The North American Soccer League (NASL) is a professional men's soccer league with ten teams — eight in the United States and two in Canada. It is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as the Division II league in the American league system, under Major League Soccer (MLS) and above USL Pro. Its headquarters are in New York City.
The league is named for, but has no connection to, the original North American Soccer League.
The modern NASL was founded in 2009, and began play in 2011 with eight
teams, following a 2010 season that saw NASL and USL teams play in a
combined temporary Division II league. The number of franchises is now at twelve teams.
The 2014 North American Soccer League season will be the 47th season of Division II soccer
in the United States and the fourth season of the revived North
American Soccer League. It will be contested by ten teams including two
from Canada. Joining the NASL in the Spring of 2014 will be two new
franchises, Indy Eleven and Ottawa Fury FC; originally Virginia Cavalry FC were to begin play this season but now plan to join in the 2016 season. A split season format will be used again for the 2014 season.
The NASL uses a split-season schedule
running from April to early November, with a four-week break in July.
The spring and fall champions, along with the two teams with best
combined spring/fall records meet in a four-team single elimination
tournament known as The Championship. The winner of the final claims the Soccer Bowl at the end of the season. While there is no promotion and relegation
with other leagues, Commissioner Bill Peterson has stated repeatedly
that the league has an interest in introducing it to the pyramid.
Source: http://www.nasl.com/
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