Benjamin Franklin said “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, but death and taxes.” If he lived now I’m sure he would add UPSL expansion to the list. The newest club to enter under the roof of the United Premier Soccer League is the Barça Residency USA out of Casa Grande, Arizona. Barça will play in the Southwest division against: East Valley FC, FC Arizona, FC Arizona U23, and the recently crowned Olympians FC.

For the UPSL this is a big win. The league already touches more markets than any other league and now has the opportunity to use the Barça Residency as a selling point to future investors. The league can also use Barça Residency as an example of what best practices look like.

I want to delve into how this expansion could hypothetically change the soccer landscape and if this a new step into what the new UPSL will look like or just another expansion. Just a heads up, it won't be the latter.

On the pedestal

Everyone knows the FC Barcelona name and Barça Residency USA will not be the only club to sport the name either (Barcelona Soccer Excellence), but Barça USA will bring the infrastructure that the majority of the clubs at this level can’t offer. Opponents can use this opportunity to promote their product against that of FC Barcelona, generating ticket revenue.

The academy operates out of the Grande Sports World campus, where the players live and train. On top of the amenities, they also have a track record of producing talent for the collegiate and professional ranks.

Player development is becoming more and more connected to grassroots soccer in America. With the canceling of the Development Academy and the creation of the Elite academies, more local clubs have joined in on the conversation. MPLS City recently announced its ‘Futures’ program, NPSL launched its u19 program and more clubs are launching their own academies or finding creative ways for youth development like Temecula FC’s middle school league and Azteca FC’s futsal league. Barça USA has a chance to really show what operating an academy club can do for its first team. They can introduce younger talent and if they are successful, i.e. winning and sending more players to the professional ranks, they can drive the #PlayYourKids model.

Altering the landscape

Between the Southwest’s now five clubs, four operate a youth academy. The champions, Olympians FC, are the only club to operate solely as a first team. FC Arizona, East Valley FC and Barça Residency USA all operate within forty miles of each other. We all know the benefits of local competition; each club can save on travel costs and get adequate competition, which at a youth level can prove to be more beneficial in helping lower the cost to play. This scenario plays well for East Valley FC and the FC Arizonas, but what about Olympians FC and the future clubs that act only as an adult amatuer organization? The UPSL Southwest has very little competition, only in terms of the amount of clubs competing, and the thought of playing against primarily academy teams may not be an attractive enough option for organizations that only operate as an adult amateur organization.

This could be the big step that helps propel other international organizations to expand into the United States. Last year, the Riverside Coras FC rebranded as Club Xolos USA U23, becoming a satellite club for the Liga MX giants. San Diego 1904 are backed by Demba Ba and Eden Hazard, two players who understand how the game works throughout the world and are a byproduct of local academies backed by professional organizations. There are already massive clubs operating academies in the US: Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool, just to name a few.

All in all this is an impressive acquisition for the UPSL. ELP brands have talked about its intention to grow the UPSL and big names like FC Barcelona can really ignite the flames of progress. While devastating, COVID-19 has given organizations the opportunity to rethink, reorganize and evolve into something new. I look forward to seeing how this affects the soccer landscape in Arizona and around the country.

- Steven Ramirez