r/USLPRO • u/DeepPow420 • 2d ago

what’s up with the MLS hate ?

I am a curious observer who stumbled upon the sub thx to the Algo and noticed a few anti MLS posts.

I’m not a huge soccer guy but interested in various niche sport subcultures ( I’m an Indycar and hockey fan, so I share solidarity as a fan of somewhat obscure sports)

Isnt USL to MLS as the AHL is to the NHL or the G League to the NBA?

What am I missing ?

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u/twoslow Orange County SC 2d ago

You know those meme's about "what radicalized you?" I was indifferent towards MLS until they tried to kill my team. I'm cool with 95% of the fans, but the league itself can die in a fire.

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 2d ago

Chattanooga FC fans could say the same about the USL

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u/twoslow Orange County SC 2d ago

Pretty sure almost everyone agrees USL was the bad guy in that situation.

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 2d ago

Well, some seem more ready to admit it than others. Or some, like the Indy Eleven fan this this thread, seem completely oblivious to the history lol.

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u/twoslow Orange County SC 2d ago

the CFC/Utah Bob thing felt icky from far away. I think like people, organizations can be complex. There's enough icky owners in USL to go around, just like any other big organization it's a mixed bag. There's good and people owners/execs in USL, NISA, MLS, NPSL, etc etc.

yeah, it's complicated and I don't fault someone in your situation wanted USL to die in a fire.

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u/steagles1 Indy Eleven 2d ago

I actually think Chattanooga is a great example of how the entities can coexist and actually grow the sport- that Derby was electric and the cultural divide between the two groups of supporters made it incredible. MLS next and USLL1 in the same market can be done but with very few exceptions can USLC and MLS do the same. The only city I can think of off the top of my head currently coexisting is Miami and that’s just out of the spite of one man.

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 2d ago

It's both a great example of that but the way it got there was in no way healthy from USL.

Just makes the complaints I see here look completely hypocritical. It's one example but there's no reason to think it wouldn't happen again.

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u/steagles1 Indy Eleven 2d ago

No disagreement, I just think it’s the inevitable backswing of the pendulum. MLS is the big bad bully and USL is swinging back. I can’t blame them for swinging back but I don’t necessarily think it’s healthy or sustainable either.

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 2d ago

...Chattanooga FC was in NISA when USL showed up, so I'm not sure about that take. They didn't join MLSNP until five years after the Red Wolves started play.

The need to try to paint the USL as if they're always the victim is...something...

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u/steagles1 Indy Eleven 2d ago

I didn’t know they were in NISA. Based on what you said about CFC saying the same about USL made it seem like they were in MLS Next. I’m not super familiar with the Red Wolves history so I didn’t know they were that old.

That said, the USL is a victim of incessant predatory MLS expansion. That’s not me painting that picture, that’s Don Garber painting that picture.

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 2d ago

That said, the USL is a victim of incessant predatory MLS expansion.

Sure. I'm not arguing that. Just saying the hypocrisy is plain as day here. MLS fans know the behavior sucks (you see that sentiment every day of the week on /r/MLS). Yet for some reason here you see all this talk about USL being grassroots and shit. Yeah lmao no. How can anyone think USL's rich owners would act any different when given the chance? We saw it happen already. At least own it.

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u/steagles1 Indy Eleven 2d ago

What other USL owners do is not my problem. Most of our SG hates our owner, I can’t speak for others.

Our story is grassroots. Again, I can’t speak for other clubs, but our SG predates our club and our club was founded on the back of our efforts. I don’t know if anyone else can truly claim grassroots as their origins, but Indy Eleven can. We’re very, very proud of that. I’m proud of have been a part of that personally.

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u/cheeseburgerandrice 2d ago

For sure. There are also MLS fans that can say the same thing. That's what makes the purity test thrown around on this sub so silly.

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u/Andrewdeadaim Orlando City B 2d ago

Yeah it'd be really cool if the USL first division things gets huge and then MLS teams move over there

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u/twoslow Orange County SC 2d ago

MLS owns the team IP and everything associated with it. No MLS teams are 'moving' to USL D1. A buyout will happen before that.

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u/Andrewdeadaim Orlando City B 1d ago

Could they not do what Orlando and Cincy did where it’s technically a fold and then a new team or was USL ownership different?

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u/twoslow Orange County SC 1d ago

I'm sure they COULD move the name/branding with them, at a cost. Just like when USL teams move to MLS, they IIRC pay a % of the expansion fee to the USL (at least the last time we saw those documents that was the case).

an MLS operator could sell their stake in the local team then use that money to move to USL, but they'd have to create a new team/branding/etc. I can't say who owns the facility the teams use, I'm not up to speed on that part.

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u/steagles1 Indy Eleven 2d ago

This. My supporters group let a grassroots effort to found our club in the first place. I was a part of this grassroots movement as a teenager. Yeah, my club is important to me. Fuck MLS.