The Carolina RailHawks' new second-division professional soccer league has adopted a name familiar to longtime U.S. soccer fans.
The new league will be called the North American Soccer League, or NASL, according to a RailHawks news release. The league, formed this fall after the RailHawks and five other teams left the United Soccer Leagues, takes its name from the professional league that operated in the United States and Canada from 1968 to 1984.
RailHawks principal owner Selby Wellman has been appointed president of the new NASL, the release said.
The original NASL lured international stars such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia and Johan Cruyff to play in the U.S. near the end of their careers.
League organizers have submitted an application to the United States Soccer Federation for sanctioning as a Division II Men's Outdoor Professional League. The new league, which also plans to field teams in Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami, Minnesota, St. Louis, Tampa, Montreal and Vancouver, is scheduled to begin play in the spring.
The RailHawks split from the United Soccer Leagues after Nike sold the USL to outside investors rather than to a group of owners that included the RailHawks' partners.
"By becoming the NASL, we are paying respect to the players, coaches and leaders who were pioneers for men's professional soccer in North America, many of whom remain involved and committed to the growth of our game in various capacities throughout the U.S. and Canada," Wellman said in a statement released by the RailHawks. "For that, we honor and thank them with a new era for the NASL.
" ... Our intention is to offer an elite brand of soccer and outstanding experience for our partners and fans, something the old NASL did very well. ... We will do the same in the new NASL."
