The Aztexan

The drama continues. Following on the first installment, here's a quick update. This post doesn't present any new or breaking news, it's just a summary of events to date. Most links are to Brian Quarstad's estimable Inside Minnesota Soccer blog, which in more pleasant times focuses on the Minnesota Thunder, but which has been all over this whole story from the start, like white on rice.

• Friday, 10/2 — USL "released" all players from 3 Team Owner Association (TOA) teams (Minnesota Thunder, Carolina Railhawks & Miami FC) from their contracts (link). Also, the league removed the logos and links of those teams from its website (link).


• Sunday, 10/4 — Carolina RailHawks co-owner and TOA spokesman Brian Wellman assures players and the press that the contract release doesn't count (link).


• Monday, 10/5 — In an illuminating interview with David Fellerath, of North Carolina's indyweek.com (which covers the RailHawks), Wellman calls the league's action "unfortunate and unnecessary". (link) (If you click through and read just one of these links, this is the one.)


• Tuesday, 10/6 — Sunil Gulati, president of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), summoned league officials and team owners to New York to try to settle the whole dispute (link). Also on Tuesday, Quarstad posted the full text of the contract-release email the league sent on Friday (link).


• Wednesday, 10/7 — Gulati jetted off to London for the "Leaders In Football" conference, with no resolution announced in the USL/TOA situation (link). Blogger Kartik Krishnaiyer considered possible advantages that a breakaway league might have with respect to TV rights (link). Lastly, Quarstad also got hold of a copy of "the standard United Soccer League (USL) Players Contract", which doesn't look like something the league has the authority to terminate (link).

So there you have it. More drama; continued limbo. I'll just add a few observations.

I don't buy the assurances that this whole dust-up is a minor distraction. Three whole teams' players — with two more sure to follow immediately after the league finals — were fired last week, and had their teams disassociated from the league. Subsequent analysis, and possibly a future lawsuit for good measure, find that that firing was probably out of order. But in any case, it's the thought that counts, as they say.

Don't forget that these are people's livelihoods at stake here. And not just the Minnesota, Carolina and Miami players, either. If this league falls apart, it will affect every player on every team, not to mention other team staff. Even if their clubs made money hand over fist this year (show of hands? anyone?), you can't pay much of a wage bill if you don't play any games.

Another aspect is the chilling effect this must have on planning, scouting and recruiting for next year. For one example, consider the fate of Jamie Watson. (For the record, I have not spoken with him, and have not the slightest bit of inside info on his career.)

Though he had a good season for the Aztex U23s in 2008, Watson didn't wind up on Austin's USL-1 roster in 2009. Instead, he played for the Wilmington Hammerheads in USL-2. He had a great season there, ultimately being named the 2009 USL-2 MVP. He came back to Austin to finish the season with the Aztex USL-1 squad, was still with them in Wednesday's friendly against Monterrey, and will presumably travel to England with the Aztex.

So I was asked this week, in the wake of the news that the Hammerheads lost their franchise, whether Watson would stay with Austin. I personally hope so, but I don't know, and replied as much. But it got me thinking.

If I were a promising young pro soccer player, would I want to hitch my wagon to a league going through this kind of turmoil? Watson has previously played for Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas. Even if the pay and chances for playing time were both lower in MLS, which league looks like a better bet right now?

Lastly, let me double down on my previous threat. If these shenanigans inhibit me in the slightest from being able to go down to House Park next summer to watch the Red & White play, I'll not only key the car of everyone involved, I'll also track down all their email addresses and sign them up for every free Viagra spam I can find.

And I can find a lot.

Labels: players, The League, USL-1