The beautiful game has experienced superb growth in the USA and even in Canada in the past ten years and it's been great to watch. Men who played the game 20 and 30 years ago only saw this type of scenario in their dreams. It's worth examining how far we have come. Currently, there are three professional leagues in the USA, with the top two having teams north of the 49th parallel also.
Major League Soccer currently fields 19 teams with the 20th team to join in short order and the firm announcement that the target number of teams is 24. The league began with great aspirations soon after the USA hosted the World Cup in 1994. MLS kicked off its first season in 1996 with 10 teams spread throughout the country. The vision showed some wisdom as the league pursued some high profile players and distributed them to all the teams. There was plenty of excitement and soccer fans were thrilled by the playmaking prowess of Carlos Valderama and the staunch defense of Alexi Lalas. It was a great start and for a few years following it held ground well and even added a couple of teams. Sadly, the clubs suffered financially and the league experienced a 'rock-bottom' effect between the years of 2002 and 2006. The two Florida teams, Miami and Tampa Bay, were dropped and the league struggled to hang on for dear life. That was not to last long, however, as beginning in 2007 a complete turn around began. Teams have been added almost every year since and more importantly each club has gotten stronger and richer. The league has constantly increased standards and the club owners have stepped up their involvement and investment. Credit goes to many contributors to the king of sports, league officials, owners, players, referees and supporters. MLS has a goal in mind, to be one of the top leagues in the world, and it's very likely going to happen in the not so distant future.
The MLS is fabulous, but that's not the end of it. The resurrected North American Soccer League, the official Division 2 league in the USA, started off slow and cautious but has grown beautifully in the last year. There is great interest from local fan groups and even some serious investors. The history of soccer in the USA and Canada will always include a special note about the NASL's heights in the 1970s when the world's greatest footballer Pele dazzled American sports fans with his passing and scoring genius. Sadly, the NASL shut down operations in 1984. Some of the clubs remained functioning in different shapes but by and large both the league and most of the clubs ceased operations. The NASL came back to life due to some strife between some club owners and United Soccer Leagues front office. It wasn't an easy start but the NASL leadership with great support from Traffic Sports have gotten the league going in the right direction. In 2015 season the league will field 13 teams, and more are likely to join in the years to come. Undoubtedly, the NASL will see its greatest success on and off the pitch as soon as MLS reaches the maximum 24 clubs.
The third professional soccer league getting attention is the USL Pro. The United Soccer Leagues started in the 80s with a humble beginning but in very short order it has become a permanent fixture in any soccer conversation in the USA. It currently boasts a total of four leagues and an intricate youth system that includes over 100 organizations. This is truly impressive. At the top of the pyramid of USL's system of leagues is the USL Pro league which includes 13 teams with all but two clubs being in the East. This will not be status quo for long as the USL has also announced expansion which includes at least one more West Coast club. The USL Pro is not officially a Division 3 league simply because the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has not yet clarified all the D3 standards. This isn't to say that the clubs suffer in quality football. In fact, some fans of the game feel that USL Pro is a better league than NASL. In truth, USL Pro has a couple of clubs that are clearly ready for a much greater challenge than the rest of the clubs. This league also has a great future but it is likely going to experience some more growing pains as it grows more comfortable given a recent cooperation agreement with MLS.
Canada currently has four clubs competing at very high level, three clubs in MLS, and one in NASL and a second club begins play the 2014 season. Canadian soccer fans have also experienced a tumultuous history watching a few incarnations of a national professional league and a couple of attempts at local semi-professional leagues. Currently the Canadian Soccer League provides great opportunities for a number of players by fielding 12 teams spread throughout Ontario. It is listed as a professional league but very few players make a living wage by playing, thus semi-professional would be more appropriate. Additionally, the league has been plagued by allegations of match-fixing as well as struggles with sanctioning from the Canadian Soccer Association. Hopefully something can be done to turn that ship around. The member clubs do have great soccer talent both among players and coaches and a few of the clubs boast impressive histories.
Lastly, some fans consider that the most exciting expansion of the beautiful game has taken place in the national amateur leagues spread across the USA and few clubs sprinkled throughout Canada. The USL Premier Developmental League includes 59 clubs in almost every state of the USA and a handful of clubs in Canada. The level of play varies dramatically from club to club and the financial stability equally so, but many college soccer players spend time on these clubs as they are able to maintain eligibility for college play while receiving great training and experience in the summer. The National Premier Soccer League, with teams exclusively in the USA, has a short history of less then ten years, but they will field more than 60 teams in the 2014 season with likely more to join. They have taken a very serious business approach to operations, while being committed to providing great sports entertainment and training for young college players. Some of their players are members of much celebrated NCAA D1 programs. Additionally, the NPSL has recently mentioned that they will explore an option for Promotion and Relegation. This would be truly historic for American soccer. There are a few other top level amateur leagues which play a strong role on a regional level, the one which stands out notably being the Pacific Coast Soccer League. Many fans are beginning to see that true growth of soccer is most exciting at this grassroots local level and we can expect many more developments.
In conclusion this is an exciting time to be fan of the jogo bonito in our country and we can begin to dream about future developments. News will abound, players will shine, clubs will conquer, and fans will rejoice. Keep Kicking!
