Rocco Commisso Shares His Unfiltered Stories About U.S. Soccer, Major League Soccer, and Soccer United Marketing.

If you’re unaware, the Cosmos and the rest of the former NASL teams and a number of other lower division soccer teams have been fighting for survival here in the American soccer system.

They haven’t been fighting where you would imagine a soccer team would be fighting, though. Not on the field.

The Cosmos and many others have been fighting for survival in boardrooms and courtrooms – because USSF prefers to operate by holding meetings to concoct artificial standards, create numerous barriers to entry, and then hide behind their lawyers instead of just allowing American soccer to grow and flourish like it very easily could.

This is the second time that I have had Rocco on this podcast. You can find the previous episode with Rocco here.

Some of what we talk about in this episode overlap with our previous conversation, but Rocco layers on more information about the struggles that he and other lower division soccer teams have been experiencing over course of 15 months. Those struggles have been instigated by people inside of US Soccer.

How so?

Well, US Soccer – the governing body recognized by FIFA – has attached itself at the hip with MLS via Soccer United Marketing. This is an indisputable fact that most voices in American soccer media seem to just kick under the rug. But one thing Rocco talks about in this interview is that he has no problem with USSF being the governing body. He just wants them to be independent and fair.

He doesn’t want pity, mercy, or favors. He simply wants to field a team that can be judged by their sporting merit – not by their time-zone.

Another thing Rocco told me is that he’s always willing to talk if anyone wants to hear this side of the story – the side that is almost always ignored.

This episode is an unfiltered interview with Rocco Commisso about what its like to be standing on the outside of the USSF circle looking in.