The USSF has granted the NASL a one-year sanctioning as the country's Division 2 league, according to a report in IMSoccer News. The vote to sanction the fledgling league was 6-5 with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati abstaining. The NASL has essentially been given one year to more closely meet the standards USSF put forth for D2 leagues. There will be another ratification vote on Saturday. IMS's report indicated the biggest concern the USSF board had with the NASL was Traffic USA's ownership stake in several teams.
When all was said and done the board narrowly approved the NASL provisionally for 1-year and with other restrictions and directives. The board is requiring that the league have a clear plan on how they will remove Traffic Sports USA from owning Carolina and part ownership in Atlanta. They will be allowed to continue their ownership of Miami.
The one-year sanctioning, though, buys some much-needed for the NASL. Since losing its provisional sanctioning on Jan. 20, the league's owners have put up more than $6 million in letters of credit and agreed that the money would cover any potential catastrophic losses.
A significant part of NASL's ability to improve its status will be what happens with the San Antonio Scorpions, who have recently hit some roadblocks in their attempts to get a soccer stadium built with the help of public funds. Another potential wild card will be what happens with the Montreal Impact's relationship with the league. Although the Impact are moving to MLS for the 2012 season, there have been suggestions the team's ownership could field a team in NASL next year, potentially in Quebec City.
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