Without getting into hysterics and dramatic, there is a sea change in progress. We are currently seeing the growing pains of a system, a pyramid, that is gradually beginning to establish its tiers. Much to the chagrin of the general Soccer Twitter population, it will not directly involve Pro/Rel. At least not for 20 years or so
With the demise of the New York Cosmos, and the NASL as a whole, the routine bitchings that are commonplace on Soccer Twitter have grown louder. But, that’s the standard fare, right? Instead of mourning, the hostility grows louder. Instead of pausing for reflection, the vitriol bites back harder. Instead of working to break down barriers in terms of tribalism between leagues/tiers/teams, the animus stews. Everyone thinks they know the right way. But no one wants to listen beyond the end of their own fingertips.
I’m personally saddened by the demise of the Cosmos. Their specter looms large over the US football landscape. They were the torchbearers. They were faces. They defined the fierce opposition to the elite in US football. They were the flag-waving establishment of the anti-establishment. They, effectively, took on the entirety of US football, and lost. And the toll of the loss hasn't been felt yet. But it will be.
Football in the US is in a period of growing pains. We are past the nascent, primordial phase. The ooze is beginning to combine, and multiply. And we are in the part of the gradual evolution of the US pyramid, that we can't really see what's going on. It's all microscopic and happening at a rate that we cannot comprehend. But it's there. And it's doing its job. And it's creating and destroying. Just as it should be.
In the US, prior to the emergence of the [original] NASL, the leagues had been predominantly regional. And, in all seriousness, given the size of the US, that's how it should be. Various attempts at reviving the long-dead ASL. The same league that had Bethlehem Steel FC, the proper. And the Fall River Marksmen. Just to name two big names. Those leagues never caught on. Plus, the clubs who were having the most success, at least in terms of the National Challenge Cup, were all amateur. And it stayed that way until the formation of MLS.
That's the soup. It's grows. It dies. It turns into something else entirely. It grows more. It dies. Something else replaces it. Until ultimately, something catches on, and maintains its foothold. As easy as it is to panic, and to point fingers at the establishment in the USSF. Don't. It's a waste of time. Much like trying to force Pro/Rel is a waste of time. Give everything a chance to further establish itself. 20 years isn't a long time. Give it another 20-40, when our kids are having kids, or grandkids. Then we'll see.
Right now we are still, really, in the phase where football is taking hold as a popular sport for people to watch. Between the proliferation of the Premier League games, or La Liga, or the Bundesliga, on television. Not to mention Liga MX, or our own domestic top flight. There's a lot of soccer available to anyone who wants to watch it. All they have to do is hit a button. With this in mind, it'll be the generation of my children, the ones who are growing up with the game being pushed to their forefront, who will make the changes necessary to make football successful in the US. Many clubs will fall. Many leagues will fall. But ultimately, there will be something stable that rises from the embers. It won't be as hyped as the PL. Or as heavily fellated as La Liga. But it will be something unique to the US, but will reflect the global taste that the supporters of the game here, have started to establish.
Unfortunately, with this evolution, giants must fall. Also, unfortunately, it was the time for the New York Cosmos to fal. But, we mustn't let their falling be in vain. We must lay the groundwork for the next generation to do what needs to be done. This means to end the in-fighting. To end the holier- than-thou preaching, and attacking. And end the tribalism. All of these measures are counter-intuitive to the end. And they're not means to an end. They're an end unto themselves. We must work together. For we lay the groundwork that will be built tomorrow. And we must do it for the clubs that have perished along the way.
