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[QUOTE="DeGrozz, post: 3030322, member: 205"]
Again, I'm not saying this can't ever work, I'm saying it won't work until US fans start supporting their own leagues as much as they support the national team or their favorite Euro clubs.

Lower level teams do not have the capital to keep up with MLS clubs and I believe that MLS teams will be harmed more by loss of fanbase by 'playing down' than USL teams will improve by 'playing up'.

It's because there is little incentive for USL teams to invest the amount of money needed to be competitive with MLS clubs.  It's not the premier league where teams are splitting over $3 billion/year in TV money, or the Bundesliga where they are splitting $2.6 billion/year.  The MLS gets $90M/year -- about $3 million/team -- why build a stadium, build an academy, and invest millions in salary for that?  In hopes that you get a $10 royalty for every jersey you sell to the 4,000 fans that come to each of your 17 home games?

It's like you mentioned in your post, the MLS is still looking to expand.  Investors who are willing to commit that type of capital in a gamble on the long-term growth of the sport in this country have already made that investment -- there aren't a lot of other viable options at the moment with the support our league is currently getting.

It's why I blame soccer fans in the US for the state of the leagues' structures more than the Federation/MLS/USL.

And that doesn't take into account potential fourth-tier travel costs for teams who only get one or two hundred fans at their home games.  You put them into their own league and they are no longer getting checks for being body-bag games for MLS II teams or the bigger USL teams -- they are basically marked to fold.
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