Battery elects to shift to USL Second Division

With the future of the United Soccer Leagues' First Division in disarray, the Charleston Battery announced Monday that the club will drop down to the USL Second Division beginning next summer.

Team president Andrew Bell said the move will create more regional rivalries and reduces travel expenses for the club.

"We believe that the level of competition in the USL Second Division will be very similar to that of the USL First Division (USL-1)," Bell said. "Playing in this division will also substantially reduce our travel costs as we won't be flying all over the country."

Along with the Battery, the Bermuda Hogges, Charlotte Eagles, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Harrisburg City Islanders, Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Real Maryland Monarchs, Richmond Kickers and Western Mass Pioneers are currently contracted to play in the USL Second Division this summer.

Bell said another reason for the move was in response to the uncertain future of USL-1.

"We just felt that the USL Second Division was a more stable situation for us," Bell said. "This gives us a chance to renew some old rivalries with Richmond and Charlotte."

The troubles for the USL-1 began earlier this year when Nike Inc., bought Umbro, Ltd., which owned all six of the United Soccer Leagues.

Several of the USL1 owners attempted to pool their resources and buy the league from Nike, but could not reach a deal.

Finally, in August, Nike sold its interest in the USL to NuRock Soccer Holdings, a real estate development company based out of Atlanta.

As a result of the sale, the Team Ownership Association (TOA) made up of USL First Division owners of the Carolina Railhawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps announced the formation of their own league last week. The Atlanta Silverbacks, who suspended operations last year in USL-1, also joined the new league.

A franchise from St. Louis along with USL expansion clubs from Tampa Bay and Baltimore, originally scheduled to play in the USL First Division, signed on with the new league as well.

Vancouver has already announced plans to join Major League Soccer for the 2011 season, while Montreal is widely expected to join the MLS in 2012.

The stated goal of the new TOA league would be to ultimately compete with MLS.

"The Charleston Battery has never been a part of TOA, not because we disagreed with some of the legitimate complaints they had about how USL-1 operated in the past, but because we totally disagreed with their stated vision to be a viable alternative league to Major League Soccer (MLS) and to compete with MLS on and off the field. This made absolutely no sense to us," team CEO Tony Bakker said. "This breakaway is not good for soccer in the United States. Cooler heads should have prevailed with all parties sitting around a table and resolving their differences for the benefit of the sport. This did not happen and we will all have to deal with the consequences."

To date, only the Austin Aztecs, Cleveland City Stars, Portland Timbers, Puerto Rico Islanders and Rochester Rhinos are scheduled to compete in the USL First Division. The Timbers also have been awarded an MLS franchise and will join the league in 2011 along with Vancouver.