USSF's 2nd Division Plan for 2010

The US Soccer Federation announced today it will sanction and run a USSF Second Division in 2010 with 12 teams and two conferences. This agreement is for the 2010 season only and the two groups will continue to negotiate with the USSF to create a permanent solution to the USL/NASL split.

NASL Conference
Carolina Railhawks
Crystal Palace Baltimore
Miami FC
Montreal Impact
AC St. Louis
Vancouver Whitecaps

USL Conference
Austin Aztex
Minnesota
Portland Timbers
Puerto Rico Islanders
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Rochester Rhinos

Jeff DiVeronica of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle has a complete rundown of the USSF announcement HERE.

Here is the official press release from the USSF:

DIVISION 2 PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE TO OPERATE IN 2010

U.S. Soccer Will Oversee Two Conference League


CHICAGO (Jan. 7, 2009) - The U.S. Soccer Federation, United Soccer Leagues (USL) and the North American Soccer League (NASL) have come to an agreement on the formation and operation of a Division 2 professional soccer league for the 2010 season. Under the agreement, U.S. Soccer will oversee the league for the 2010 season, working with both the USL and NASL on the day-to-day league activities.

The agreement pertains only to the 2010 season, and during the next year U.S. Soccer will continue to work with USL and NASL to build a long-term solution for the future. U.S. Soccer will also be developing new standards to govern Division 2 professional league applicants to ensure the long term viability and sustainability of the leagues and teams.

“We are extremely pleased that we were able to come to a solution that ensures we will have Division 2 professional soccer in the United States in 2010,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. “This agreement allows us to continue to develop the professional game in many important markets around the country, while at the same time working towards the long-term stability of Division 2 professional soccer. I’d like to thank the representatives from both the USL and NASL for the time spent during our negotiations, especially their efforts in the past seven days.”

The league will consist of two six-team conferences - the USL Conference and the NASL Conference. The USL Conference will include teams from Austin, Minnesota, Portland, Puerto Rico, Rochester and Tampa Bay. The NASL Conference will consist of teams from Baltimore, Carolina, Miami, Montreal, St. Louis and Vancouver.

In the near future, U.S. Soccer will announce details of the new league, including league rules, a match schedule, television rights and other important operational issues.

As part of the agreement, all pending claims between the USL and NASL will be dropped.