On the same day that the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) announced an impressive expansion capture of the Kitsap Soccer Club, news broke that the North County Battalion will not be participating in the NPSL in the 2017 Spring Season. The club declined to comment on report when asked, but there seems to be some confusion as to whether the club is simply switching leagues.

The timing of this news is curious in the wake of the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Ottawa Fury departing the NASL just one week prior. I discussed the shakeup in the makeup of American soccer on the most recent SoccerNation Podcast.

Incidentally, the southern California based United Premier Soccer League announced earlier today that they are instituting a Promotion and Relegation based league in 2017.

The Battalion are currently in their off-season after a wildly successful inaugural campaign in the NPSL, which saw them finish as top scorers in the fiercely contested southwest conference, and advance as far as the second round of playoffs before falling to eventual finalists the Sonoma County Sol.

One thing that San Diego soccer fans are all too aware of, is the tenuous stadium situation the city is beset with. The controversial “Measure C” is on the ballot for next week’s election, and the possible outcome of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers leaving town has soccer fans salivating. If the Mission Valley site where Qualcomm Stadium currently sits were to become available, it is widely expected that the city will be granted an Major League Soccer expansion franchise that plays in a new stadium jointly shared with San Diego State University.

What does this mean for the Battalion? That remains to be seen.

(Photo courtesy of Brittany Campbell: NC Battalion and SD Sockers Photographer)