He is the corollary to the effectiveness of the FC Dallas youth system. Hailing from right under the noses of club bosses near their Frisco base north of Dallas, Mikey Ambrose is the sort of development prospect garnering plaudits for the major league club.

But the 21-year-old left back did something different from his cohorts. Very different. Snubbing the advances of Dallas and MLS, he forwent his senior year at the University of Maryland and opted to sign for third-tier outfit Austin Aztex. That may have had as much to do with the constricted MLS salary on offer at the homegrown level as his place in the pecking order.

Yet it also speaks of something more transcendent. Austin is an expansion team into the ranks of the league formerly known as USL Pro. And like newcomer Austin, the recently re-branded USL appears in confident mood ahead of its 21 March opener between Charleston Battery and Toronto II, MLS club Toronto FC’s new second string.



Ten new teams will compete in the 2015 iteration of USL. Taking their total to 24 clubs, in this campaign they will operate across two conferences, East and West, broadening their geographic base. In a recent statement of intent, United Soccer Leagues outlined plans aimed at reclaiming division two status for their top league. But it also leaves them primed for a potential fight with an old foe who also bear lofty ambitions. The North American Soccer League, formed in 2009 by rebel USL clubs following fractious infighting, currently holds the title of second tier in the US soccer pyramid.

It’s a sign of the increasing strength of USL that such a player as Ambrose, an ambitious defender who eventually sees himself playing in MLS or Europe, would plumb the depths of a third tier to continue his development. His signing perhaps strengthens the paradox of third-tier status.

Jake Edwards, USL executive vice president, sought to play down the status change aspect, calling the impending application only a part of a play to change the league’s perception. On a number of fronts, there is evolution, he explains – commercially, in the number of expansion clubs, in terms of their partnership with MLS, new digital platforms and a growing supporter base that means new engagement. “It’s part of a new narrative,” he tells the Guardian. “It’s a strong, stable league.” Englishman Edwards, a former player himself, notably with USL side Charleston Battery, indicates that he sees no reason why the league can’t coexist alongside another division with second-tier status. If it were to come down to bragging rights, however, it seems certain USL considers its pool as stronger. “What’s your reference point?” he says. “You look at Open Cup matches between the divisions here, between third and second, we win as many games or more there.”

The NASL is unlikely to view a USL application to the United States Soccer Federation for D2 status positively. Underscoring competing visions, Bill Peterson, NASL commissioner, says his league has yet to take an official position owing to the fact an application had yet been lodged. That could be viewed as circumspect because he dismisses the notion USL can rightfully claim D2 status. Perhaps mindful of slight deficits in NASL ranks, he does not mention the more technical aspects that govern stadium requirements, ownership and geographical reach. But his assertion is bold: “I think the question is really going to be, ‘Is this turning into a reserve league?’”

That speaks to a notion that the competitive edge of the USL could be diluted by an overabundance of MLS second teams, an emerging trend. Only one, LA Galaxy II, took part last year. In 2015, that number jumps to eight, part of a USL-MLS development tie-up that will also see MLS sides without official second-string outfits partner with a USL affiliate. Austin head coach Paul Dalglish, who played in MLS with Houston Dynamo, is one man who would disagree. He contends that only a third of the league is comprised of directly owned MLS clubs. The rest, he argues, are outfits comprised not only of young players honing their talent but experienced journeymen playing not only for competitive merit but to support their families. He also highlights the increasingly beneficial role this type of league could play in closing the development gap for elite-level players aged 18-22. “The one percent”, as he calls them, for whom college lacks the intensity and calendar to allow their talent to fully flourish. Similarly, Edwards rejects claims either the expansion or the presence of MLS second teams dilutes the level of quality, pointing to the numerous pools of talent from which clubs build their rosters. The model gains favorable comparison too with the type of make-up seen in the Spanish pyramid, for example, with La Liga clubs fielding second and even third outfits down the divisions.

Kartik Krishnaiyer, a former NASL communications director, paints a portrait of two leagues plowing diametrically opposed models. One serves as a developmental league, while the other strives, however forlornly, to compete with MLS. In his view, both can claim points of strength at the same time as exposing areas of weakness. Peterson says NASL wants to build its strength through expansion of its own, despite delays and problems surrounding teams slated for Oklahoma City and Virginia. He hints at others, which may or may not help plug their geographical black zone in the west of the United States.

The differing visions between NASL and top-tier league MLS, too, might figure in the discussion. Some of an NASL persuasion would like to see their league become the country’s top division, de facto or otherwise. The marquee signing by fashionable New York Cosmos of former Spain international and Real Madrid striker Raul is a coup of MLS proportions. NASL has cache dating from its seminal creation. A nostalgic history that goes back to the late 1960s and the glitter of the original Cosmos side in the 1970s that included Pele holds lingering appeal. The league can also claim MLS pioneers such as Lamar Hunt as among its own initial groundbreakers. It may strain credibility but a fundamentalist approach that eschews a salary cap and may err idealistically toward a more meritocratic model featuring promotion and relegation commands an audience. For his part, Peterson is unconvinced by the kind of argument put forward by Scotsman Dalglish.”I’m still not sure today what our [divisional] designations mean without some sort of promotion-relegation component to it. What does it mean to be second division. I don’t know. Our fans don’t think we are. Our players don’t think we are,” he says. “I just don’t understand it. It’s a confusing concept for me and it sounds like it might get more confusing. I think U.S. Soccer will step in when the time is right and try to clarify.”

Any ensuing challenges, then, may well emerge from clashing views of what constitutes football’s structural integrity. Philosophy aside, there is no denying the strides being made by USL. The rise of Orlando City from USL to MLS levels bookends a string of recent graduations into the top tier. And though it’s a cutesy moniker, the new marketing ploy accompanying the USL maneuver, “USL Rising”, can be given credit for at least being a purely utilitarian description of their advance. Whether they have enough to usurp or even stand beside NASL remains a point of some debate, one that might recall some of the acrimony that saw the vaulted name of North American soccer re-emerge in the first place. But more statement signings of the standard promised by talents like Ambrose can only strengthen the case.