American soccer pyramid

The American Soccer Pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. For practical and historical reasons, some teams from Bermuda, Canada and Puerto Rico also compete, but they are not eligible for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Major League Soccer has a fixed number of teams (currently 14), with no merit-based promotion possible from the USL First Division, which is run by a completely separate entity, the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The USL manages many leagues including the USL First and Second Divisions. There is no system of relegation, as of 2008, between the USL First and USL Second divisions. A promotion system has been established, but has largely been unused. Several franchises have voluntarily dropped from the First Division to the Second, usually to cut costs.

Promotion and relegation does not regularly occur between any two levels. According to Tim Holt, vice president of the USL, relegation between the USL and MLS is difficult to implement because the teams are franchises awarded by the leagues, not autonomous teams. The franchise gives the owner certain rights and obligations that make it difficult to move a team from one league to the other.cite news
title = Q & A with USL Vice President Tim Holt
url = http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/129515.html
publisher = United Soccer Leagues
date = 2006-04-21
accessdate =2007-07-15] USASA affiliated leagues each have their own system of promotion and relegation, if they have any at all.

The National Premier Soccer League and the Pacific Coast Soccer League are run by completely separate entities from both MLS and USL, and are considered semi-professional leagues.

The USL Premier Development League is the top amateur league in the country. As PDL seasons take place during the summer months, the player pool is drawn mainly from elite NCAA college soccer players seeking to continue playing high level soccer during their summer break, which they can do while still maintaining their college eligibility.

Cup eligibility

There are two national cups in American soccer.

US Open Cup: Levels 1-5
George F. Donnelly Cup: Level 5

Men

The top tier in the United States is Major League Soccer. Under that would be the United Soccer Leagues First and Second divisions. The USL Second Division is the lowest level of professional soccer in the United States. Starting at level 4, the leagues become regional. The USL Premier Development League is made of teams in various regional divisions (grouped into 4 regional conferences) across the contiguous United States, the National Premier Soccer League has five regional conferences of teams from all over the United States, and the Pacific Coast Soccer League includes teams from Washington state (and had previously included teams in Oregon). The United States Adult Soccer Association governs amateur soccer throughout the nation and is made up of the leagues in level 5 and below.

Women

The Women's United Soccer Association suspended operations in 2003, leaving the Women's Premier Soccer League and the USL's W-League as the top flight in American women's soccer. Women's Professional Soccer is set to begin play in spring 2009.

References

External links

* Major League Soccer http://web.mlsnet.com/
* United Soccer Leagues http://www.uslsoccer.com