Marc Dos Santos is named @SwopeRangers head coach ahead of the 2016 USL campaign pic.twitter.com/nodUywZI10
— Swope Park Rangers (@SwopeRangers) November 20, 2015
Dos Santos Move Sees Shift in NASL-USL Dynamic
To the surprise of nobody, 2015 NASL coach of the year Marc Dos Santos has departed the nation’s capital for a job in MLS. There had been speculation abound throughout his Fury FC side’s ridiculous summer unbeaten run, and the club announced a few months ago that he would be leaving at the end of the campaign.
Shockwaves rippled throughout American lower-league Twitter today, however, when it was announced that Dos Santos will manage Swope Park Rangers — MLS side Kansas City’s USL affiliate — in 2016. Seen as a demotion by some followers, including some of Fury FC’s most ardent supporters, from the ‘second’ to ‘third’ division, the move highlights a significant shift in the American lower-league landscape.
No longer is the USL seen as a scrappy, third-rate league which must rely on the scraps left over by the second-tier NASL. With its shining affiliation with MLS — and the financial boost that comes with it — the USL is seen as a more stable option for potential investors. For players and coaches, the route to MLS is also much more direct through the league’s feeder circuit.
People are not surprised by the fact that Dos Santos was leaving for the greener pastures of MLS. Nor are they shocked that his ultimate landing spot was Kansas City. However, his decision to join an upstart USL team raises some important issues.
- Money: With both players and coaches chasing the almighty dollar in the professional game, money is the key factor in most decisions. With many USL teams now serving as ‘farm teams’ for MLS, they have more money to throw around than, say, the NASL’s cash-strapped FC Edmonton or Atlanta Silverbacks, who are simply trying to stay on their feet until the end of the year. If this financial trend continues upward for USL, it will not only equal but surpass the NASL rather quickly. (Edit: Dos Santos’s contract rumoured to be between 1.5 and 2 times what he was making in Ottawa)
- Opportunity: As the head coach of Sporting KC’s affiliate, it is assumed that Dos Santos will be next in line if the big club’s head coach, Peter Vermes, moves on to bigger (ahem, US men’s national team), better things. With the direct link between USL and MLS, it stands to reason that playing — or coaching — there can be a better career move than toiling on a mid-table squad in the NASL.
- Division II Status: There are very few people, mainly diehard NASL supporters, that still view the NASL-USL relationship as one of second- v. third-division. Those people are blatantly wrong. With USL’s rebrand and partnership with MLS, the league has never been stronger, while NASL is poised to add or subtract at least seven teams in the next three years. The leagues are at least on-par currently, and USL’s economic relationship with MLS will likely give it the edge in the years to come.
At the end of the day, the Marc Dos Santos move represents a clear shift in the NASL-USL dynamic, and can be summarized as follows:
The top coach in the NASL has reportedly received a small pay raise to move to an expansion USL team. Said coach took expansion USL job because it is the most direct path to MLS, and thus the obvious career choice.
“(Joining @SwopeRangers) was probably one of the easiest decisions I had to take in my career” – Marc Dos Santos
— Swope Park Rangers (@SwopeRangers) November 20, 2015
Image courtesy of CFRA.com
