North American Soccer League cancels 2018 season | OneFootball

The North American Soccer League (NASL) has cancelled its 2018 season after failing to receive a preliminary injunction preventing the US Soccer Federation (USSF) from revoking the league’s Division II status.

The NASL has been considered the second division of the United States’ football pyramid since the league debuted in 2011. 2017 saw the United Soccer League (USL) obtain USSF Division II status, while NASL downsized from an 11-team league to eight.

The NASL was set to field just six teams when its 2018 season kicked off in August – not including 2017 champions San Francisco Deltas, who folded after their debut season.

On September 1 2017, the USSF’s Board of Directors took a decision to revoke the NASL’s Division II status, jeopardising the future of the league and its member clubs.

Two weeks later, NASL filed an anti-trust suit in Federal Court in the Eastern District of New York seeking a preliminary injunction to preserve the NASL’s Division II status while the Court considers the underlying claims.

On November 4, the District Court denied the NASL’s motion for a preliminary injunction and on February 23 2018, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the District Court’s decision.

On Tuesday, NASL Interim Commissioner Rishi Sehgal issued the following statement: “The focus of the anti-trust suit to date has been obtaining a preliminary injunction to save the 2018 Season.

“Unfortunately, with USSF’s decision and the loss of the preliminary injunction, playing the 2018 Season is no longer a possibility.

“The focus of the antitrust suit now shifts to securing the long-term advancement of soccer in this country, not only for the NASL, but for all soccer fans, clubs, and communities impacted by the USSF’s restrictions on competition.

“Also, the NASL is prosecuting a breach of fiduciary duty action against certain USSF Board members for conflicts of interest and derelictions of duty which have harmed the NASL and countless other constituents in U.S. Soccer.

“The NASL and its clubs will look at all avenues to return to the field for the 2019 Season.”