United Soccer Leagues

Interview: Dave Askinas

CEO United Soccer Leagues

With so much growth within soccer in the United States I decided to interview one of the major players within that growth. The United Soccer League continues to grow every year and now Major League Soccer will be growing over the next two years as well. I decided to interview Dave Askinas CEO for the USL to get his input on the growth of his League and how MLS' growth will affect them. Here's how it went:

SoccerLoop: What are your thoughts on the current state of the A-League in regards to team's financial success and the growth of the League?

Dave Askinas: We are making progress but we have a long way to go before all our teams are financially viable and not susceptible to the owners’ tolerance for absorbing short-term financial losses. We have some profitable franchises and the outlook improves every year. We’ve been consistent in stating that the future growth of the league is intricately tied to the ability to construct medium sized soccer specific facilities. Teams that control their own revenue streams and can offer the fans a comfortable, high quality consumer experience will be able to prosper. Until we reach the point where all of our teams are in such facilities we will fight hard to reach break-even profits/losses. We have setbacks along the way as teams miscalculate their markets and do not budget correctly for the long term. Edmonton is another disappointing example of unrealistic revenue projections and poor management.

SL: The USL is considering putting an A-League team in Salt Lake City. Do you think there will be enough focus on that A-League team (Utah Blitzz) with an expansion MLS team beginning play there next season? How do you think the relationship between the teams will pan out?

DA: There is another way to look at this issue. We have a long established PSL team in SLC that has finally been able to build a credible fan base and terrific youth organization. What are they being offered by the new MLS franchise in terms of compensation for leaving the market and selling the youth programs and fan lists? As of this point there has been no comments regarding the Blitzz. It’s as if they don’t even exist. So the Blitzz owners have every right to continue their business and protect their investment. At what level they choose to play is going to be a business decision on their part and we will do our best to support their decision, including discussion of a move to the A-League. What relationship the teams choose to have is all dependent open the amount of respect shown by the new MLS franchise to the Blitzz.

SL: Will there be any other expansion franchises for the USL that we haven't heard anything regarding for next season? On the other hand will there be any teams leaving the USL?

DA: Obviously, Edmonton is now a huge question mark for 2005. There are one or two other situations that may cause a change in the composition of the league depending on some MLS issues and those are no secret, Seattle and Rochester, depending on future MLS expansion or relocation and owner decisions. There may also be some new A-League teams in 2005 or 2006 but no announcements are imminent. We continue to be very cautious in our approach to expansion.

SL: We already mentioned that Utah may be moving up to the A-League, but will any other PSL or PDL teams be moving?

DA: I would be surprised if any teams in PSL or PDL were contemplating an application to move up for 2005.

SL: What are your thoughts on promotion/relegation within the pro ranks of US Soccer? Could it ever work? If so, how?

DA: We are looking at promotion/relegation within our professional division and are discussing some changes to take place in the next couple of years. We have had a de facto system in place right now where teams are always seeking the right level. Charlotte moved up and then moved down when support and finances were not quite able to sustain the A-League model. That could change in the future for them. Pittsburgh moved down last year. Long Island moved down and may someday look to move back up. We are more interested in stability for the franchises rather than promoting teams solely based on won/lost records. Promotion and relegation with MLS is just not in the cards for the foreseeable future. They have a different business model and a different level of investor and stadium investment in their league. When we are closer to them in terms of stadium development and attendances with all of our teams then it becomes a more interesting theoretical discussion.

SL: If promotion/relegation could never happen in this country what is something that can be done to create more excitement for a long season?

DA: USSF is working hard to place more interest in the Open Cup. Cup formats with extended Cup runs for teams not doing well in the league are one way to keep interest over the course of the season. Our seasons are not that long that it is easy to lose interest. It is really a four to 5 month season including playoffs.

SL: What are your thoughts on the Rhinos and/or the Seattle Sounders possibly going to MLS in 2006, as well as Portland in the future? How does that affect the A-League?

DA: We would be sorry to see each of them go. In my opinion Rochester has earned the right to make an informed choice as to the league in which they believe they have the best chance of business success. Seattle is a different story. The support for the Sounders from the community hasn’t provided a lot of hard evidence that professional soccer of any label would be successful. Showing up to see Man U v. Celtic only proves that a big time European game will draw well. There’s a big surprise. Rebranding soccer with an MLS name isn’t necessarily going to bring in an extra 15,000 fans per game. The Sounders are struggling to bring in 2,500 fans per game and I see nothing to indicate this will change enough to pack Seahawks Stadium, the type of facility MLS has publicly stated they wish to put as part of their past.

SL: What are your thoughts on the US Open Cup? Do you think that there should be more focus on it? How important is it for the USL to have a US Open Cup Champion like the Rhinos in 1999?

DA: Having a good Cup run for underdog teams creates the magic of the Cup. Some of our PDL teams came close to pulling off a few upsets this year. There needs to be more of that and the Cup will grow in stature. This week will tell if some of our A-League teams are up to the task. Having good performances against MLS shows the kind of soccer our teams can play. We have nothing to apologize for in the talent level of the players in our league. The quality of the product on the field is very good.

SL: What is the 5-year outlook for the USL?

DA: Again, we will look to upgrade all our playing venues and then decide on the right sized professional league. We then will look to grow the business, not necessarily in terms of more teams, but rather in terms of public awareness through increased branding and marketing. We have a good story to tell and we will endeavor to do a better job of telling that story to the public.

Interview by: Steven Patton