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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NASL Cancels '18 Season After Failing To Regain D-II League Status

With only three active clubs, the NASL will try to regroup in hopes of returning in '19GETTY IMAGES

NASL yesterday announced that it has canceled the '18 season, four days after a federal court "rejected its appeal to get a preliminary injunction that would have reinstated its status" as a D-II league, according to Michelle Kaufman of the MIAMI HERALD. With the court decision and several teams "folding or moving to other leagues, the NASL opted to cancel" the '18 season and "try to regroup" for '19. In the meantime, active NASL clubs Miami FC, N.Y. Cosmos and Jacksonville Armada will "play in the fourth-division National Premier Soccer League this season while awaiting their league's fate." North Carolina FC and Indy Eleven in recent months "shifted" to the USL. NASL champions S.F. Deltas "folded, as did FC Edmonton." The future of Puerto Rico FC is "also in doubt after Hurricane Maria damage" (MIAMI HERALD, 2/28). SI.com's Brian Straus noted the '18 season for NASL "would've been its eighth" overall in its latest incarnation. However, with "only three active clubs," the roadmap for a '19 season "isn't well-defined" (SI.com, 2/27). In San Diego, Mark Zeigler reports NASL club San Diego 1904 FC is "finalizing an agreement to join" the USL beginning in '19. Club President Bob Watkins said, "We've been treading water for the last six months and it was causing us some issues." Zeigler writes the USL "makes more logistical sense than the NASL, which had an expansion team in Orange County and everyone else in the Eastern time zone." 1904 FC's first USL game would be in March '19, "hopefully in a new 10,000-seat stadium at the 22-field SoCal Sports Complex five miles east of downtown Oceanside" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/28).

TWITTER REAX: The Athletic's Jeff Rueter: "There are a lot of people - players, club staff, coaches - whose careers were held in limbo as the #NASL office and owners went through litigation after litigation. Frankly, that's disgraceful." NYCFC columnist Nick Chavez: "I feel for the ppl losing their jobs/the fans losing their teams, but to the people who spear-headed #NASL + tried to take advantage of/steal what the MLS investors rightfully built and finally made work (often at real $ sacrifice) -- good ridance." Copa90's Gaby Kirschner: "Why does 'Save The Crew' rally the entire US Soccer community, but then same community turns around to dance on the NASL's grave?" Cosmos supporters' group 5 Points: "NASL is dead. Cosmos aren’t. See you in April, @NPSLSoccer."

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