Group Of USL Team Owners Apply To Form New Soccer League

By Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Montreal Impact President Joey Saputo Elected Chair Of New League's BOG

A breakaway group of six owners of United Soccer League (USL) teams yesterday submitted an application to the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) for approval of a new, independent soccer league. The owners announced the formation of the league today. If approved by the USSF, the new league will begin play in April and feature the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, Vancouver Whitecaps and a team in St. Louis. Vancouver would still break away from the league in '11 to join MLS as planned, but it hopes to keep a team in the league in another market, said spokesperson Jeff Cooper, who will own the St. Louis team. A USSF spokesman said there is no timetable to review and approve the new league's application. It took the federation six months to approve the application for the Women's Professional Soccer league that launched this year. The league also plans to submit an application to the Canadian soccer federation for approval as a first division league. Montreal Impact President Joey Saputo was elected Chair of the new league's BOG. The league has begun a search for a commissioner as well. Cooper said, "Don Garber's done a phenomenal job at MLS, and if we can find anyone remotely like him, we'll be lucky." The league hopes to begin play with 10-12 teams. Cooper said that the league is in talks with several markets but declined to divulge which markets it hoped to add to the league. Each owner of the seven teams has already kicked in cash to fund the league, and any additional teams will have to pay a franchise fee. The creation of the new league comes three months after Nike, which owned the USL, sold the league to NuRock Soccer Holdings, an Atlanta-based investment group. The breakaway group of owners were frustrated that the league was not sold to them. The USL had a unique structure in which the league was privately held and not owned by its teams.

MLS OPEN TO WORKING TOGETHER: Cooper said MLS has been receptive to working with the new league. Cooper said, "We look at this league as another piece in the developmental puzzle of pro soccer so that (the U.S. and Canada) can do better on the international scene." Cooper said that he is still open to bringing an MLS expansion team to St. Louis but it had to make financial sense. Cooper: "Right now, at $40M (in expansion fees), it doesn't. It's something we'll certainly keep an eye on as time goes by."

TEAM	OWNER
Atlanta Silverbacks	Boris Jerkunica and John Latham
Carolina Railhawks	Selby Wellman, Brian Wellman and Bob Young
Miami FC	Traffic Sports USA
Minnesota Thunder	Dean Johnson
Montreal Impact	Joey Saputo
St. Louis Soccer United	Jeff Cooper
Vancouver Whitecaps	Greg Kerfoot