Legion President on Pro/Rel - Part II

Legion President on Pro/Rel - Part II

Jay Heaps spoke exclusively to Birmingham Sports Media about the USL’s decision to implement promotion and relegation in the future, and his hopes for its impact on the Legion and U.S. soccer

by Timothy Belin

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - March 23, 2025

On Wednesday, the United Soccer League announced a momentous decision for the sport’s future. With a supermajority vote, the league opted to become the first professional sports league in the country to adopt a promotion and relegation model.

This system, used in nearly every other soccer league around the world, sees the best teams in each lower division climb up a rank, while the worst-performing ones drop down an echelon to compensate. Coupled with the announcement of a new USL Division I league that hopes to start play in 2028, a designation that would put it on par with Major League Soccer, change is coming for all USL teams.

On Friday, Birmingham Sports Media sat down with Jay Heaps, president and general manager of Birmingham Legion FC, to discuss the decision's ramifications for the club.

[This is Part II of a three-part series. If you missed it, check out Part I: Making the Decision here]

Part II: The Benefits of Promotion/Relegation

Despite making USL a direct-competitor for MLS through its future Division I league, Heaps does not believe the two cannot coexist successfully. He said the ethos of the teams in MLS versus those in USL are different, and therefore attractive to different demographics.

“We’re community teams,” Heaps said. “So there’s a way for USL to find other pockets. For me, it’s still based on that we’re a community-driven team. We’re built for Birmingham, we’re built by Birmingham, we’re owner by Birmingham owners. … You play for the name on the front of the jersey.”

In contrast, he said the MLS is a more international-oriented league, with a big focus on signing big names from foreign countries. As a result, he sees USL becoming “the American league,” focused more on developing American players who might not necessarily get a shot on rosters filled with international stars.

That focus on player development, notably with the goal of helping the national team in the long-run, is another major component to Heaps’ support for the system. With a true promotion/relegation model in place, he anticipates increased focus on youth development and scouting, which will only benefit the American player pool.

“I do think that promotion/relegation is something that this country at some point is going to need to adopt in the professional ranks if we want true player development,” Heaps said. “When you think about player development at the youth, youth levels, if there’s a true professional pathway to go from Division IV or III or II all the way up to Division I, you’re going to see more investment in developing younger players and investment in that process. As we all know, if you’re a Division III team or Division II team, you can’t spend $50 million to go get Messi,” he added. “You’re going to have to spend three or four hundred thousand or close to a million in investing in the youth.

“If we’re talking about how U.S. Soccer can really start to get more talented players younger, sooner, promotion/relegation is that pathway,” he continued. “I look at that as a global trend that has allowed smaller countries with less physical athletes to really be developed sooner because they’re getting the grassroots programs incentivized to go find younger players.

“I’m a big believer that that will directly impact player development at a younger age, and start to try and find more meaningful games for the 13, 14, 15 year olds," Heaps added. "And the hope is for the U.S. to have those players continue to develop through the pro ranks to eventually be national-team-level players. And that to me is something that hopefully the USL with get U.S. Soccer behind.”

Another advantage of promotion/relegation is the increased stakes throughout the season. While teams currently only fight for playoff spots, thus removing any real meaning to their season as soon as that goal is mathematically impossible, the value of each result will last significantly longer into the season with the new model.

Heaps said the league doesn’t want to move away from traditional American ideas like the end-of-season playoffs, but he does believe promotion/relegation is a perfect addition to this system. A former player and manager in MLS, he recalled European players, most notably David Beckham, now president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF, coming over and loving the playoff system because it gave them a second chance at success even after a mediocre season. However, while seeding for the postseason often gives the top half of the table something to play for until the final day, those below them quickly find themselves playing dead rubbers.

Whether relegation adopts a playoff model as well remains to be seen. If it does, several avenues exist. It could be a direct competition between the league’s bottom teams, or, such as some European leagues — most notably the Bundesliga, Germany’s top division — the playoffs could be between the bottom teams of the higher division and best teams in the division below.

In any case, Heaps thinks U.S. soccer fans, most of whom prefer international leagues to the local product, will support the proposal.

“For me, that’s the American way of doing it,” Heaps said. “If you have the relegation story, but you also have a champion story and a playoff system in the top league.”

 

This is Part II of a three-part series. Check back tomorrow for Part III, where Jay Heaps discusses the decision's implications for Birmingham Legion FC. Follow @TimothyBelin_ and @BirminghamSport on X/Twitter to be notified when Part III releases.

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