As I write this, I am well aware that NISA may release all the information we’re waiting for, negating SOME of this article. I’ll take that risk. For those of you who don’t subscribe to the Protagonist Patreon (which you should, it helps us fund everything we do), this topic was covered pretty well in our most recent Patreon Knights show.

We often joke on The Knights Who Say NISA that Dan Creel should write a book about soccer history. Especially on the topic of leagues, in their infancy, trying to survive. While MLS may be seen as a stable entity now, if you listen to the old timers who were there in the beginning, you’ll hear how close the league was to closing up shop multiple times. And while NISA may not be the next MLS, it certainly is going through some growing pains and choosing to suffer silently.

Last year around this time, while we were hopeful about so many new clubs coming into the league, there was a tremendous amount of public chaos that came to dominate the NISA news cycle. One owner was set on blowing the whole league apart and did his level best to air every bit of dirty laundry he could find. It was insane, as each night brought further twitter screeds and pizza giveaways. Every morning we had to sort out what we had learned the evening before. Eventually, two clubs were booted from the league and, mercifully, the season kicked off.

This year, we’ve got a mess of an entirely different sort on our hands. Aside from the qausi-merger of Flower City Union and Syracuse Pulse, the league has been on radio silence. Plenty of rumors are swirling, particularly that the California clubs are, for the most part, out, but no one wants to go on the record and the league isn’t commenting. That lack of communication is especially tough right now, as the rest of the leagues are announcing schedules and player signings. Basically one NISA club is announcing signings, Chattanooga FC, while every other club sits quietly. In fact, former NISA players are popping up on other league’s clubs, further implying that clubs are not returning. It’s not a good look for NISA and still…nothing.

Yesterday, I asked my podcast cohosts, which is better: last year’s insanity or this year’s silence? I’d ask you the same. Which do you prefer? I know I’d rather the league try to get ahead of any negative stories and NISA should be desperate for a headline at this point, but we’re getting nothing from the league. If progress is being made behind the scenes, at least tease that, because right now it looks like Commissioner Prutch is fiddling while Rome burns. Break the silence one way or another, the fans are tired of waiting.

- Dan Vaughn