Uh oh..... part 2 - Promotion Relegation is coming to soccer in the USA

MLS is so screwed, and I am so happy. 

USL just made it official, promotion/relegation is going to happen. Look for it in 2027 or 2028, but it is now going to be a reality and with it MLS just became a lower level league.

They are going to have to do something, MLS is going to have to change. If they don't all the excitement in US soccer will be with USL.

This is going to get good and I am going to be watching much more closely. I want to see Garber and MLS get uncomfortable, and uncomfortable they will be. 

This is delicious.

(btw, YouTube is blowing up with videos about this. Eric Wynalda has done a couple, and a lot of other "soccer guy" that I have no idea who they are because I haven't followed soccer closely at all. But if you want go to YouTube and search and enjoy the show.)

Uh oh.... "USL announces plans to start new league that would rival MLS"

My take.... I love this! 

MLS basically ruined my love for soccer. The way it is set up, they way it does business, Garber, etc.

MLS just became a monster, sullied by greed and corporate money.

Is USL any different? I don't know, I have never really followed them much. But with the chance of promotion and relegation in the future, the USA might just get a [english accent] proper football league [/english accent].

I will be watching this closely, and who knows, I might just come back to soccer.

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(espn.com 2-13-25)

The United Soccer League confirmed plans to launch a Division One men's professional league in 2027 rivaling Major League Soccer and defined by the sanctioning standards of the U.S. Soccer Federation, the USL announced on Thursday.

USL would operate completely separately from MLS, despite working under the same sanctioning by U.S. Soccer as a professional soccer league.

"Today is a defining moment for the USL and the future of soccer in the United States," said Alec Papadakis, CEO of the United Soccer League.

"Creating a Division One league is a bold step forward, expanding access to top-tier competition, deepening the connection between our communities and taking another step in aligning with the structure of the global game. By uniting people through soccer and bringing Division One to more cities, we're not just growing the sport-we're creating lasting opportunities while building a more sustainable and vibrant soccer ecosystem in the U.S."

The new Division One league stands as the highest of three levels for the USL, that includes USL Championship (Division Two) and USL League One (Division Three) to redefine a new system to progress development and talent.

In a statement released later on Thursday, U.S. Soccer said: "The continued investment into the game reflects the strength of the United States as a soccer country, which will only accelerate as we build towards hosting the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2026 FIFA World Cup. We welcome innovation and growth to the landscape of American soccer and we look forward to learning more."

The new tiered system would foster a promotion and relegation style in the long run, a feature that MLS does not employ.

"The USL has long been committed to creating a structure that drives growth, opportunity, and long-term success in American soccer," Papadakis said.

"The USL model empowers clubs with greater autonomy and fosters a dynamic, interconnected system-one that allows them to compete at the highest level while remaining deeply rooted in their communities. Around the world, top-tier clubs thrive in cities of all sizes, and we believe the same is possible here. The demand and infrastructure are in place, and the potential for growth is immense."

USL launched in 1986 with the idea to foster a youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one system across communities nationwide.

The organization previously launched a women's pathway that includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country's leading pre-professional women's league, according to a news release from USL.

USL states the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics generated interest in the sport and high participation rates, inspiring the further development of the league.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43827636/usl-announces-plans-new-league-rival-mls

RSL "Grid City" unform

"The 2025 Grid City Kit represents the grid our city was built from, not only street lights and concrete but the streets that connect us."

So this is what happens when you really don't care anymore, you miss the new uniform reaveals. I used to love checking out the soccer news on a daily basis throughout the winter to see when the teams would reveal their new "kits" for the upcoming year.

Now, meh.

I kind of knew the season was starting this weekend, but then so was bullfighting season over in Spain so I guess RSL just slipped my mind. Then this morning I wake up and while having breakfast I check out KSL and see a RSL article. 

Of course RSL got beat but I perked up a bit when I saw their new uniforms. 

Upon further research I see they are called the "Grid City" uniforms based on SLC grid system for its streets.

So, good on them for trying something new. Now if they can just win a game.

Composer Mark Snow on creating The X-Files theme music

Here, instead of wasting your time watching soccer highlights, check out how the theme song of the X-Files came about.

(link to X-Files theme song for your listening pleasure)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2d6T5G2rrY

More reason to despise US Soccer

US Soccer, a bunch of dastardly bastards.

You may notice the video I posted back on December 15th which was a clip from the Netflix report about Hope Solo and her fight with US Soccer is no longer available. 

Why? you might ask.

Because the YouTube account that created the video has been terminated!

That's right, US Soccer must have complained and the account was given a red card.

C'mon, commie bastards.

If you are still a soccer fan after all this time, after all the crap US Soccer and MLS has pulled over the last couple of decades, then I can't help you. You are too far gone. You have drank too much of their Kool-Aid.

In my humble opinion, soccer sucks, MLS sucks, US Soccer sucks. (You may feel differently, but this is how I feel, take it or leave it.)

My only wish is that the US national team gets embarrassed at the next World Cup. 

Wow, Utah Hockey really have a mess on their hands

The Yeti is dead.

The Mammoth lives! 

The Outlaws are gone, but here comes the Wasatch. The Wasatch? 

Wait, the Outlaws are back!

Huh?

Good lord, they should have gone with the Mountaineers since day one, problem solved.

Below are two articles from KSL explaining the whole situation. Really I don't care though, bullfight season in Spain starts this month, and Mexico City's biggest bullfights of the year are this weekend. 

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The Yeti is dead: Utah NHL team vote down to 3 names — Mammoth, Hockey Club and Wasatch

(ksl.com 1-29-25)

The Utah Yeti is dead.

The next step to finding the Utah Hockey Club's permanent name will begin Wednesday night at the Delta Center with a fan survey between the final three names: Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and … Utah Wasatch.

Wait — what?

Yep, a new name (Wasatch) has emerged as things reach the top three — along with a pretty glaring omission.

The perceived favorite Utah Yeti(s) is out as an option; though, not necessarily by the team's choice.

"At the end of the day, (Yeti coolers) have a trademark that allows them to print Yeti or Yetis on clothing and other licensed merchandise, and without a coexistence agreement, we would not be able to print that," Smith Entertainment Group executive Mike Maughan said.

A coexistence agreement is a deal struck by the two companies, allowing each to use the name. But both sides would have had to say yes to such a deal, and the cooler company declined.

"They made a determination that, for the sake of their brand, they didn't want to enter into a coexistence agreement," Maughan said.

But that wasn't for a lack of trying on SEG's part.

Maughan said the team engaged with Yeti "extensively," and the NHL (a Yeti partner) even tried to help tip the scales. But Yeti ultimately wanted to protect its own trademarks.

So with that, the team had to move on from the name that has topped many lists since SEG announced it was picking the name via a fan vote last spring.

"We went through a great process," Maughan said. "The name came from fans, we talked with them at length, the NHL weighed in. At the end of the day, it was their decision."

But the team still wanted to honor the Yeti name for the next round of voting — and that's where Wasatch came into play.

Maughan said the new name allows the team to honor the idea of the "mythical snow creature" (he seemed careful not to use the Y word) and give it a Utah feel.

"We have the Wasatch Mountains, we have the Wasatch Front, we have so many different iterations or ways that we could do it, so we wanted to honor the sentiment of one of those top names while also including a Utah-centric version of it," he said.

So the Yeti is dead, long live Wasatch? The fans will now decide if that's good enough to stick with a Yeti theme for the name.

Fans attending the next four home games (beginning with Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh), will have a chance to vote on not just the name but also get a sneak peek of the potential new look of the team.

There will be iPad stations located throughout the arena where fans can vote on the name and give ratings for logos and ice rink designs. Voting will be ready as soon as doors open and will continue throughout each game. No pictures of the designs will be allowed.

"We'll have people at every level of the arena in each of the different clubs and suites and levels so that anyone who wants to be able to take it will have the opportunity to do that," Maughan said.

And if you liked the name Yeti, you probably won't be too upset about the proposed logos.

The Wasatch and Utah Hockey Club logos feature a similar "mythical snow creature." The Mammoth logo is, as you may expect, a stylized mammoth.

The black, blue and white color palette the team has used this season will continue as part of the permanent brand. But the team's current logo — even if Utah Hockey Club ends up the winner — will be changed.

Maughan said there's a chance this will be the final vote before settling on a permanent name.

"We'll see how the results come in and make a determination from there as to whether there will be one more, or whether this is the final great question," he said.

And while the Yeti hiccup has changed some things — like adding Wasatch to the mix — it hasn't delayed the final steps of the process. Maughan said everything is still on track for a name and brand to be announced ahead of the 2025-26 season.

"We always anticipated that there would be another iteration where we were able to include names and logos, so we're exactly where we thought we would be," Maughan said.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51240556/the-yeti-is-dead-utah-nhl-team-vote-down-to-3-names--mammoth-hockey-club-and-wasatch

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SEG pulls an audible with Utah's NHL team vote; Wasatch is out, Outlaws is back in

(ksl.com 1-30-24)

Wasatch, we hardly knew thee.

A day after announcing the final three names under consideration, Utah's NHL team is pulling an audible (eh, making a line change?). The Utah Wasatch is being swapped out for Utah Outlaws.

"We listened to your feedback and dug into all the Qualtrics data from last night's survey. For the team name, it's clear that Outlaws should be in the mix instead of Wasatch, so we're swapping it out," the team announced on social media Thursday.

So now it's between the Utah Hockey Club, Utah Mammoth and Utah Outlaws.

Utah Wasatch was never part of any of the previous iterations of the survey and was brought in as a replacement for Utah Yeti after the team ran into trademark issues with that name.

The Utah Outlaws was part of the final six names announced last summer and has long been among the fan favorites on social media. And it should pose a bigger challenge for what had become the new favorite in "Mammoth."

Chants of "Mammoth, Mammoth, Mammoth" echoed throughout the concourse Wednesday from people waiting in line to vote. KSL.com asked 29 people who had just voted or were waiting in line what name they supported. The results? Mammoth 21, Hockey Club, 7, Wasatch 1.

But it wasn't uncommon for voters to mention how they wished Outlaws was still in the mix; they now have their wish.

There was enough momentum behind the name that it got the Smith Entertainment Group to change course. Or maybe the enthusiasm for Wasatch was meh at best.

So out goes Wasatch, in comes Outlaws, and now the voting continues.

"I'm excited. I like the thought process behind the three names and I really like the fact that our fans will have the opportunity to choose what they want," head coach André Tourigny said. "It will be an honor for us to have the name that the fans choose."

Surveys and voting will continue at the Delta Center during Friday, Sunday and Tuesday's games.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51241612/seg-pulls-an-audible-with-utahs-nhl-team-vote-wasatch-is-out-outlaws-is-back-in

Maybe Yeti, maybe not

My thoughts....

I still think the name of the hockey club should be the Mountaineers. I doubt they would have any trademark issues with that name. 

But nooo......... they need to go with some Saturday morning cartoon name. 

Whatevs.

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Utah Hockey Club facing trademark hurdles in finding permanent name

(from ksl.com 1-21-25)

The Utah Hockey Club is having issues getting the trademark for its preferred permanent name.

It's no secret that "Yetis" or "Yeti" has long been the favorite to replace the team's temporary "Hockey Club" moniker — with everyone from management and players hinting at it as early as last summer.

But there could be a snag. Namely, YETI is already a pretty big brand.

Earlier this month, the trademark for "Utah Yetis" was refused by the United States Patent and Trademark Office due to a "likelihood of confusion"

"Trademark Act Section 2(d) bars registration of an applied-for mark that is so similar to a registered mark that it is likely consumers would be confused, mistaken, or deceived as to the commercial source of the goods and/or services of the parties," a non-final action issued on Jan. 9 said.

The Utah Yetis trademark application was for use in connection with "clothing, namely, shirts, T-shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, sweatpants, caps, hats, scarves, infant and toddler one-piece clothing, pajamas, bandanas, underwear, gloves, socks, shorts, suspenders, swim trunks, coats, jackets, robes, pants, leggings, sweaters, ear muffs, cloth bibs, belts, warm-up suits, headbands and wristbands."

The problem: YETI already has numerous trademarks in standard and stylized fonts for just about all of those things.

As for adding Utah to the name, the USPTO said that wasn't enough of a differentiating factor.

"In the present case, the wording 'Utah' in the applied-for mark is merely descriptive of or generic for applicant's goods. Thus, this wording is less significant in terms of affecting the mark's commercial impression, and renders the wording 'YETIS' the more dominant element of the mark," the non-final action said.

No, Utah's NHL team isn't a cooler or drinkware company, but sells similar things. YETI isn't a hockey team, but its trademark includes a number of things that a hockey team would like to sell. So, there's at least some overlap there.

But what about making Yeti plural?

"An applied-for mark that is the singular or plural form of a registered mark is essentially identical in sound, appearance, meaning, and commercial impression, and thus the marks are confusingly similar," the action said.

Welp ...

A future logo or style likely won't help things either with the trademark office saying that "a mark presented in stylized characters" or with a "design element" generally will "not avoid likelihood of confusion"

So, what now?

The team has three months from Jan. 9 to respond with further evidence and arguments to support its claim for the new trademark (it will also have to fix some bookkeeping things).

So there's still hope for those who want to cheer on the Yeti or Yetis. Hey, the Detroit Red Wings and Red Wing Shoe Company have similar names (and even pretty similar logos), after all.

And the team, at least, should be prepared to make its case.

In September, Utah Hockey Club president Chris Armstrong said that while the team knew the name the fans wanted, it was a "complicated process" from a legal, trademarking and intellectual property perspective.

"We're in that process now of determining what is achievable in that realm," he said.

But, in the end, what if the Yeti name isn't achievable?

Here's a look at the applications for the other announced finalists:

Utah Blizzard and Utah Venom: Both of these trademark applications were also refused due to a "likelihood of confusion" — with the trademark office pointing out many of the same issues the team has with trademarking the Yetis.

Utah Hockey Club: This one was refused on the Principal Register due to "the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive of the origin of applicant's goods and/or services." In simpler terms, you can't just trademark "Utah."

But there looks to be a simple workaround here.

The team filed the name under a 1(b) application — or an intent-to-use application — back in the spring of 2024. If the team files an amendment to show it's using the name (which ... should be pretty easy) then it can amend the application to the Supplemental Register. That should clear things up.

Utah Mammoth: There were "no conflicting marks" found here, but some bookkeeping will need to be cleared up on the application (a proper address, making a disclaimer that the team has no claim to "Utah", etc.).

The Mammoth non-final action was sent on Nov. 5, so the response deadline is in just a couple of weeks. If that deadline passes without a response, the application will be abandoned.

Utah Outlaws: The Utah Outlaws application also doesn't have issues apart from some clerical things. The non-final action was sent on Jan. 9, though, so a little more waiting to see what happens with this one.

https://www.ksl.com/article/51234156