Major League Soccer Promotion/Relegation

I am currently in Cleveland, Ohio in the states completing college on a 'soccer' scholarship so I know about the system having been here for four years and playing at various levels.

There is technically no promotion/releagtion but there is a very good structure in place when it comes to developing players. At the top of this is the MLS, there is then the ''USL'' league below which runs two divisions where there is promotion from USL-1 to USL-2, then below this is a summer league called the 'PDL' (professional development league) where college players (U23) compete in a three month season that acts as a shop window for the top college players to showcase their talents in order to enter the draft upon completion of their college career or get picked up by a USL team. College players, like myself usually compete in this during their junior and senior years of college when they have developed physically and adapted to the American style.

Having played at the PDL and NPSL standards I rate the standard as good and feel the system is far better suited to developing players all the way until they are 22nd year rather than the YT system at home that fails so many at 18. Players I play with at college and for summer teams are now playing pro here, in Iceland, Scotland, Belgium. There are MANY English lads like myself who have been at clubs in England, my room mates were at Newcastle, Man Utd, Oldham amongst other clubs and are prospering out here football wise and in getting an education where they may have struggled with the physical nature of non league football at home.

In terms of support clubs at all levels have seen increases in crowd size especially since the world cup. At the level I have been playing we usually get 1-2000 people per game which is a good amount for the 5th or 6th sport in the country.