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| Nothing is ever easy, all things can be achieved! |
The great Pro/Rel debate within supporters of US Soccer can almost be compared to the two party system of US Politics. Both sides want to prove that they are right, but mostly bash their opponents to win votes or sway opinions.
Somewhere in amongst that, are sensible and intelligent people who are very interested in the discussion surrounding the pros and cons of having promotion and relegation. You have to filter your way through it all to find the realistic chatter from both sides.
The discussion can be intense and usually simmers down to an impasse. As soon as you make your stance known, you are usually deemed a buffoon by one side or the other as is the fashion of the keyboard commissioner!
When you mention promotion and relegation among supporters the the first thought is usually that of the single entity MLS, and how if a team were to be relegated from that it will probably finish them. Obviously, this can't be proven for sure, but under the current structure of US Soccer and MLS it may well be true.
It's apparent that MLS Commissioner Don Garber does not support the idea of Pro/Rel in this country. He prefers to equate MLS to NFL even though Soccer is the most international sport that the country supports. Chattanooga FC supporters are all too aware of his opinion on promotion/relegation.
I am sure there are many supporters of MLS teams who would like to see a Pro/Rel system, but MLS as an organization doesn't want it and so be it! There are also many MLS supporters who have no interest in Pro/Rel and that's fine too.
Do all parties even have to be involved in a Pro/Rel system?
Why do we automatically have to think of MLS when considering Pro/Rel? Not that I am against the idea of all divisions being involved, but promotion and relegation to or from MLS is something that may never happen. That doesn't mean Pro/Rel cannot exist within the structure of soccer in the USA or North America.
