TOA business have been some serious hurdles to the long-term viability of any kind of US second-division.

Today, the opportunity is there for some real staying power in the lower leagues.  I view the losses of developed markets in Portland, Vancouver, and Montreal as the step backward needed to take two steps forward.  MLS has gained enough traction that the expansion guessing game has come into focus.  The days of the Rochester Rhinos angling for MLS membership are probably firmly in the past, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a place for this kind of club.  Consider that most of the remaining teams are relatively close to one another, add in a few more "flier" type markets over time, and the new second division could start making some headway in the Southeast, not unlike some of the best minor-league baseball leagues.  

That is where I think the second division, whatever it wants to call itself, should be headed.  Focus on the DC/Virginia/Carolina region, with major markets like Atlanta, Miami, and far flung Minneapolis, and build a league that gives college players (and ACC country should be swimming in them) the opportunity to keep playing professional soccer without having to flip burgers on the side.  It's not that simple, but it would be a start.  Many of these teams have weathered enough storms over the years and they are still here.  Setting a more stable course for them, a more realistic course that acts more to complement MLS than compete, and from that stability, work slowly but surely towards a true soccer pyramid.  It won't be pretty at times, but it can be done.