NASL commissioner Bill Peterson was in San Antonio on Monday to speak to the Scorpions as part of his preseason tour in advance of Saturday’s season opener. He spoke to the Express-News on a range of subjects, including the Scorpions’ MLS push and plans to expand the NASL to 18 team in the near future.

How about a general overview on the eve of the season opener?

Obviously, we’re pretty satisfied. We’re sitting on the eve of ou fourth season with 10 teams lined up and three more coming in. It’s pretty phenomenal growth, really. There continues to be more interest in our league. We’re evaluating potential ownership groups and cities. We expect to get to 18 teams in two to three years. From that standpoint, everyone’s pretty happy and satisfied. Our fan bases continue to grow, clubs are expanding the scope of their operations. The most important thing is the competition. Our clubs have improved their rosters. The spring season is a short sprint and it should be very exciting with very little margin of error for the clubs who struggle.

What have the Scorpions told you about their plans in regards to potential MLS membership?

I don’t have any indication of what their intention is other than what they said (Monday), which is trying to be successful on field this season and improving their organization. All of our owners have looked at the leagues in this country at some point or another. If at some time down the road, they feel it’s better to be elsewhere, there is a path to follow. I honestly don’t worry about it or spend much time thinking about it. We’ve built a good league, and our owners understand the advantages of our structure. I don’t know if it’s as attractive as some make it out to be to be in another league. If at any time (one of our teams) approaches us and wants to leave, we’ll wish them well. But it doesn’t impact our thinking day in and day out.

What about the possibility, with New York and Atlanta and Minneapolis, of either losing key markets or sharing them with MLS teams?

The first thing, I can’t control anything another league does. Fortunately or unfortunately, however you view it, those teams and their divisions aren’t determined by competition but by teams making market decisions. Each city is a little different. In some it’s probably a little bit better, and we can actually compete with them, and others there’s doubt whether there’s enough room for more than one club. All of our owners are evaluating the information as we get it. We just have to wait and see what the reaction is locally.

What are your thoughts about the Scorpions specifically as they begin their third season?

It’s a first-rate organization. They approach everything very professionally, they work hard, they’re trying to connect even more relevantly on the local level. They’ve done a great job with some of the international matches. I spent time with the players and coaches and they’re very focused on improving results after last season. I don’t doubt they’ll come out next week against Minnesota, which is already a great rivalry, and play very well. They continue to be leaders in our league, whether it’s Gordon (Hartman) in the board room or Howard on the business side. They do a lot for our league and I suspect they’ll have a lot of success this year.

What kind of response have you gotten from expanding the playoff field to four teams?

I think everything’s been positive. All the response has been positive from players and coaches. It’s something we discussed as an option, probably to put into the league as we get more teams. The question was, simply put, why not do it now instead of later? We did a lot of research to we can try to protect the value of winning the spring and fall seasons but rewarding teams for consistency, too. Everyone agreed it’s a strong model. We have no plans to expand the field even when we’re up to 18. We don’t want to dilute regular season.

In regards to NASL expansion, where are you focusing on?

It’s hard to talk specifics, because I don’t want to have to live up to some expectation. But it’s no secret that…the West Coast and Midwest are priorities. California offers a couple of interesting opportunities. Arizona, Nevada. I wouldn’t say we’re far down the road with discussions, but have had some in Texas. And Canada, of course. In North America, there’s still plenty of room for maybe dozens of successful professional teams. We have to be careful with the process and do our due diligence, find the right fit. We haven’t excluded the East Coast, but the West Coast and Midwest is the priority.

Can you talk specifically about Texas? Would you be worried that Austin, if a candidate, would be too close to San Antonio?

There are two or three areas that are attractive to me. Not that we’ve had discussions. But Dallas. El Paso is interesting. Austin would be interesting. Those are some of the areas that would be good homes. Having teams in close proximity…what that does is create a lot more excitement and following and interest. When you think of Austin, it’s a progressive city, sort of an up-and-comer, just up the road. I don’t think you’d be cannibalizing anything (by having teams in Austin and San Antonio). I think it would actually generate a lot more excitement. Those become great rivalries. We’re definitely not opposed to lining up some derbies.

How do you respond to Scorpions president’s Howard Cornfield’s concerns about salary disparities after the Cosmos outbid them for Hans Denissen?

We don’t think there’s a disparity that creates any advantages or disadvantages. There are always differences of opinion of what a player may or may not be worth. It’s probably wrong for one club to accuse another of doing something wrong without having all the details. From our standpoint, we’re not concerned about a margin that would create a disadvantage or advantage. We think the owners do great determining the market value for our players.

What about the two newcomers, Ottawa and Indianapolis?

Having two new teams brings a lot of excitement on the eve of a season. Indianapolis, with the possibility of selling out every match this season, has just done a great job developing a lot of interest in their market. It’s going to be fun to be able to watch them play. They should have a great environment at their matches. Ottawa is going to be very strong, very competitive. We expect them to have great attendance. They’re great additions both on and off the field. Both those clubs represent what we look like going forward. Now we just have to be patient and identify the right owners and organizations and give them the time to put rosters together. They’re way beyond where the original teams maybe were with interest. We’ve left the start-up phase, and we’re moving into the growth stage.

What about various rumblings that other planned expansions aren’t going well?

Jacksonville, everything is fine. We’re doing very well there. Oklahoma City and Virginia are going through a little bit of re-organization. It’s somewhat of a hiccup, but we’ll get those clubs organized correctly and set our sights on moving forward. It’s part of being young and starting things from scratch. You’ll go through issues, but it’s nothing long-term. That’s the plan (for those three to be part of the 18-team buildup), but we still have some work to do.