U.S. District Court Judge Margo Brodie has denied NASL's "request for an injunction that would restore its second-division status" -- an injunction the league claims it "needed to prevent going 'out of business,'" according to Mark Zeigler of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. After hearing arguments Tuesday, Brodie seemed "sympathetic to the plight of the league's eight existing and two expansion franchises." But she determined their case "ultimately didn't meet the high standard of proof required for a mandatory injunction." That leaves NASL with "several options, none of them particularly palatable." The league can "appeal to a higher court," and a statement from interim Commissioner Rishi Sehgal "indicated the league is 'reviewing' that possibility." However, that "takes time, perhaps months more than weeks, and time is not a luxury" with the '18 season scheduled to start in March. Other options include playing as a "third-division league next season," forming an independent league or disbanding and letting clubs "go their own way" (SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE. 11/5). Brodie said that NASL "failed to prove there was an actual conspiracy among members" of the USSF BOD, who "voted on various changes to the league standards." Brodie also said that the USSF's application of the league standards "didn't amount to an 'unreasonable restraint of trade,' as laid out by the Sherman Antitrust Act." ESPNFC.com's Jeff Carlisle noted for U.S. Soccer, the ruling "reaffirmed the federation's authority to regulate the sport in the U.S., which would have been put in doubt had the NASL received its injunction" (ESPNFC.com, 11/5).
DISAPPEARING ACT: In S.F., Douglas Zimmerman noted first-year NASL club S.F. Deltas "could fold" after this season regardless of the league's future. The Deltas, which will host the Cosmos in the NASL title game on Nov. 12, "found it hard to make a name for themselves in the Bay Area sports scene." The team "averaged just under 2,600 fans per game at Kezar Stadium and reportedly lost several million dollars" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/4).
