From Reckless Challenge, USL Pro will apply for Division 2 status within the USSF pyramid. Currently, USL Pro is in Division 3 with MLS and NASL in Division’s 1 and 2 respectively.
USL Pro plans to apply in 2017 but that is currently all we know for now. There are a lot of unknowns and hurdles between now and 2017 that need to be discovered and solved. One thing that is clear is that USL Pro is benefitting from their partnership with MLS which requires MLS teams to own or partner with a USL Pro team and be required to loan players to their USL Pro partner. This partnership helps MLS teams because they can give their young players some playing time, USL Pro receives backing from MLS and raises the quality of play while their MLS partner usually paying the wages.
What does it mean if USL Pro moves up to Division 2? Pretty much anything to be honest. I’m sure NASL will have something to say about this as their league’s position will be weakened if put alongside USL Pro. Depending on if USL Pro remains partnered with MLS, that may make them stronger than NASL and therefore make any possibility of pro/rel more impossible than it already is at this point.
Anyway, this is some big news and there is undoubtedly going to be more information in the coming months and years. We can only hope whatever happens that the US Soccer pyramid gets stronger.
