North American Soccer League’s lawsuit against US Soccer, MLS is dismissed

A federal court jury sided with the U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer in an antitrust lawsuit brought against the organizations by North American Soccer League, which had filed suit after claiming it did not have its second-tier status renewed.

The jury ruled in favor of MLS and U.S. Soccer in the $500 million antitrust lawsuit filed by NASL, which had said in the lawsuit the federation and MLS conspired to maintain a monopoly on pro soccer in the U.S. and Canada. MLS said the allegations were meritless.

The ruling on Monday followed a three-week trial held in the Brooklyn federal court which featured high-profile testimonies from Carmelo Anthony, MLS Commissioner Don Garber and former U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati.

“The jury’s verdict confirms that this case was nothing more than an attempt by NASL to deflect blame for its own failures,” MLS said in a statement. “Since our inception in 1996, MLS has been dedicated to making the necessary investments to elevate the sport of soccer and provide an exceptional experience for players and fans.”

U.S. Soccer called the jury’s decision “an important victory for the broader sports landscape.”

The NASL, which was an unaffiliated reboot from the league that Pele and the original New York Cosmos played in, initially sought $500 million in damages.

During the discovery period, there were damaging aspects on the NASL side that contributed to its loss. Former NASL chairman Rocco Commisso was found to be using a burner Twitter account to publicly criticize Garber and Gulati.

The U.S. federation sanctions leagues in three divisions, with MLS the top Division 1 league. The awarding of division status is based on a number of criteria including stadium seating capacity, the number of teams and the locations of those teams.

NASL, which was founded in 2009, held second-tier status from 2011-17. The league alleged that U.S. Soccer and MLS conspired to keep upstart leagues from competing with MLS.

NASL counsel Jeff Kessler told Front Office Sports: “We have great respect for the jury process, but there were some fundamental legal errors made which prevented the jurors from receiving important evidence or being instructed on the correct legal standards and claims. Our client accordingly expects to appeal.”