NASL’s near-implosion and USL’s relentless expansion presented US Soccer with a challenge: should it bump USL up from Division 3 to Division 2 on the American pro soccer pyramid, and drive what might be the final nail into NASL’s coffin?
The Federation has been mulling over this question for a while, a question precipitated by USL’s bid for higher station and NASL’s apparent inability to keep its clubs either solvent or affiliated to the league (some have flown north to MLS, others have recently opted to move south to USL, yet others have all but ceased to function).