Tag: USSF
The Socceresq Podcast: Happy New Year
The Socceresq Podcast: Happy New Year. In this episode, I talk about my plans for the next couple of months (heading to Arizona for the USSF AGM conference), the status of SaveTheCrew (hint: 98% saved) and AustinFC (hint: mostly done), what's going on in Miami (hint: Who knows) and I tease a story about the ...
Transfer of Christian Pulisic Again Raises Specter of Solidarity Payments
Shortly after Borussia Dortmund confirmed the transfer of Christian Pulisic to Chelsea for a fee of €64 million, Will Parchman noted in a tweet that PA Classics, the youth development club that in part developed the starlet, stands to lose about $740k in solidarity payments. Setting aside the fact that there is just about no ...
The Year in Soccer Jurisprudence w/Steven Bank and Neil Morris
The Year in Soccer Jurisprudence w/Steven Bank and Neil Morris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a20FPXPrn50 Myself with Steven Bank and Neil Morris If you'd like to listen in SoundCloud form, I've got you covered as well. Same through the website.
My First Athletic Article
I won't do this all the time, but I had to plug my first article for The Athletic, which is on the issue of Solidarity Payments/Training Compensation. I've written about this before, but we got a pretty big update courtesy of the interview I did with Lance Reich, the attorney for Crossfire. Hope you enjoy; ...
Schedules and Standards: “Parallel Paths” Likely Creating Headache for MLS in 2019
One of the outstanding questions in the SaveTheCrew saga (aside from the question of whether they'll be saved) revolves around how MLS will handle the 2019 season with the fate of the team not resolved. PSV has been processing ticket payments from Crew fans, in anticipation of playing at Mapfre in 2019, though the fine print ...
Discovery in NASL v. USSF/MLS Anti-Trust Case Moving Forward
With a discovery cutoff of April 30, 2019, the parties in the NASL v. USSF/MLS anti-trust case are starting to prepare to obtain the necessary documents to bring this matter closer to a conclusion. To be sure, we're still likely ten or so months out from a trial (or a summary judgment motion) in this ...
NASL Files Motion to Compel USSF and MLS to Provide Discovery; Court Sets Hearing for August 27
You didn't forget there were other lawsuits in U.S. Soccer besides SaveTheCrew, did you? With the motion to dismiss the Modell lawsuit set for next month, and the MLS2ATX proposal resolved (for now), I'm afforded an opportunity to check in with the NASL v. USSF/MLS anti-trust lawsuit. When last we left off, NASL was attempting to ...
Legal Links: The Week in Soccer Legal News
I'll try this out and see if it gets a good reception. Hopefully it'll serve a catch-all for the news tidbits you may have missed during the week. USSF v. NASL/MLS: MLS Spared Accelerated Antitrust Trial Against Soccer League. [Paywall] The article is paywalled, but I was able to get a copy of the full entry ...
Emails Provide Insight Into How USSF/MLS Used Fraser “Stipulation” to Refuse Training Compensation Payments
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: My story on Training Compensation/Solidarity Payments got a great reception (thanks!), and aside from the issues involving the MLSPA's reluctance to agree to participate, the other focus ...
What Exactly is Preventing US Soccer and MLS from Participating in the FIFA Solidarity/Training Compensation System?
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: (Fake?) News reports of Tottenham Hotspur tendering a $58 million offer for the services of Christian Pulisic have once again raised the issue of training ...
NASL Requests Expedited Trial Date; Warns 2019 and 2020 Seasons on Verge of Being Cancelled
Note: I recently started a Patreon for those who want to help support/expand my writing content. Whatever you'd like to contribute is greatly appreciated! End plug. Become a Patron: Back in June, the Court set the preliminary schedule for the next year or so in the NASL v. USSF/MLS anti-trust case. In their initial ...
Happy U.S. Soccer Financial Disclosure Day!
Okay, that's not a real day (and let us hope it never is). But the USSF has finally released its Audited Statement for FY 2017. In that includes an "explanation" of the financials of the 2016 Copa América Centenario. It's about as clear as mud, especially if you're not an accountant (and I surely am not). ...
NASL v. USSF/MLS: Parties Propose Wildly Different Scheduling Orders; Court Calls Both Parties in for Expedited Scheduling Conference
Things are moving along in the North American Soccer League anti-trust suit versus U.S. Soccer and Major League Soccer. When we last left the case off, the USSF and MLS had declined to file a motion to dismiss, and instead answered the complaint. That meant that discovery could begin to proceed, subject to the parties ...
Media Notes
Just a couple of personal/media notes here. First, if you're looking for a long form discussion keeping you up to date on the latest NASL/USSF/MLS legal happenings, I joined the Feuerstein's Fire podcast with Daniel and Kartik Krishnaiyer to chat about the latest. Good 45-minute discussion, so give it a listen. Second, I'll be joining SonarFeed as a regular panelist ...
Legal Linkage
There are a couple of things I wanted to briefly comment on (but don't necessarily warrant a full post at this time): GAMBLING: Chief among them, is the ruling from the Supreme Court this morning which has overturned the federal law on sports gambling. You can read the ruling here, but the tl;dr summary is: if the ...
NASL v. USSF/MLS: Dramatic Change in Tactics as Defendants File Answer to Amended Complaint
We've had a pretty big change in legal strategy in the NASL v. USSF/MLS anti-trust case. As far back as October, USSF (then the only defendant) was angling to file a motion to dismiss the anti-trust case. That was put on hold while the parties argued over the preliminary injunction. When that was decided in February, the ...
NASL Files Response to USSF Board’s Motion to Dismiss; Accuses Sunil Gulati of Improperly Persuading Board Member to Vote to De-sanction NASL
The responsive briefing from the NASL to the USSF motion to dismiss the Breach of Fiduciary Duty lawsuit is in, and there are a couple of notable accusations. Primarily, New York Cosmos owner Rocco Commisso accuses Sunil Gulati of what I could only guess would be "improperly persuading" board members (Lisa Carnoy in particular) of voting ...
May 11th: Motion Day (Or: Worst Friday Happy Hour Ever)
If your idea of a fun Friday is pouring over motions in various lawsuits in the United States soccer universe, then May 11th is lining up as the best day ever. Assuming the parties comply with the scheduling orders/agreements, we'll have no less than three motions set for release tomorrow. A brief preview: NASL V. ...
The $500,000,000 (Soccer) Pyramid
Out of the ashes of the scorched-earth legal proceedings involving the North American Soccer League, the United States Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer comes a glimmer of a path forward. I shouldn't overstate this; it barely qualifies as spark at this point. But as first reported by Brian Straus and Graham Parker and later released by the New ...
NASL Amends Anti-Trust Complaint Part IV: Claims, Causes and Prayers
You can read Part I here. You can read Part II here. You can read Part III here. I've been preoccupied with the #SaveTheCrew happenings, but lest we forget, the business end of the NASL/USSF drama is about to pick up. The motion to dismiss (or answer to the amended NASL complaint) from USSF was due on ...
