Let's get the obvious out of the way up front, shall we? There is not currently, nor has there ever been, a full, traditional system of on-field-merit-based promotion and relegation in any American pro soccer endeavor that I'm aware of[1].

With that said, the essence of promotion and relegation, the ability to move between levels of a nebulous pyramid, does exist, and has for more than a decade[2].

Latest crowd figures from the Major Indoor Soccer League, where Rochester has taken over the lead from Baltimore. The Blast has led its league in average attendance in each of the last seven years.

Team G Total Avg. Med Hi Lo Rochester Lancers 9 48,961 5,440 5,212 6,997 3,997 Baltimore Blast 10 53,769 5,377 5,740 8,078 2,316 Missouri Comets 8 33,340 4,168 3,640 8,276 2,853 Milwaukee Wave 9 33,591 3,732 3,316 5,416 3,059 Wichita Wings 10 34,903 3,490 3,350 5,000 2,000 Syracuse Silver Knights 8 22,569 2,821 2,637 3,670 2,317 Norfolk SharX 8 11,574 1,447 1,082 3,422 635 MISL TOTAL 62 238,707 3,850 3,461 8,276 635

The league is projecting to finish at slightly under last year's average of 4,007 per game.

For the seventh consecutive year, I'm one of the voters for the National Soccer Hall of Fame, and it's a responsibility I take very seriously. I've made each of my previous six ballots and the rationales behind them public, so there's no need to change now.

There are 12 newcomers on the 31-player ballot for 2012.

Apparently I'm "soccer historian," which I'll take. Though there are others (like Colin Jose, Dave Litterer, Roger Allaway and Steve Holroyd).

Anyway, Milwaukee Wave head coach Keith Tozer won his 700th indoor game Sunday as the Wave beat Rochester 26-10.

Imagine a bad breakup with someone you shouldn't have hooked up with in the first place, someone who seemed perfect for you but who belittled you to your friends, was a slob, didn't pay their half of the rent and utilities and criticized your sexual performance. Now imagine having to have that person spend one weekend a month at your house for the next two years.

You may member an indoor soccer team called the Phoenix Monsoon (the one that listed me as its play-by-play announcer despite not actually, you know, consummating a deal with me). This was its maiden season in the PASL, and they had big plans for it. Well, the original owner was out before Christmas and the new owners have changed the name of the team to the Arizona Storm.

Back after a hiatus, I present you the latest attendance figures from the Major Indoor Soccer League. As you may or may not know, United Soccer Leagues took over the MISL this season and brought it under their umbrella along with its nascent I-League. The result is a seven-team league that's averaging right about what the old one was through the same number of games a year ago.

After a long hiatus (for a number of reasons), here are the final (in most cases) attendance figures for the primary men's and women's outdoor soccer leagues in North America for 2011. As always, corrections and additions are welcome.

THE MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER G Total Avg. Seattle Sounders 17 654,431 38,496 Los Angeles Galaxy 17 396,693 23,335 Vancouver Whitecaps 17 346,909 20,406 Toronto FC 17 344,535 20,267 New York Red Bulls 17 335,740 19,749 Portland Timbers 17 320,051 18,827 Philadelphia Union 17 310,401 18,259 Sporting Kansas City 17 302,776 17,810 Houston Dynamo 17 300,796 17,694 Real Salt Lake 17 299,047 17,591 DC United 17 258,332 15,196 Colorado Rapids 17 252,248 14,838 Chivas USA 17 252,102 14,830 Chicago Fire 17 242,648 14,273 New England Revolution 17 224,770 13,222 FC Dallas 17 218,636 12,861 Columbus Crew 17 207,147 12,185 San Jose Earthquakes 17 201,587 11,858 MLS TOTAL 306 5,468,849 17,872 NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE G Total Avg.

Seattle Sounders fans who traveled to Sandy, Utah for the first leg of the MLS quarterfinal tie between the Sounders and Real Salt Lake are either showing their disdain for their opponents or signifying the number of goals their team has now scored in five all-time MLS Cup Playoff games since 2009.

Just a quick note:

The University of South Florida is actually in Central Florida. A Canadian team once won back-to-back American League championships. Duke basketball has played in the NCAA's West Region five times and its Midwest Region four times. Neither the New York Giants nor New York Jets play in New York, and the Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington.

The USL Pro season came to a close with an entertaining and exciting final Saturday night that saw Orlando City outlast the Harrisburg City Islanders in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw through 120 minutes. Here are the highlights:

It was a heartbreaking loss for the City Islanders, who had finished with the fifth-best overall record in the league but who battled the regular-season champion Lions toe-to-toe for 120 minutes.

The final USL Pro playoff berth wasn't decided until the final whistle of last Friday's USL Pro Game of the Week on FOX Soccer. Here are the highlights of the Charleston Battery's 4-3 win over the Charlotte Eagles, one that included a two-goal, Player of the Week performance by the Battery's Mike Zaher:

The playoffs begin Friday, with Rochester hosting Pittsburgh, Wilmington hosting Richmond and Los Angeles traveling to Harrisburg.

Here are highlights of last Friday night's USL Pro Game of the Week, in which the Wilmington Hammerheads defeated the Los Angeles Blues 2-1 in front of a Legion Stadium record crowd of nearly 6,000.

Our final regular-season telecast, this Friday at Charleston, could determine the eighth and final playoff spot for 2011.

(It was either that or "Deutsch Treat." Did I choose wisely?)

I've written before about Jürgen Klinsmann's reputation outstripping his actual resume, but the time for all that talk is over now that Klinsmann is, officially, the 35th head man in the history of the US National Team.

The Rochester Rhinos clinched a playoff berth for the 16th consecutive year by beating the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on the USL PRO Game of the Week last Friday night. Here are the highlights:

After seven games in seven weeks, I have a break this weekend and will get back after it for the stretch run and the playoffs starting August 5 in Wilmington.