After the success of the MLS rallies in Charlotte and Raleigh earlier this summer, I wanted to address a topic I have been fascinated with: MLS2 sides in USL.

Whether you agree with the structure of MLS2 clubs or not, the system seems to be here to stay. Many MLS reserve sides have been prosperous at the USL level — an MLS2 club has made the league final each of the past two seasons, including last year’s final which resulted in a win for New York Red Bulls II over Swope Park Rangers.

I want to propose a future for #919toMLS or #MLS4CLT if either make MLS… what should become of their B-team?

A quick disclaimer before we get started: this article is written with the current rules regarding MLS/USL affiliations and ownership in mind. By the time a North Carolina club would potentially enter MLS, the rules could be entirely different than what they are right now. The evolution of these very agreements continues to be an interesting topic of discussion.

At the start, two options face any MLS side with USL teams. On one hand, they could affiliate with a team in the USL, such as Atlanta has with Charleston or Colorado has with Charlotte, both of which have had success with their respective agreements. But with each good affiliation, there is always a poor one. New York City FC, for instance, did not loan a single player to the Wilmington Hammerheads during the 2016 USL season of their agreement — although multiple Hammerheads players did feature for NYCFC during a friendly against Liga MX side, Necaxa, last November.

I think #919toMLS and #MLS4CLT should consider the second option, fielding their own reserve side in the USL. Hosting their own reserve team would offer total control over player development, rather than working through loan agreements. With control over their reserve club, NCFC or CLT can approach the coaching mentality either focusing on strictly player development, or to go for glory and achieve the highest results, much like NYRB II did in 2016.

If NCFC or CLT did decide on option #2, where should the club go? While it would be easy to just field the team at the MLS stadium, which the Orlando City and Portland Timbers do with OCB and PT2, I want to propose putting the MLS2 team in a market outside of the parent club’s city.

Philadelphia Union’s reserve team plays in Bethlehem, and Houston and San Jose have done a similar option, going for the “hybrid-style” affiliation with Rio Grande Valley and Reno, respectively. So, I speak to both ownership groups, why not Wilmington, North Carolina as the location for your USL reserve side?

The Hammerheads celebrating a goal in this past season’s PDL campaign. (Photo Credit: Ryan Allen)

Wilmington has a proud tradition of professional soccer in the city, as the Hammerheads date all the way back to 1996. The city is a proven market, and an elder statesman of US soccer: only the Charlotte Eagles, Charleston Battery and Carolina Dynamo predate the club in the Carolinas. And a return to the USL for Wilmington would provide another city in the league’s growing footprint in the southeast (Nashville and Birmingham have recently become two of the most recent additions, to be added over the next two years).

Per the great Mike Pendleton, the Hammerheads averaged 3,000 fans a match during their final season in the USL. The average attendance figures got to as high as 4,265 per match back in 2012, showing the fervor for the sport in the Port City. Attendance figures like these would rival many current D2 clubs, and be more than most MLS2 sides, save for Bethlehem and the hybrid sides of Reno and RGVFC.

Regarding the home stadium for this potential MLS2 side in Wilmington, the city already has a few options available. Legion Stadium, which hosted the club for the longest time in USL could see a return to the professional stage. Or maybe the team would play across town at the UNCW Soccer Stadium, which the Hammerheads did during their inaugural PDL campaign. Or perhaps a new modular stadium, ala Phoenix Rising FC, could be built outside of town, which could be possible especially with the USL’s newest partnership with T&B Equipment Co.

The Port City sits just south, down Interstate-40, from Raleigh, to provide a direct connection between the two cities. Hosting the MLS2 side could endear fans to root for the mothership, as a way to follow players in their quest for MLS, much in the same way Minor League baseball sides place Triple-A clubs close to their Major League counterpart.

In any sport, branding is very important and having a reserve team outside the market of the parent club would allow for the MLS2 team to foster their own culture and write new stories, rather than having the team being viewed as an extension of the first team. Take it a step further and name the club something that is a contrast to the first team, much like how Bethlehem, Reno and RGVFC has done in the past. One of the main arguments against MLS2 sides is the very-naming of the club itself — having “2” or “B” in the name — would seem to lessen the USL as a whole. MLS clubs can attempt to combat this by setting up their club to be named something other than just the second team.

Multiple other MLS sides are evaluating locations for their reserve squads. The Seattle Sounders are moving their MLS2 side to nearby Tacoma. The Portland Timbers 2 hosted a match in Boise, Idaho last year. NYRB II has elected to play home matches at Pittser Field on the campus of nearby Montclair State University (a 13 mile difference separates the two stadiums). Orlando City are facing a similar dilemma with the future of their MLS2 side as well. As the USL continues to grow, more sides are deciding the future of their MLS2 teams.

Per the current roster, three Charlotte Independence players — Casey Townsend, Ashani Fairclough and Zev Taublieb — have all spent time in Wilmington, so a partnership between a MLS Charlotte club and the Hammerheads could foreseeably also work.

However, what might become of Charlotte if North Carolina FC were to get the nod to the top flight instead? Would the Independence agree to be an affiliate of NCFC? (Author’s aside, when I attended the preseason friendly between NCFC and the Independence, the most entertaining cheer I heard was from NCFC Supporters, chanting “You can be our farm team” at the traveling contingent of Charlotte fans).

Even if Charlotte do not get an MLS team, hosting the MLS2 side, or even just affiliating with NCFC would allow for the city to maintain a strong presence in the USL and lower division soccer as a whole. However, while it’s an option, it’s hard to imagine a city with the Panthers or Hornets would care much about a NCFC2 team. It’s a difficult decision.

But the bottom line is whether the league chooses #MLS4CLT or #919toMLS, either group has multiple options regarding their future reserve side.

In the end, the decision would all be about finding the best ownership group for the region. Whether it would be set up as a hybrid group or a direct ownership, Wilmington, in my mind, is the best market for the club.

Kickoff from that very preseason friendly between North Carolina FC and the Charlotte Independence (Photo Credit: Ryan Allen).

All of this, of course, is dependent of Raleigh or Charlotte being awarded an MLS club, and by no means is Wilmington the only option for a city hosting an MLS2 side — Asheville and Durham both remain attractive locations as well. But with each bid, I want the ownership groups to evaluate all available opportunities when regarding their USL club. It is better to see a well-supported MLS2 side, Bethlehem for instance, rather than a sparsely attended club, like New York Red Bulls II.

Wilmington is ready for a return to pro soccer, it is just about finding the ownership group or MLS club willing to take a chance on the Port City once more.