Strikers in peril with NASL facing crisis

The fate of the North American Soccer League, which counts among its members the increasingly imperiled Fort Lauderdale Strikers, will likely be decided this week, as U.S. Soccer Federation board members meet in New York.

Questions about the NASL’s viability and the possibility of the United Soccer League moving up to the second tier under Major League Soccer will be at issue amid reports the New York Cosmos are near shuttering.

The NASL ended this past season — its sixth — with 12 teams, a minimum for survival as the country’s seconddivision league. But Minnesota United’s move to MLS; the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Ottawa Fury shifting to the MLS-backed USL; and contending with the financially strapped Strikers, Jacksonville Armada and Rayo OKC have proven destabilizing. And in recent weeks the New York Cosmos, the league’s marquee franchise, ended player contracts, placed staff on furlough and is nearing ceasing operations, according to multiple reports.

The situation for the Strikers, who faced an avalanche of financial issues this season and are actively seeking a buyer, remains unresolved and tenuous.

Tampa Bay Rowdies owner Bill Edwards on Nov. 17 sued both Strikers ownership and the NASL for control of the team. Edwards, whose firm Marketing Solution Publications loaned the Strikers nearly $800,000 over the summer, claims the club remains $305,000 in his debt, according to Pinellas County court records.

In September, the Sun Sentinel reported the Strikers’ ownership informed the NASL it would no longer be able to meet payroll and fund the team. On Sept. 22, the league filed a financing statement form with the state of Florida that gave the league an interest in the Strikers.

In July, the Sun Sentinel reported the team was delaying pay for players and staff and had bounced payroll checks three different times. Strikers managing director Luis Cuccatti said it was due to lags in money transfers from Brazil to the U.S.

According to a source, the Strikers have paid their staff recently.

The club has been owned by a group of Brazilian entrepreneurs, led by principal owner Paulo Cesso, since September 2014, when it was purchased from Traffic Sports. Ronaldo, the Brazilian soccer superstar, is also a minority, though largely absentee owner.

The Strikers’ ownership group has indicated it is interested in the club remaining with the NASL.

ROLANDO OTERO/STAFF FILE PHOTO The Strikers faced an avalanche of financial issues this past season and are actively seeking a buyer. The club has been owned by a group of Brazilian entrepreneurs since September 2014.