"These stories are so much more interesting than the franchises which tend to dominate mainstream soccer media." Today's interview is brought to you by SoccerElf.com. SoccerElf.com is a brand new website dedicated to helping people all across the United States find the nearest pick up soccer game. If you can't find one near you, guess what? You can create one. Right now, it's still in the early stages, so AP has partnered with them to help get the word out, get more people on the site, and get more games going everywhere! The more chances to play, the more people will play. And the more people who play, the more the game grows.
It's special edition time ladies and gents! This year, AP has completed a coup: interviews with US Open Cup opponents, Tartan Devils FC (Click Here to read their interview) and Derby City Rovers! This is an exciting game for both teams, not only because it is the USOC, but because of the potential second round game. Louisville City vs Derby City Rovers in Louisville, or Louisville City vs Tartan Devils FC in Pittsburgh. There's a lot riding on this one beyond mere bragging rights. Without further adieu, I present 'Swashbuckling Futbol.' Check it out. This article is intentionally absurd. I want to be clear about that. Friday's are slow days, and I come up with all kinds of absurd soccer ideas on Friday's. Soccer in Hawaii with two divisions, complete with hand-drawn logos. Same for New Mexico. How the UPSL could create promotion and relegation structure in California from city and county leagues all the way up to one statewide league. Crazy stuff like that. Today's crazy idea was simple. What if all the non-MLS teams in California decided that they would be better off forming their own league? It would cut down on travel, for sure, and since the state would be the worlds sixth largest economy if it were it's own country, that gives you a lot of potential capital. And, obviously, a lot of population to draw fans from. Now, in this absurd scenario, what would the league look like? Well, it would be several tiers, for starters. All the NPSL, UPSL, PDL and CSL USA Region 4 teams would create two separate championship conferences, NorCal Conference 1 and SoCal Conference 1. It would look like this:
That's pretty impressive, and I had to leave 8 UPSL clubs out of the SoCal Conference 1. Even though this article is an exercise in the fantastic, those are sweet 22 team conferences. Now, let's look at the top. We'll call it the California Liga for kicks. Who would play in this league? As part of this, I'm going to include rumored USL and NASL alongside the existing USL and NASL teams making up the California Liga. California LigaSan Francisco Deltas Orange County SC Sacramento Republic Orange County NASL San Diego NASL Oakland NASL Fresno USL San Diego USL San Francisco USL Santa Barbara (making this one up) First thing I realized is that there are not as many pro teams in California as I thought for some reason. Second, without the LA Galaxy 2, you'd have a 9 team league. Since I love Santa Barbara, and believe it would make a great market for an amateur or pro team done right, I gave them an imaginary team in the imaginary Liga. (seriously, Santa Barbara needs a team. If I lived there, I'd have done it by done)
The Liga is very tilted towards the major metro areas. But it won't remain that way, because this local league structure allows for promotion and relegation with ease! Anyway, I'm done now. Hope you enjoyed this exercise in What If with me. Until the muse claims me again, enjoy your weekend! "Ain't no stoppin’ us now!” Today's Interview is brought to you by Rabble.tv. Rabble.TV is the future. Ever want to give live commentary on a game you’re watching? Interested in doing a podcast? Want fun things to listen to in your down time? Or when you're supposed to be working? This is the place. Content from all around the world, and all accounts are free. Follow them on Twitter at RabbleSoccer, and dive into a whole new level of Soccer Fandom.
Welcome back AP readers! Really excited to share this interview with you today! First, an apology. Something has gone wrong with the blog tools on Weebly, who host the site, so you may notice the format of the interview is a little different. Basically, it's not letting me make the questions 'Bold,' so everything looks the same. My apologies for that. I managed to get a hold of John Battersby at Tartan Devils FC, who are competing in the US Open Cup this year, and have a first round match up with Derby City Rovers in Louisville, Kentucky on Wednesday, May 10. If the Devils win, they will get to play Louisville City of the United Soccer League in their hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To say there is some excitement here would be an understatement. Check it out. I'll be up front here. There is not much in the way of change in this weeks Power Rankings. Strikers continue to cement their status at Number, while off weeks by Santa Ana, Moreno Valley and LA Wolves let to a certain amount of stasis.
However, there are some changes worth noting. Riverside Coras has come storming back to the 3 Spot, courtesy of win earlier in the week and draw over FC Arizona, who fall from 4 to 6. La Maquina comes in hot, thanks to a massive win, and return to the top 10 at 8. California Victory keep rolling along, and climb to Number 5, while Vereinigung Erzgebirge return after a weeks abscense, knocking out fellow USLPA side Phoenix Sport Club. Same amount of point with fewer games played is a key factor here. Ozzy's Laguana are also out of the Top 10 after a 3-0 over the weekend.
No major changes in our On The Brink list, other than the swap between Phoenix Sport Club and Vereinigung Erzgebirge this week. There are some notable additions, though. El Farolito of the San Francisco Soccer Football League and GPS Omens of the Bay State Soccer League are now looking like strong additions to the AP Power Rankings in the coming weeks.
What do you make of this weeks Power Rankings? Let us know what you think in the comments below! |
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