The NASL’s decision to litigate was not unanimous

Photo credit: NASL

The decision to sue USSF was not unanimous.

Yesterday evening, NASL announced that the league was filing a federal antitrust lawsuit against the USSF. While we know that Rocco Commisso is in support of the litigation – based on his statement in the press release – whether or not all other owners are on board was unclear. Soc Takes has learned, via multiple sources, that the decision to move forward with the lawsuit was not unanimous. 

Soc Takes cannot confirm exactly which teams voted ‘no’ on this decision. An NASL spokesperson declined to comment on the story, citing that “All board votes are confidential.”

Speculation zone

While I cannot say this with certainty, I would posit that the most likely candidates for the “no-vote (s)” must be NCFC, Indy and Deltas.

Given that Mr. Stephen Malik is a representative to USSF and his team is currently applying for an MLS expansion bid, it is reasonable to question whether the N Carolina were in support of this litigation. Similarly, Indy XI is also one of the twelve teams looking at MLS expansion. An Indy XI spokesperson said that the team cannot comment on any litigation.

San Francisco Deltas’ future still remains uncertain. But, given CEO Helmick’s stated desire for a more collaborative existence with other leagues and the federation, it is possible that they may have been one of the ‘no’ votes as well.

Update: (3:20PM): Am informed that FC Edmonton “found out about the lawsuit over the telephone”. As such, they were not involved in the voting process.

Conclusion

A decision to take a litigious approach to ensure league survival is likely the last roll of the dice from the NASL. While it can be argued that the league was left no choice but to take this action, the lack of unity in this decision, yet again, is indicative that league owners are not in agreement about the future direction of the league.

Outside of the direction, whether or not there is a future, at all, for the league hinges heavily on this lawsuit.

You can follow Nipun on twitter at NipunChopra7. You can read the initial thoughts of Soc Takes contributors on this filing.