Finn Hoerl | staff writer

The United Soccer League (USL) announced plans last year to form the USL Premier, a league with promotion and relegation that would push it to be a competitor of Major League Soccer (MLS).

Promotion and relegation are a staple of the most prominent leagues in the world, in which the lowest performers of the top league are dropped down into the second tier. The highest performers in the second tier then take their place.

This system has been standard across all the best leagues in the world but has yet to break through in the United States. So, will the USL’s new format be a net positive for American soccer? And what does it mean for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds?

The USL has historically been the second tier of soccer in the U.S. Now, it is trying to form its own league to fill the gap created by MLS being unwilling to budge on promotion and relegation.

I begin by saying that the creation of the USL Premier is a fantastic idea. It is a great step toward the U.S. becoming a top footballing nation; it is clear that there is a desire by Americans to be able to compete on the national stage after an inspiring FIFA World Cup run that fell short.

However, dethroning the MLS is no small task. Our current top flight is considered by many to be a global giant — with many even claiming that it is a top-10 league throughout the world. I believe their upward mobility in global rankings (as well as its global reputation) will be severely hampered by not adopting promotion and relegation.

The U.S.’s football esteem has been long tainted by the unwillingness of the league to break its static system. The league is profit-sharing and under a single entity structure, with so much of the ownership and operation of clubs being done by MLS. Essentially, MLS is mainly interested in keeping itself afloat rather than growing the sport.

This means owners do not want to pay a huge fee to be in the league, just for there to be a chance of being knocked out of it. Imagine, for example, the financial risk possible if LA Galaxy spent a year in the second tier. Ticket sales would plummet, and the club would lose millions.

This expansion of the USL, I believe, is bound to result in gain for the Riverhounds. They’ve already unveiled plans to expand their stadium, which was driven by expectations of USL Premier requiring at least 15,000 seats. At the least, they can accommodate the ticket demand not met by the current FNB Stadium.

The Riverhounds haven’t been confirmed to be one of the founding Premier teams, but they are (as I see it) a shoo-in. Pittsburgh is one of the league leaders in attendance and financial stability, as well as sitting in the middle-to-top for market size. If the Riverhounds can remain in the Premier division for a long while — and MLS loses some of its interest to the rival league — they are particularly in luck.

If MLS sees genuine interest in a new league model, they may be forced to make changes. As is the case with many competing leagues, I predict MLS will eventually attempt to absorb the USL or buy out some clubs, along with adopting promotion and relegation.

This would set some of USL’s big clubs up for MLS membership. If the league isn’t so wildly popular, I still see the league being more successful than the current second tier. Either situation would bode well for the Riverhounds.

Being a supporter of promotion and relegation shows that you are interested in the long-term health and success of soccer in America, rather than trying to drive profits of one particular league. The USL’s foray into this new model is, in my opinion, going to be a net positive for soccer in the U.S.

Any Pittsburgher in their right mind should be counting the days until this new league forms. I could only imagine the celebrations if this last year’s USL Championship win meant promotion into the top tier. Riverhounds fans went crazy for their team winning the trophy, but soon, a win like that could mean a whole lot more for soccer fans all across America.

Matchups that currently seem ridiculous, like New York Red Bulls or Inter Miami facing off against the Riverhounds, are now nearly within our sights as being a regular occurrence. Promotion and relegation is a huge win for lower league fans and MLS clubs alike. The U.S., and especially Pittsburgh, are close to getting a taste of one of the most fantastic aspects of the beautiful game.

Finn Hoerl can be reached at hoerlf@duq.edu