Brian Quarstad of Inside Minnesota Soccer <a href="http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2011/01/21/breaking-news-ussf-concerned-with-nasl-sanctioning-of-d2-pro-soccer-for-2011-season/">is reporting</a> that the USSF board <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/MinnesotaSoccer/status/28591139959349248">has denied</a> the NASL's request for Division II sanctioning. As the remaining USL teams have moved down to what's effectively third-division play with USLPro, this leaves the teams who were set to play at the Division II level in the NASL with some pretty limited options. The timing of this move narrowly missed hurting Vancouver, but it could still damage the Montreal Impact and FC Edmonton.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Here's what Jason Davis <a href="http://www.matchfitusa.com/2011/01/nasl-takes-sanctioning-blow.html">wrote</a> over at <i>Match Fit USA</i> on how this could affect Montreal:
<blockquote>From an MLS perspective, most notable is the possible effect of the decision on Montreal in what was meant to be their final D2 year, and an opportunity to build momentum, before joining the top-flight next season. If the Impact don't have a league to play in (though they could be sanctioned by the CSA, which I presume would mean they could keep their players under contract [those willing to stay] and participate in the the Voyageur's Cup), how will that change their MLS Year 1 outlook? </blockquote>
As Jason points out, the Impact do have one distinct advantage here as compared to an American team in a similar situation; they're not under the direct jurisdiction of the USSF, and thus could receive sanctioning from the CSA to play in the Voyageurs' Cup and probably a bunch of exhibition games (similar to what Edmonton did last year). That's hardly the best way to prepare for a move to MLS, though. As we saw with Vancouver last year, their final D2 season was much more than just a footnote; it was about bringing in new personnel, developing young talent, finding ways to bring it all together and generally building for the next level. We'll have to wait and see if that pays tangible results in MLS, but it certainly sounds more promising than having your final non-MLS year comprised of just exhibitions.
Edmonton will also have their own issues, and what happens to them probably depends on how the NASL works out. If the decision is made to sanction the NASL as a third-division league, that might prompt the league to go to a more regional model along the lines of USL Pro to reduce travel costs. Edmonton's a clear outlier there, particularly if Montreal isn't involved. It's quite possible they could stay with the NASL at the new level, but having Edmonton makes much more sense at the D2 level than the D3 level. If Edmonton is in fact out, that might perhaps revitalize some of the discussions about a lower-level Canadian league.
In any case, Whitecaps management and fans will certainly be happy that this happened after they'd already left. Keep in mind there was a very good chance of a similar situation occurring last season before the USSF forced the NASL and USL to work together for a year. That compromise allowed Vancouver to get a good season of competition in and build their team for the next level. We'll see if Montreal's able to find some way to do the same.