Well, I'm back after quite a nice few weeks off. It was nice getting away from things for a little while as I'm sure several of you were glad to be rid of my ramblings for a short time. Alas, all good things have to come to an end and now I'm back to talk about what lies ahead in the next few desolate, supposedly, soccer-less months.
As most of you likely know the league held its annual meetings in Clearwater, FL recently and several "revelations" should reveal themselves fairly soon. We've already gotten word that Connecticut and Long Island have elected to play next season in the D3, which confirms one of the rampant rumors from this off-season.
There are many other rumors that have been flying high around A-League fan circles of late that include a failed bid by Harrisburg to resurrect the Wildcats, a rumored television deal with some small company that was responsible for airing last season's A-League final, and the speculation over the imminent realignment of the league with so much shuffling going on. We are all apparently headed for yet another "new look" year in the A-League.
So at this point during the offseason what do we know for certain? Well, for starters we know there will be a few names missing from last year's A-League schedules. Starting from the top it reads like so: Hershey, Nashville, San Diego, Connecticut, and Long Island. The Metros will reside in the PDL while the Riders and Wolves will land in D3. There is currently much speculation that San Diego will receive a new D3 club not connected with any previous efforts in that town. The new kids on the block will be the returning Hampton Roads Mariners and promoted Calgary Storm.
We also know there will be new entrants to the PDL with new clubs coming from Richmond and Williamsburg, VA in addition to Northern Virginia moving down a division to join their Virginia friends. Apparently Virginia is for lovers… of PDL soccer. Seriously, though, Virginia is becoming a haven for the USL with the pair of A-League clubs and the gaggle of PDL clubs competing. It's interesting to note especially when you look in places like Florida and California where the soccer community is also supposedly strong yet there is no viable A-League footprint in either state now. This is definitely something that will need working on in the coming months.
We also know that a pair of teams in the South were hunting for new coaches. Charleston finally hired Englishman Chris Ramsey who last coached in the USL with the Cocoa Expos. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to a club that clearly underachieved last year in the eyes of many of their fans. Meanwhile, in Atlanta the search for a new head coach has been wrapped up with Nashville's Brett Mosen getting the task of taking the 'Backs further next year. Mosen had long been tipped as one of the best available coaches and if he is able to do with the Apes what he did with the Metros it will be an extremely interesting year south of the Mason-Dixon.
Out in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle figured they would shake up their front office in an effort to revive the seemingly flagging interest in the Sounders. The recent additions include Scott Schmeltzer as the new coach along with others being brought into the front office in a restructuring effort. The history of the Sounders and the re-emerging rivalry with Portland and Vancouver should help boost interest in the club in the coming season and with realignment possibly making it a little easier to get them into the playoffs, we could see a resurgence from this club. Here's hoping it works out that way despite the sour display after some of the recent resignations.
All in all this has shaped up to be one of the more active offseasons we've had in a long time and with Blackbaud Stadium hosting the U.S. Women's national team in January the A-League will get an unexpected publicity spike that should help during what is usually one of the less active months of the offseason. Things have shaped up quite nicely with the A-League receiving unprecedented coverage during these months and it should continue, much to the glee of the folks down in Tampa, well into the new season. The current trends around the A-League point toward a better future even though several members have been lost.
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