Woud it be possible....

to have a relegation promotion system with MLS and USL?


just wondering if this could work. pros cons and so on.

 

Not at this point, stadium sizes wouldn't work, ownership wouldn't allow it, etc. It would be nice eventually, though.

 

I would love to see it one day, that would be a forward thinking move on the part of MLS.

However, since money talks, I don't think it will, but there's always hope.

 

Perhaps in 10-12 years, and they'll likely start slow (i.e., single team up;single team down)

 

I sadly agree that it will never happen. As the MLS grows, and the TV contract goes up, new prospective owners will pony up for the expansion fees, etc., but would never agree to start out in the lower divisions or would never even agree to start in the MLS with the threat of relegation. I think it would be cool though, and VERY competitive (e.g. no big 4 to be found in the US).

The only way I can forsee things changing were if the MLS somehow got more involved with European teams, and in exchange for owners taking the risk of relegation, they were guaranteed to have friendlies against top tier, drawable European clubs. As more Americans buy up English clubs, for example, we will see more English teams playing on American tours, and I can see deals being made to have them playing American teams, regardless of what division they are in. For example, it is just a matter of time (and $$$) before the Kroenke-owned Colorado Rapids host the 1/8th owned (and rising) Kroenke-owned Arsenal.

 

What will drive promotion/relegation is the FIFA regulation that limits the top league in each country to only 18 teams (some existing leagues are grandfathered in with 20). This will force the MLS/PTB to create a 2nd tier league, with lower entry cost. That will create a large internal pressure to institute promotion/relegation. It will be carefully managed, with hefty ballon payments to reduce the financial impact on relegated teams even more than the EPL does, but it's pretty much inevitable. The USA has far too many viable top-tier soccer markets and the only way to satisfy them all is to allow them to compete for spots in the top league.

 

Well, andy, I can see why you say that... but the fact is that second tier league already exists. some of them even have their de-facto- own stadia.
And ONE of them just 'got promoted', dinnit!

And MLS wont mind a bit being limited to 18 teams. Premiership wouldnt either, BTW. {As in 'Sorry, out of our hands, FIFA makes the rules!'}

Just to remind you, there's more than ONE permutation of 'Promotion/Relegation'. The top US sports have practiced it for their whole existence. The difference being, it aint the clubs involved, it's the cities that host them.

 

'fog. Yes, I see the USL taking a major part in any relegation/promotion system. Heck, USL1 has a higher median player salary than the MLS does...

While the moving cities happens in Europe as well (MK Dons), it will come down to money. Promotion/Relegation is good for TV ratings. Not only will the bottom tier MLS teams get watched, but they'll get decent viewership for the <insert name of lower league> playoffs to determine who gets promoted. Even starting out with just a single team moving up/down, it will result in a lot of additional revenue (..when it happens in 8-12 years). Heck, even the teams involved in a relegation dogfight will benefit - what is attendance like at season's end for teams out of the playoff hunt? Fighting to stay up puts more butts in seats.

 

I actually think promotion/relegation could work soon-ish, given a very strict set of rules for promotion. Possibly one in which the promoted team needs to have a suitable stadium in place, and where the the promoted and relegated teams have to play each other, probably in a 2-leg playoff. So, pretty much the only USL teams that could conceivably be promoted are the ones that are already being considered for MLS expansion already.

In the US, I could see promotion/relegation working *right now* in arena football. There are so many minor leagues, and nobody knows the difference between them anyway. It might make those games a little more interesting and meaningful, if nothing else.