What Miami FC, along with the lower-division Kingston Stockade FC (a team based in New York state), did is initiate an international legal proceeding targeting FIFA, CONCACAF and the United States Soccer Federation. What do the two clubs want? They have gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, claiming that FIFA is violating Swiss law (the body’s headquarters are in Switzerland) by not compelling the USSF to have a system of promotion and relegation between its professional divisions. MLS is Div-1, while USL and NASL are Div-2.

But, when the Mexican, American and Canadian soccer associations joined together Monday in New York to unveil that they would sign a memorandum of understanding to jointly bid for the 2026 World Cup, United States Soccer Federation President Sunil Gulati said that, in fact, this tripartite pact had been in the works for years.

For one, well, FIFA rules state that, for senior tournaments, all games have to be played on the same type of surface. So, of COURSE that means Mexican and American venues are going to have to make sure they’ve got artificial turf to match the Canadian standard! Yes! I can’t wait to hear droning international-feed commentators moaning about how brutal the turf temperature is at Azteca Stadium during an afternoon game in July.

"The limitation on foreign players is a rule issued by U.S. Soccer, and one that we're subject to as a league. We view our new policy to consider Canadian players as domestic as a change that increases opportunities for all players."

The league announced that it and now-former commissioner Bill Peterson had parted ways. A release put out by the league indicated it was an amicable split.

So, in the latter part of 2016, as the second division of North America was in turmoil, Fath had been unflinching in his mantra; he said over and over that his team solidly backed the North American Soccer League.

But now that we have a verdict, the issue goes forward. Thanks for your patience! What can you find inside the issue, other than our look back at the USL/NASL soap opera?

So, in 2017, North America will have two Division-2 leagues.

In a system without promotion and relegation, why is it important for us to have divisional distinctions for leagues? Really, why do we care so much what a series of suit-and-tie guys deem to be Divisions 1, 2 and 3 in North America?

Peter Wilt admits he’s an unbridled optimist. And there’s no doubt many who will read the coming paragraphs with a “bah” and a “humbug.”