MLS is not the only pro soccer league in the United States of America and today we will bring Greg Lalas to talk about USL, United Soccer League for part 1 of this interview.
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my local team is sacramento republic. never will forget the open cup run in 2022
What I loved is how we all supported your run. Even though you are technically are Northern rival the entire USL social media got behind your team and I love to see it
I was so mad we lost that game.. Glory Glory Sacramento
Phoenix rising betta
Seeing Sacramento reach the final is the reason why I love the US Open Cup. It gives USL teams the chance to face off against MLS teams. While I enjoy the MLS, the USL has grown on me. And we need to support our domestic leagues as much as possible. I’m happy that my community in the Antelope Valley in Southern California will be getting a team next season in USL League One! AV Alta FC!
Lik3 here if you want USL to surpass MLS if they implement what the real soccer fans actually want!
As long as you call it Soccer you’re not a real fan
@@NoName-rq6bg Americans call it soccer because because our most popular sport is already called football
@@NoName-rq6bg Soccer is a British word, created in the early days of the sport. It was used to differentiate between Rugby Union and Association Football. One could argue soccer is a more apt term. Stop gatekeeping. Especially if you're gonna be wrong while doing it.
@@NoName-rq6bg ah someone who can’t accept that a majority of countries actually don’t call it football omg
@@NoName-rq6bg If you don't know the truth about why us Americans call it Soccer than you're not a real football fan. Learn the sport's history you casual.
Tac, the timing of this video is perfect! USL League One coming to Portland, Maine 2025!!! Brand Release Fan Fest is this Saturday! At Thompson's Point. You're invited. 10 am - 2 pm. PL on the screen and a mini footy pitch. The culture up here is thick. A rising soccer city for sure!
YES, I am going to this!!! Cannot wait!
Jealous...
I went to that event GO HEARTS!
Same here! My community, the Antelope Valley in Southern California will be getting a team next season in 2025! AV Alta FC! They’ll also be in USL League One! They had the Crest and team name reveal yesterday evening. I was so happy to see the turnout and the interest people have for this team. The Antelope Valley has a very large soccer community and it keeps growing. To have a team to call our own is just great!
I support the Birmingham Legion, my local USL team. I’ve been to almost all of the Home games in all competitions since the start of the 2022 season. I still love the MLS though and I still watch the MLS every single weekend. I want both leagues to exist and I want them to eventually cooperate and come together to make soccer better in this country. We can only get so far if they always fight with each other.
Hammer down!
awesome name for sure USL has the best brands very community focused love it I don't give a damn about MLS has no respect for growing the game
@@dasalsakid when I watch MLS, I don’t look at it as supporting MLS as a league and as a business model. There are still a lot of genuinely great clubs and great fans in MLS and I want to enjoy that. I don’t want to see that go away. The people of Columbus, for example, don’t deserve to lose their team or to have to start over just because league management is not desirable to some people.
I agree, but it seems like MLS, Don Garber are too arrogant and won't let that happen because Garber is also on the board of US Soccer Federation, which is a conflict of interest being the MLS Commissioner. As MLS Commissioner on the board of the US Soccer Federation he actively works against USL as he sees it as a competitor to MLS and it's profits and as a single league entity. USL works much better. It's a more traditional league, just without as much money.
I've never been a fan of soccer, but since my son started playing I wanted him to watch some to get a feel for how he should be trying to play and we went to a Legion game since it's the closest to us. It was pretty fun and it was one of the open playoff games where they had really good attendance. Haven't been this year yet, though, but I definitely recommend it for anyone in the area.
Chelsea fan for 50 years, used to see the Cosmos in the 70s. Never cared about US club soccer until last year. There's a USL2 team called the Hudson Valley Hammers that plays walking distance from where I live. Tyler Adams is one of the founders and he was at a few of the games last year taking pictures with kids. The best thing about it is it's a 12 game season, six home games, $50 season ticket. The whole season is during the two months that there's no European club soccer. One of our players got called up to the T&T national team and another is a pro in USL 1 now.
I think USL can be a selling league and be a recruiting ground for teams in Norway, Austria, Italy Serie B, 2nd Bundesliga, English League One, Scotland, etc.
Same logic holds for MLS if only it were humble enough to accept its place as a selling league. But no, the weirdos with a 30+ team closed market system want to reinvent the wheel in a nation with little tradition (by breaking what little tradition it does have) and insist upon acting with the unearned dignity of a T8 league instead. Oh well. I guess USL needs to supersede those MLS weirdos instead.
@@inelhuayocan_aciyou live under a rock bro. MLS sells mad young players, and it’s objectively on track to become larger than a selling league. League structure isn’t the only thing to Soccer/football and the situation in NA is quite different to that of EU so it’s not crazy to have a different structure. Pro sports isn’t the primary method of consuming sports content in NA, college is. To give you an idea, of the top 10 stadiums in the world, 8 are college American Football stadiums, not professional, COLLEGE. Our “club” culture that you all have is more tied to that than professional sports(japan has a similar phenomenon with high school baseball). Schools don’t move, and collegiate athletics predate professional athletics in the US by almost 100 years in certain cases. Professional sports besides baseball only really came about in the US after WWII and even then it was pretty regionalized. The US is also quite vast, and not nearly as densely populated as Europe is. We just didn’t have the density of people in areas to support club systems in the same manner historically(though that may change and is changing a bit in some regions), and schools already filled this niche, so that’s why most leagues operate on a closed system with franchising. When they didn’t in the really early years, leagues and clubs were CONSTANTLY folding, largely due to logistics and costs being just not feasible for most markets in the US. Controlled ownership and league structure gave stability and that stability allowed professional sports to even take root. We already had schools filling the demand for sporting events so it wasn’t like professional sports had no competition in their infancy, and it also has always been inherently corporate and a business operation here due to it coming about after we already had an established athletics culture. The US had also already had dipped their toes into professional soccer in the 70’s and it completely collapsed. So when you take all of this into account, and add in the fact that up until quite recently Soccer has been a VERY niche sport in the US it makes sense why MLS has the structure it does and why it even goes a step further in the fact that owners aren’t really even owners they’re “owner operators” and the league effectively owns all the teams. Leagues with far more popular and extensive minor league systems in NA like the MLB and NHL(both respective top leagues for their sport globally)don’t have relegation or promotion either because it’s just not logistically sound. Pro/rel doesnt even help much anymore unless you’re blessed with a random whale owner who somehow found interest in your club. you have had the same handful of teams at the top of the prem for forever. MLS with a closed structure has WAY more parity. You’re really just asking an orchard to grow oranges, we inherently can’t function the same because we aren’t the same.
USL is already doing this! My local team (OCSC) has already sent 3/4 players out to Europe (France’s second division, Eredivise, and Denmark’s tier first division)
@@just_juan That is terrific!
@@just_juan Nice.
My local club is Forward Madison FC of USL League 1. I like USL better! Up the Mingos! 💪🏼
I love going to forward Madison games, I don't get to go to as many as I'd like to tho.
Been to a bunch of Pittsburgh Riverhounds games. It's a cool atmosphere actually by the Monongahala river with views of downtown (or as the locals say "dahntahn"). Definitely a good time and the Hahnz have been playing some good soccer over the last several years with Bob Lilley as coach. Check'em out if you're ever in the burgh!
Pittsburgh Riverhounds baby. Best view & vibes for a game in the USL. Expanision plans to make the stadium up to 15 thousand in the future 👀
I’ve wanted to go to a game there for years. Truly the best stadium location in the US
I gotta say Al Lang in St. Petersburg has the best view. Skyline behind us, palm trees, marina, and the bay in front of us.
Where on earth are the Riverhounds going to expand to 15k. The stadium footprint is so tiny with nowhere to expand.
Rising got better vibes
So much for getting an interview with Alexi.
Love what the USL is doing. Touching communities that have no/limited access to pro sports, is awesome and strategically smart. Just need to rally these communities behind these local clubs.
USL has been a HIT here in albuquerque. the isotopes (dukes before) were albuquerque’s #1 professional sports team for just over a century. they were eclipsed by the new mexico united of the usl championship league ever since they first showed up in 2018
I played in the USL preparation development league back in 07, 08, I was very happy with the league
I can’t wait for my hometown, Oklahoma City to get a new soccer stadium. I can’t wait for the OKC Energy to return to the USL Championship.
USL/MLS really need to work something out. Having two separate "1st division" leagues would just split the fanbase of a sport that is already not even a top 3 sport in the country. Already have to compete against leagues like NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for viewership and revenue.
What "two separate 1st division leagues" are you talking about? USL Championship is designated division 2 by the USSF, and the vast difference in finances (think NFL vs UFL / NHL vs AHL / MLB vs AAA / etc) supports that point of view..
@@Hammster69official MLS has always been and will continue to be the Retired Aging Euro Soccer Stars Dog And Pony Show. The current Premium MLS Clown Show has been assigned to Orlando - The Watch Messi Score Ten Goals While Walking Only Ten Steps The Entire Game Extravaganza! While playing against the World's Best MLS Soccer Defenses! Seriously, any talented US youth player stuck in the MLS system has to get out and over to Europe by age 18 or he'll just turn into the typical MLS Lifers.
Sacramento republic only 40 minutes away!!
Pittsburgh Riverhounds!!! USL has a good foundation and base structure and, at this point, seems to be more accessible to more people if they want to watch than the MLS which is stuck behind a paywall
I’m a fairly new soccer fan and a little of it has to do with the Birmingham Legion. We’ve gone to several matches every year and it definitely was a gateway drug if you will to watching more soccer / football and wanting to be in the crowd and feeling that spark, that connection.
Charleston Battery! And no, not because they top the Eastern division. But because as a kid vacationing in charleston, it introduced me to the game. Now as a father myself, I still take my children to a few games each summer
this game ❤️
Sacramento Republic supporter here. I watch a lot of USL both Championship and League one.
Barajas was developed in USL.. and he’s a top prospect… the league has potential
Used to have a USL team in RGVFC but they shutdown. Every match was incredible to attend.
Tuning in from Sacramento and of course it’s Republic till I die
New Mexico United!
Somos Unidos!
--> New Orleans will be getting a USL team next year. I can't wait. Will the kits go with a Mardi Gras theme or a Saints theme? --> Filippo, you should try a Rowdies-style moustache. I think you could pull it off.
Detroit City FC fan/owner
Allez Le Rouge!
KZhead Channel Become Elite with Matt Sheldon. He was with our club last season, Hartford Athletic. He's a great guy that creates great content. You should really check him out. I've been following him for years now. He actually taught me a whole lot about soccer since I really only got into sport in 2010 with the Spanish win in the World Cup. I started watching Matt Sheldon in 2015/16 ...somewhere around there. I've watch most of his career.
You guys have a great community and club by the way. I wish Hartford had a members/socios ownership thing going on too like many Spanish Clubs like FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Club Bilbao, etc.
Ive been going to Indy 11 games for 3 years now, it is fun and I enjoy the vibe of the fan section
I watch a lot more USL than MLS. Being from KY I cheer Lou City all the way I can confirm Lou city fans can get crazy in the supporter section. Kentucky much less the city of Louisville doesn't have any big time pro teams so when they have a team that wins the championship back to back and is always around the top of the table Lou city has a lot more local fans that devote everything to the team instead of having split interests. also I am not paying for MLS season pass when I already have ESPN + where i can watch the FA cup, Carabaro cup, the EFL championship, bundesliga, La liga, NCAA soccer and of course USL championship USL one, and USL two.
915 in the house baby El Paso FC aka Locomotive FC !!! We love the team here especially after MLS has essentially ignored us the USL is creating culture
WOAH, USL League Two is 75% COLLEGE players?! That is the best thing I've heard about USL 👏. The next Tim Ream could come from* USL-L2, nice.
You’d be shocked to see how many USMNT players came through USL2. It’s dropped off a bit recently since so many moved over to European systems early, but it was the building block for US soccer for a good bit
USL is actually incredibly underrated... I live in Phoenix and go to their games periodically... It's a fun time at the games, and they are usually pretty entertaining!
hey I am an Ipswich fan we have the same owners!
Oakland Roots, Bay Bay! Probably the most community tied pro team in the US
well after losing 3 teams they need another pro team to lead the way lol
any news on new stadium off hegenberger? getting access to BART would help, too.
@@r2dad282 the city is trying to buy the entire coliseum and lot from the county to expedite the process
I messed up not going to a game while I was attending Cal state east bay
See you May 11th in New Mexico. Good luck.
I like Greg Lalas. Great interview.
My local team is Ballard FC in USL League Two! :)
I'll be supporting the new team in Portland, Maine in 2025. Our official club name will be unveiled this Saturday 4/27/24 & will play in USL League One!
Happy to have the first pro team in my city Spokane Velocity #upthefalls
My team is USL1 Union Omaha. Omaha is known as a sports destination (College World Series, US Olympic Swim Trials, March Madness) but traditionally professional teams have struggled here. However, Union Omaha is actually being embraced by the city.
Hoot Hoot Mfers. If you want to watch a USL side take on an MLS team, Union Omaha is hosting SKC in the USOC on May 8. We've beaten MLS teams in the cup before and we can again. Vamos Búhos.
The problem has been some MLS teams not taking the Open Cup seriously until the Quarter or Semi Finals; They would use their 2nd team with maybe one or two starters. There have been upsets but when you look at the rosters as to who played it clearly was nowhere near their first team. While I can understand some rotation because of schedule anything less than 5 or 6 starters is not a good look.
@user-gn7pj4ne8j Garber understands the hazard, thats why he didn't want to play open cup anymore.
@@r2dad282 It's not just the teams that do not take the Open Cup seriously, it's the fans. They just come out for US Open Cup games compared to League or playoff games. That's why many MLS teams held many of their games at alternate site to reduce expenses.
As Han Solo once said "Good in the Open Cup is one thing. Good in the living MLS season, that's something else."
I live in Houston and while I support Dynamo more I'm more inclined to travel to SA to watch USL's SAFC lol packed every game.
USL League 2 is akin to the collegiate wooden bat baseball leagues like the Cape Cod League, giving first exposure to pro conditions while preserving the players' collegiate amateur status.
Let's Go Detroit City FC! Louisiana man but a Detroit fan.
One of best soccer videos of America. The clubs build the league. Look at American football history with AFL and NFL competing.
I’m a new Loudoun United fan. Haven’t been to a game yet, but I’ll get there soon! USL will continue to grow. Hopefully get pro-rel soon too.
Nice. Loudoun United is one of our rivals up here at Hartford Athletic. Welcome to USL soccer and to the fandom. Even though you are a rival ultra, I still welcome the support and fandom. We have keep growing this damn game like it's our lives.
One thing you have to understand is that the Rowdies have had a presence in Tampa Bay since the 70s. People like myself (56) went to Camp Kick In The Grass as kids and a lot of the former players stayed in the area and had a strong presence in coaching and area soccer in general.
Who's your favorite rowdie ever? Rodney marsh?
@brando7266 I fancied myself a GK in youth so Winston Debose. Also, from a coaching perspective, Mike Connell has done amazing things with local youth clubs.
San Antonio FC supporter. Anxious to see them play against Indy in the Open Cup in 2 weeks. Also supported the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Independence when I lived in those communities.
New Mexico United and Pittsburgh River hounds!
It’s gonna be a spicy atmosphere when San Jose Earthquakes host Oakland Roots in the US Open Cup next month
Big love for Forward Madison here!
So much for getting an interview with Alexi Lalas.
We will get there.
Filippo I'm loving these longer interviews, if you and the guests have time i would love to see a podcast form of free talk, 2-3 hours, so much you could extrapolate from these guests! Keep up the great work brotha, stay dangerous!
New Mexico United is my USL club. One of the best fanbases and ownership group in the USL.
I'm a Derby County fan in the UK... The USL setup sounds like a huge undertaking, but will bring you massive benefits. Promotion/relegation is brutal but add so much to a season. If done correctly, this will supercharge football in the US and on the international stage. I hope that the MSL come together with the USL to create a similar relationship to our Premiere league - EFL divisions.
As a FC Cincinnati fan I miss our USL rivalries
I used to tailgate for the Charleston Battery when I lived down in Charleston, SC. That’s when they still played at the “first” soccer specific stadium in the country ..Columbus…👀 I haven’t checked out their new spot in Patriots point but looks fun on TV while supporting up here in WV! Let’s Go Battery!
Indy Eleven!
Massive fan and season ticket holder of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds- it’s nice being a fan of a team that’s small enough to where you can meet and talk to the players after every game, yet big and good enough to beat teams like NE revolution and Columbus crew in the USOC
We need a secondary continental tournament with CPL, USL, and other smaller N.Amer countries, with the winner getting a spot into the CCC, like S.Amer. Also, MLS just needs to have between 2-4 ULS teams into the league, with a playoff between top USL table teams and the previously invided "promoted" usl teams from the year before. Apple would definitely pay for this extra playoff. Which would cover the invited uls teams salary for that year. So no expensive taken from MLS even.
Hello from Omaha. I will always support Union Omaha, they have won the USL 1 division once and had a chance in their inaugural season in 2020 but the championship match did not take place due to Covid. Omaha is building a new stadium in downtown Omaha by 2026...really hope that Pro-Reg will happen by then. # Viva Buhos!
I'm a Detroit City FC fan, we were undefeated until recently. Lost our last game. I don't even watch the MLS bc Detroit doesn't have a team. I peak Miami highlight bc I'm a Barca fan and they got a lot of our guys there.
I've been an LAFC season ticket holder from day one, but since my family is from New Mexico I've always unsupported USL New Mexico United as well. I'm over the MLS structure, and almost relinquished my season tix over the Open Cup debacle created by MLS. MLS exclusion of USL is just another money grab by Garner, and hurts the domestic game rather than helping.
Shoutout for FC Buffalo! I was excited when they announced the men's club would move to USL League Two from NPSL. I love seeing the growing fanbase around here!
I've been checking out USL matches on KZhead and like the variety of teams in this league and the closer community ambience. I think my hometown of New Orleans is in line to get a USL franchise. And then there's the "non league" levels below USL such as the UPSL, which already has promotion/relegation built into its structure. There is a whole domestic soccer culture in the U.S. beyond MLS which is worth exploring. BTW, there is a New York Cosmos currently playing in the third-tier NISA league, which adopted the kit and legacy of the original NASL side.
Lots of KZhead accounts who are reacting to American Sports that I watch do talk about the NY Cosmos. So you're not wrong. Pele coming here was a huge thing globally.
Local Club is Louisville City FC, environment and culture is insane there. I even have a high school teammate that is signed to their senior roster
My team is Ballard FC, winners of USL League Two in 2023! Up the bridges!
San Antonio FC! Yes.
Great interview, fabulous idea, I am done with the state of the professional level of Mens Soccer in the USA I am going to try and find something near my home. Thanks Cheif!
I hope Grand Rapids will get a team soon, there is a stadium project that says it hope to have a stadium build by like 2027
USL: El Paso Locomotive (Diego Luna used to play here.
This is awesome. I've been waiting for someone do a video about USL Championship and USL in general. I grew up in the Hartford CT area and I've been a fervent supporter of Hartford Athletic since they announce a team/club was coming to my hometown area. I now live in Western Mass, but I make it down for a few match every season. I'm a Hartford Athletic supporter till I die. I love the lower divisions grassroot feel more so than the corporate feel of MLS.
As a fan of the Indy 11 (a USL championship team) this is great.
Colorado Springs switchbacks
My local team is Hartford Athletic. To anyone out there thinking about USL games being like AAA baseball games, the environment is more like lower-tier English football. Super high energy, high level of play, lots of excitement and the match day culture is just incredible
I like attending games for my home team Oakland Roots. Great alternative to going through the crazy traffic to watch the San Jose Earthquakes.Either way, go Roots and go Quakes.
Charleston Battery because my son plays for them, Nathan DosSantos
I haven't watched a game in a while but I'm a Detroit FC fan.
As a life long Charleston Batteries fan I hope so too
San Diego Loyal was really enjoyable for me as a new fan to the game. Definitely miss having them around.
Union Omaha supporter. Brand new stadium coming to our downtown area - gunning for a spot in USL Championship. We are giant killers - 2 MLS heads mounted on the wall. Consistently the best run organization in USL 1. Come On You Owls (COYO)
Orange County SC, and I don't care what you think, County Roads is a great chant
We have a USL1 team, in the Richmond Kickers, great support and fan base. Join the red army!!!
Love the Rowdies jersey!
Nothing replaces “grassroots football “ It’s what it turns it into a culture all around the world.
I miss my RGV Toros! but I loved the play at USL
Orange County SC
pittsburgh riverhounds since birth. My uncle even played for them
Who’s your uncle?
Hugh Union Omaha fan and can't wait for Pro/Rel so we can climb the latter!
I support Nashville SC, we use to be in the USL. Now we’re in the MLS so that’s pretty cool. I do miss the USL days, our games were at the baseball stadium
Mark my words. Once NYCFC fully moves to Queens, there will be a USL team in the Bronx. Can't wait 🔥🔥
There is already supposed to be one there. David Villa former player with NYCFC announced several years ago that Queensborough FC was supposed to launch in the USL Championship. I don't know what happened. They were supposed to play their matches at Queens College stadium which they put some money into to renovate and share with the college.
@@certinho76 NYCFC paid York College money to call off the deal with Queensboro
The problem with usl is that teams sometimes swlf relegate if they dont have the funds to compete at a given level. This has happened twice to my local richmond kickers usl squad
I get the 'problem', but wouldn't you rather they do that and figure out their issues than close shop? NCFC coming back from L1 to Championship this season isn't common, but leaves people hopeful I feel. It'd be nice if Rochester had self-relegated rather than going out altogether :( Also Richmond are American Soccer OGs, I may not be a supporter of them, but happy to see them alive and kicking. Go kickers!!
Love that you’re covering this. My team, Legion FC, has an American from Bayern on loan rn & some other really good young talent. Would love to see everyone start supporting these clubs in their city
Played my whole life growing up. Got in with an amazing local travel team that would beat up on premier teams because we had such good chemistry. Played with nearly the same crew for our school team and went far also. Got some exposure to academy players and honestly wasn't a big adjustment to get use to. I think the more grassroots structure produces a much more desirable result and much higher quality of play for less money to develop players. It is obvious because if you give people a chance that aren't financially well off then that's such a much larger pool of players and talent to work from.
I support Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC hopefully we win the title this year and USL is the only domestic league I watch
What are the requirements to become a first division league in the USA? USSF should allow USL to be a first division league so it can compete with MLS.
That would be nice, but if you didn't know. Don Garber the MLS commissioner is also on the Board of USSF, which is a conflict of interest and he actively works against just that(USL achieving parity with MLS). It's all about money, competition and fear.
My community, the Antelope Valley in Southern California will be getting a USL team next season in 2025. AV Alta FC! USL League One! I was at the Crest and team name reveal yesterday evening. Really happy with the turnout. We have a great soccer community here and am happy to be getting a team next year!
I love interviews, keep them coming and I’ll eat it up
USL2 = Flint Bucks, USL = Detroit City (DCFC)
Super excited to start following River Light FC after years of feeling so detached from the Chicago Fire 🎉
My local team is the 2022 USL champions San Antonio FC!
I support Hartford and wish the USL success. I think what the USL is doing is great. I wonder. if teams in major league cities such as Detroit, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and others are ultimately hoping to join MLS.
Fellow Hartford supporter here. Go Green and Blue.
Fellow Pittsburgh supporter. Go Riverhounds