Owners of Miami FC Might Make Play for Entire USL

Delightfully British kicks maker Umbro started the USL in 1988, and the brand that never gained much traction in the States seemed quite happy owning a league that never gained much traction here either. That is, until Nike bought Umbro. USL is apparently the red-headed stepchild of the Nike portfolio, and...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

August 25, 2009

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "19274298",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17482312",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482310",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18711090",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17482313",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Delightfully British kicks maker Umbro started the USL in 1988, and the brand that never gained much traction in the States seemed quite happy owning a league that never gained much traction here either. That is, until Nike bought Umbro.

USL is apparently the red-headed stepchild of the Nike portfolio, and the be-swooshed company's execs want to unload the entire affair. They hoped to dump it on MLS, but it isn't interested. So now the owners of Miami FC might be interested in leading a bid along with other USL team owners, according to the New York Times.

Depending on how you look at it, this is either very good or very bad.

On one hand, Miami FC's owners, the Traffic Group, are big-time movers and shakers in the soccer world in the southern portion of the Americas. Maybe they'd be able to duplicate their success here in he U.S. On the other hand, they haven't been able to do that with Miami FC.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Miami, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.