New post from Richard Whittall this morning that is an altogether better effort than what lead to my takedown yesterday.

I think we can all agree that the bizarre world of North American soccer, from the Hexagonal to the USL Premier Development league, is a niche interest pretty much completely absent in any meaningful way from mainstream print media in North America.

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AMSL Hard at Work
It's not often you get honoured with your name in a post title.
How did we get here exactly?
Well, last Sunday morning, as part of my weekend gig writing the Sweeper at pitchinvasion.net, I attempted to reveal what I thought were the underlying ideological fault lines in the on-going salary cap debate in Em El Es between Ben Knight and Fake Sigi. Click to continue reading...

Austria's Cashpoint SCR Altach have looked again to the US for talent after signing Armando Ochoa from Hollywood United Hitmen of the Premier Development League. Click to continue reading...

The Chicago Fire is the first Major League Soccer club to have a fully integrated youth program running from Under-8 to an Under-23 squad playing in the Premier Development League, and now the club is expanding its reach by selling the Fire brand to youth clubs in Mississippi and Louisiana. The incentive for MLS clubs to increase their youth talent pool is spurred by the "homegrown" policy that allows a club to put young players. Click to continue reading...

My, my. The drama we've had in the United Soccer Leagues in the last week is enough to support a new soap opera. Perhaps USLLive.com should branch out. Here's an episode guide, in case you're just catching up. It's a long story already, so get some popcorn and settle in.
First, we got the news that some outfit called "NuRock" had acquired United Soccer Leagues:

Rob Hoskins, Chairman of NuRock Soccer Holdings, commented, "Our vision for USL is to become the most competitive and profitable pyramid of soccer leagues in North America, while providing affordable family entertainment, and serving as the inspirational destination for professional and amateur youth soccer players in the U.

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Bill Beacon of the Canadian Press is reporting that owners of teams in the United Soccer Leagues First Division are prepared to start their own league next season unless they get more say in how USL-1 is managed and run, Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo said Tuesday.

The eight-club Team Owners Association, angry that Nike passed them over last week to sell the league to a corporate owner, NuRock Soccer Holdings, announced they would "explore other options.

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Tuesday, September 01, 2009

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), in partnership with Ottawa Fury owner and CEO John Pugh, announced today they have applied for a United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) franchise. The team would play and be based at a proposed new stadium at Lansdowne Park, which would be built as part of the Lansdowne project, subject to Ottawa City Council's approval.

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Tuesday, September 01, 2009

OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG), in partnership with Ottawa Fury owner and CEO John Pugh, announced today they have applied for a United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) franchise. The team would play and be based at a proposed new stadium at Lansdowne Park, which would be built as part of the Lansdowne project, subject to Ottawa City Council's approval.

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This information comes directly from Marc Webber of the Vancouver Province.
September 1, 2009
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VANCOUVER — Before Monday, the United Soccer Leagues' Team Owners' Association was a relatively-unknown entity.

That changed when the group fired a salvo expressing "extreme disappointment" in Nike's decision to sell the USL to NuRock Soccer Holdings last week, and made public its desire to pursue "all league options for the 2010 season and beyond.

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OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FROM USL
Atlanta, Georgia (Aug 27th, 2009) – NuRock Soccer Holdings LLC ("NuRock Soccer Holdings") today announced that it has acquired United Soccer Leagues ("USL") from NIKE.
NuRock Soccer Holdings, based in Atlanta, is led by Rob Hoskins and Alec Papadakis. Click to continue reading...

The official website of the United Soccer Leagues is confirming that NuRock Soccer Holdings LLC ("NuRock Soccer Holdings") today announced that it has acquired United Soccer Leagues ("USL") from NIKE.

NuRock Soccer Holdings, based in Atlanta, is led by Rob Hoskins and Alec Papadakis. NuRock Soccer Holdings is currently a USL franchisee with a Premier Development League operation in Atlanta and rights to acquire two USL First Division teams in Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama marketplaces, respectively.

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So if you had Atlanta-based NuRock Soccer Holdings as the buyers of the United Soccer Leagues from Nike, then you are the winners. Congrats.

Seriously though, NuRock has bought the USL from Nike today, a press release just came into the WVH inbox with all the details, except for how much this company is spending on the leagues.

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From the D.C. United Front Office, the team announced today the club has acquired midfielder Tiyiselani Shipalane on loan from the Harrisburg City Islanders (USL-2). Shipalane will serve as a roster replacement for Thabiso "Boyzzz" Khumalo, who has been put on the Disabled List. The club also announced forward Luciano Emilio has received his green card and will no longer count as an International on the team's roster. Click to continue reading...

Saturday, August 8, 2009 - USL Soccer.com

VENTURA, CA The Ventura County Fusion won the 2009 USL Premier Development League title Saturday night at Buena High School, beating the Chicago Fire 2-1 despite playing for nearly an hour with just 10 men. Fusion midfielder Alfonso Motagalvan scored the winning goal deep into injury time to send the sellout crowd into raptures.

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Saturday, August 8, 2009 - USL Soccer.com

VENTURA, CA The Ventura County Fusion won the 2009 USL Premier Development League title Saturday night at Buena High School, beating the Chicago Fire 2-1 despite playing for nearly an hour with just 10 men. Fusion midfielder Alfonso Motagalvan scored the winning goal deep into injury time to send the sellout crowd into raptures.

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Rochester, MN – Forward Teal Bunbury was honored with the Rochester Thunder's first-ever post-season individual award last week as he was named to the Premier Development League's Central Conference All-Conference team. The team is composed of players from the PDL's Heartland and Great Lakes Divisions.

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Rochester, MN – Forward Teal Bunbury was honored with the Rochester Thunder's first-ever post-season individual award last week as he was named to the Premier Development League's Central Conference All-Conference team. The team is composed of players from the PDL's Heartland and Great Lakes Divisions.

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Shiver me Timbers
- click on photos to enlarge image -
AC Milan v Inter Milan, Celtic v Rangers, Real Madrid v Barcelona, Brighton v Crystal Palace. These are all well established rivalries that everybody knows about and can talk about until the cows come home. Up until a fortnight ago, I didn't know of another great footballing rivalry in the Northwestern United States. Click to continue reading...

First off, if you only click one link in this blog post make it this one, a 16-picture gallery by readers of English newspaper The Guardian illustrating the Landon Donovan-David Beckham soap opera. Some hilarious stuff in there.

Donovan was still addressing the issue Friday in Kansas City before today's nationally televised game (live at 6 p.

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Ely Allen and now teammate Fred.
Loyal MLSR readers will already find this as 'old news' as it appeared as a very credible rumor here in the wee hours Thursday morning. But now it is official...
From DC United:

D.C. United signs midfielder Ely Allen

Allen serves as replacement for Brandon Barklage on roster

Washington, D.

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Many American football fans, especially those who only focus on MLS don't know much about the PDL. The USL run Premier Development League however is having quite a summer. First, current PDL star Anton Peterlin signed with Everton of the English Premier League.

Next, PDL product Charlie Davies burst onto the world scene with an amazing Confederations Cup run which almost single handily turned the USA from the tournaments most impotent attacking force to having one hand on the trophy in the final.

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image via Colorado Rapids

Matt Pickens of the Colorado Rapids is this week's guest on the Jared Montz Soccer Podcast. Matt grew up near St. Louis, Missouri and played collegiate ball at Southwest Missouri State which is now called Missouri State. He's been in MLS since 2004 and is currently the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids with a 1.

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image via Colorado Rapids

Matt Pickens of the Colorado Rapids is this week's guest on the Jared Montz Soccer Podcast. Matt grew up near St. Louis, Missouri and played collegiate ball at Southwest Missouri State which is now called Missouri State. He's been in MLS since 2004 and is currently the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids with a 1.

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Little more than an hour's drive from Jose Mourinho's reunion match with Chelsea, before the largest southern Californian soccer crowd in a decade, the Gold Coast simultaneously played host to an international friendly of a smaller scale, but a truer sense of the term.

Burnley, the tradition-rich Lancashire club which earned promotion in May's playoff final win over Sheffield United at Wembley, pummeled its host, the Ventura County Fusion of American soccer's fourth tier, 5-0, Tuesday night before 3,358 in a high school football stadium.

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USL News Release Thursday, July 16, 2009- Tampa, Florida

Going into the final weekend of the Premier Development League season, 13 teams are still vying for seven coveted playoff spots, while the race for division titles and the Regular Season Championship reaches its ultimate conclusion.

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USL News Release Thursday, July 16, 2009- Tampa, Florida

Going into the final weekend of the Premier Development League season, 13 teams are still vying for seven coveted playoff spots, while the race for division titles and the Regular Season Championship reaches its ultimate conclusion.

Click to continue reading...

It is a story more familiar with the big screen and the football movie ‘Goal' but 22-year-old midfielder Anton Peterlin has proved miracles do happen as he secured a move from Ventura County Fusion, in the US Premier Development League, to English Premier League side Everton.
The route from the fourth tier of US football to arguably the toughest league in Europe is not a well worn path but does show that hard work and application can be rewarded. Click to continue reading...

It is a story more familiar with the big screen and the football movie ‘Goal' but 22-year-old midfielder Anton Peterlin has proved miracles do happen as he secured a move from Ventura County Fusion, in the US Premier Development League, to English Premier League side Everton.
The route from the fourth tier of US football to arguably the toughest league in Europe is not a well worn path but does show that hard work and application can be rewarded. Click to continue reading...

Ok, so maybe this is one of those true rare Cinderalla stories. Anton Peterlin spent his last season playing in the top flight of – brace for it – US Amateur football!
Yes, I said amateur. Peterlin spent his pitch time for the Ventura County Fusion in southern California. Fusion play in the PDL's Southwest division and for those still learning about the layers of football in America, the Premier Development League is the nation's 4th tier of soccer, behind MLS, USL Div 1, and USL Div 2. Click to continue reading...

The current and former teams of midfielder Anton Peterlin - the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Mustangs, the Ventura County Fusion of the Premier Development League - and now England's Everton.

"I'm not sure how often such miracles happen, but I will not squander this opportunity," he told the Liverpool Echo.

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Several weeks ago we checked in with native Minnesotan, Max Lipset and his PDL team the Kitsap Pumas. We will continue to follow Max through the incredible season the first year Kitsap program is having in Seattle.

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) – Last night, as Kitsap Pumas forward Stephen Phillips was being interviewed by a local blogger, his teammates Matt Friesen and Mark Conrad snuck up behind him to dump a cooler of ice water on him.

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Several weeks ago we checked in with native Minnesotan, Max Lipset and his PDL team the Kitsap Pumas. We will continue to follow Max through the incredible season the first year Kitsap program is having in Seattle.

BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) – Last night, as Kitsap Pumas forward Stephen Phillips was being interviewed by a local blogger, his teammates Matt Friesen and Mark Conrad snuck up behind him to dump a cooler of ice water on him.

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... about the U.S. Open Cup.

Though United has already won two play-in games, the team's official defense of last year's U.S. Open Cup title begins tomorrow night at the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, MD (7:30 p.m. ET). The match-up is an especially intriguing one as the Black-and-Red will face off against the Ocean City Barons - a Premier Development League team, which is made up entirely of amateur players (read: they don't get paid).

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This weekend two Premier Development League matches will be featured on USLLive.com:
Friday, June 25th
Portland Timbers U23 v. Cascade Surge - 10:05pm ET
Saturday, June 26th
Vancouver Whitecaps Residency v. Cascade Surge - 10:05pm ET Click to continue reading...

Last night, teams from American leagues like USL-1, USL-2, the USL Premier Development League, and even the United States Adult Soccer Association competed in the second round of the 2009 US Open...

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