Representatives from the Team Owners Association are in New York for a series of meetings with the U.S. Soccer Federation and other league owners as they begin to sort out the situation between the owners and the United Soccer Leagues front office.
The meetings are meant to bring together all the major players in the current disputes, but after the first day, work still is left to be done, RailHawks owner Brian Wellman said in an e-mail Tuesday.
"Nothing has happened since the weekend," Wellman said. "The TOA ... is meeting with the USSF and MLS and NuRock to try and figure out a solution of sorts. ...
"I don't expect to [hear anything] until late tonight or tomorrow."
The RailHawks on Friday were notified by the USL that that they no longer had a franchise in the league.
Though it seems unlikely that all sides will come to an agreement this week, the meetings might serve to clear up confusion with the players' contracts; specifically, whether they are still under contract with the USSF.
In the e-mail sent out to players on Friday, USL president Tim Holt stated that not only had the USL voided players' contracts, but "The U.S. Soccer Federation has been advised of the same and has also released all players from their USL Contracts and USSF Registrations."
Wellman has said the league doesn't have the power to do that.
"I mean, basically, no," he said Saturday when asked if the league could affect USSF contracts.
Wellman, as well as the RailHawks' other owners, several members of the front office and coach Martin Rennie held a meeting with the players Saturday during which they assured them that a squad will be playing in Cary next year.
In an interview last month, Rennie said he is mostly leaving the negotiations to the owners and front office and preparing his squad for next season.
"I'm not focused on that," Rennie said. "For me, it's just focusing on preparing the team the best I can in whatever league we play in.
"I trust the owners that they'll be in the best league possible for the RailHawks."
That league still could be the USL, Wellman said last weekend, or it could involve breaking off into a new league but partnering with the USL.
It's likely that all of those options will be discussed at this week's meetings among the owners and USL officials, though Wellman believes the final answer is "a long way off."
As for now, it's clear he and most of Carolina's front office are more interested in what the RailHawks will be doing next year than which league they'll be doing it in. They're "beginning to track out camps coached by our players, and our season-ticket drive is in full swing," he said Tuesday.
• After weeks of wondering whether anyone could beat the UNC women's soccer team on their quest for a second straight national title, Virginia Tech provided the answer with a 1-0 win over the Tar Heels on Sunday.
It was UNC's first loss of the season, and its first loss to an ACC squad in more than two years. The Heels will look to rebound, starting with a matchup against N.C. State at 7 p.m. Friday in Chapel Hill.
• N.C. State forward Ronnie Bouemboue and UNC defender Kristi Eveland have been named finalists for this year's Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which honors college soccer's top men's and women's players.
Bouemboue leads the ACC with five goals and 15 points on the season, while Eveland has been a starter on UNC's backline all four years of her career.
