Latest news with #USL
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
VensureHR Named Official HR Technology & Solutions Provider of the USL
TAMPA, FL and CHANDLER, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / June 3, 2025 / The United Soccer League (USL) and VensureHR, a leading provider of HR services and technology for small and mid-sized businesses, today announced a multi-year partnership that will make VensureHR the Official HR Technology & Solutions Provider of the USL and the exclusive presenting partner of the League Two and W League Playoffs. 'We welcome VensureHR as our Official HR Technology & Solutions Provider and look forward to their involvement in our League Two and W League Playoffs,' said Josh Keller, USL SVP of Corporate Development & Partnerships. 'VensureHR offers a variety of solutions to meet the needs of our teams at all levels and we're excited to add them to our Preferred Supplier Program.' Through its Preferred Supplier Program, the USL connects suppliers with new franchise owners and existing USL clubs to deliver the best possible experience for fans across North America. Preferred suppliers are 'Best in Class' companies that provide services and products to professional franchises and stadium developers and must meet the USL's strict quality standards. 'The USL is a fast-growing organization that offers a tremendous pathway for both men and women to ascend from the youth ranks to professional soccer players,' said Phil Urso, Chief Sales Officer of Vensure Employer Solutions, parent company to VensureHR. 'At every step of the journey, VensureHR has solutions to streamline HR processes, allowing the league and its clubs to keep their focus on developing the best on-field talent.' The partnership extends VensureHR's reach in the sports and entertainment industries, joining additional sponsorships with the Premier Lacross League (PLL), the Mitsubishi Electric Classic on the PGA Tour Champions, the American Association of Professional Baseball, and AJ Foyt Racing. VensureHR helps small and medium-size businesses succeed by streamlining payroll and HR administration, managing worker benefits, and minimizing employer risks. VensureHR leverages advanced technology to benefit more than 500,000 worksite employees and process nearly $19 billion in payroll annually. About VensureHR VensureHR is part of Vensure Employer Solutions, the largest privately held organization in the HR technology and service sector, providing a comprehensive portfolio of solutions, including HR/HCM technology, managed services, and global business process outsourcing (BPO). The company and its service providers collectively serve over 141,000 businesses and process over $153B in annual payroll. As a 'One Employer Solution' headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Vensure helps thousands of businesses streamline and grow their operations with custom strategies that benefit both employers and employees. Find out more by visiting ### Media Contacts: Owen Serey Mower, on behalf of Vensure [email protected] SOURCE: Vensure Employer Solutions press release
Washington Post
18 hours ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Former US midfielder Benny Feilhaber hired as coach of 2nd-tier Oakland Roots
OAKLAND, Calif. — Former U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber was hired Monday as coach of the Oakland Roots of the United Soccer League's second-tier Championship. Coach Gavin Glinton was fired earlier Monday after the team opened its league schedule with three wins, seven losses and one tie. The Roots also lost their opening match in the U.S. Open Cup to Tacoma in the third round. The 40-year-old Feilhaber scored two goals in 44 international appearances from 2007-17 and was part of the American team at the 2010 World Cup, appearing in three matches as a substitute. His tiebreaking goal on a 22-yard volley broke a 73rd-minute tie and lifted the U.S. over Mexico 2-1 in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Born in Brazil and a graduate of UCLA, Feilhaber played for Hamburg, Derby, Aarhus, New England, Kansas City and Los Angeles FC during a club career from 2006-19. Since retiring as a player , he has been an assistant coach at UCLA, Kansas City under-17 coach and head coach of Sporting KC II in third-tier MLS Next Pro. Feilhaber came out of retirement to play for the fourth-tier Omaha Menace when it beat Sporting KC II by 2-1 in the first round of the Open Cup on March 19, and he converted a penalty kick in a 2-1 loss to Union Omaha in the second round on April 2. ___ AP soccer:
Associated Press
21 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Former US midfielder Benny Feilhaber hired as coach of 2nd-tier Oakland Roots
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Former U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber was hired Monday as coach of the Oakland Roots of the United Soccer League's second-tier Championship. Coach Gavin Glinton was fired earlier Monday after the team opened its league schedule with three wins, seven losses and one tie. The Roots also lost their opening match in the U.S. Open Cup to Tacoma in the third round. The 40-year-old Feilhaber scored two goals in 44 international appearances from 2007-17 and was part of the American team at the 2010 World Cup, appearing in three matches as a substitute. His tiebreaking goal on a 22-yard volley broke a 73rd-minute tie and lifted the U.S. over Mexico 2-1 in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final. Born in Brazil and a graduate of UCLA, Feilhaber played for Hamburg, Derby, Aarhus, New England, Kansas City and Los Angeles FC during a club career from 2006-19. Since retiring as a player, he has been an assistant coach at UCLA, Kansas City under-17 coach and head coach of Sporting KC II in third-tier MLS Next Pro. Feilhaber came out of retirement to play for the fourth-tier Omaha Menace when it beat Sporting KC II by 2-1 in the first round of the Open Cup on March 19, and he converted a penalty kick in a 2-1 loss to Union Omaha in the second round on April 2. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What MLS can learn from the J League's growth in Japan
Major League Soccer has plenty to celebrate in its 30th season as the top domestic competition of the United States and Canada. Average attendance is as high as ever, and sponsors are flocking in record amounts to capitalize on the presence of global stars such as Lionel Messi, and the general growth of soccer in the US. Yet not all is well. Fan frustration continues to mount on a variety of issues. Media exposure is declining in the wake of a 10-year, $2.5bn media rights deal with Apple. Competition is mounting in the form of the USL, which plans to start a Division I league and institute promotion and relegation for the first time in the modern era of US soccer. And the possibility of a switch to the international fall-to-spring calendar has left supporters of northern clubs bewildered. Advertisement Many of the challenges MLS faces are born of its successes and rooted in the environment of the North American sports market, in which business interests more often than not reign supreme. But as MLS prepares to shape its future, commissioner Don Garber and his fellow executives would do well to look to Japan, where their J League counterparts have charted a different path to relevance in a country similarly reluctant to accept soccer. Related: An increasingly multicultural Japan have qualified for the 2026 World Cup Development first The 1994 World Cup was in some ways the genesis of both leagues: MLS was established as a condition for the US hosting the tournament, while the J League's 1992 founding came as Japan sought to improve its playing level and qualify for the World Cup for the first time (they eventually did so for the 1998 edition). Advertisement But while MLS started with 10 brand-new franchises under a single entity system, the J League's Original 10 were almost entirely established company teams that professionalized and adapted home town identities, representing the league's desire for each club to establish strong local relationships. 'I think what we've done better than the US is developing players,' J League chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura told the Guardian on 15 May – coincidentally, the anniversary of the league's inaugural kickoff in 1993. 'We've looked at how to get kids to play and create a professional pathway, and that's something that local clubs, schools and the Japanese soccer community have worked very hard to accomplish.' Those efforts have borne fruit: Japan have appeared in every men's World Cup since 1998 and were the first non-host to qualify for the 2026 edition in North America. The J League has expanded from 10 teams to 60 across three divisions since its formation, but lags far behind its European and pan-American peers when it comes to broadcast and sponsorship revenues as well as transfer-related income. 'Our challenge now is figuring out how to expand our business side,' Nonomura said. 'MLS has done really well as a business, but now they're figuring out how to build the base [of its developmental pyramid]. I think we both have an opportunity to succeed.' Post-Messi roadmap If the attention surrounding Messi's journey with Inter Miami feels familiar to Japanese soccer insiders, it's because the J League has been down this path before with another Barcelona legend, after the arrival of Andrés Iniesta at Vissel Kobe in 2018. Advertisement The former Spain captain's arrival sparked a wave of global interest in Japanese soccer and higher attendances across the country, even as Vissel – who had also signed German star Lukas Podolski and would later bring on David Villa – struggled to achieve consistent results on the pitch. While the Covic-19 pandemic meant the J League was unable to capitalize on 2019's record attendance it has successfully rebuilt its crowds despite the lack of a replacement superstar – something Nonomura chalks up to increased media investments that have seen domestic exposure quadruple in the post-Iniesta era, particularly in areas with second and third-division clubs that lack the top flight's resources. A core of that strategy has been to increase the number of games shown on television. That required negotiations with streaming service Dazn, the J League's official broadcaster since 2017, and like Apple a company that primarily deals in digital streaming. Today, J League games appear on Dazn as well as regional public broadcasters. Related: American investment in soccer will soon face a stern opponent: itself Advertisement 'I told Dazn that if they want to grow [their subscribers] they need to raise the level of interest, and to do that they have to raise the number of games on TV,' Nonomura said. 'Now there are more rural clubs that are seeing audience ratings of 5-10% and becoming major content pillars for local media.' Pandemic-era rules requiring clubs to collect attendees' contact information spurred the development of another key tool: A unified ticketing system backed by an app that allows the J League to centralize its marketing data. Free ticket giveaways geared to first-time viewers have paid dividends, with 30% of such recipients for games at Tokyo's National Stadium going on to attend additional matches during the 2023 season, according to the league. 'I think National Stadium games allow for a balance between European and American atmospheres,' Nonomura said. 'Behind the goals there's a lot of excitement, but elsewhere in the stadium it's more relaxed and fans are enjoying themselves.' Fans as stakeholders Next year the J League, which has always played through the summer, will undergo a dramatic transformation as it transitions to a fall-spring format. Like those who support MLS making a similar move, the hope is that the switch will benefit clubs by aligning their transfer windows with Europe and protecting players from the country's sweltering summer weather. Advertisement After two decades of resisting pressure from the Japan Football Association to make the switch, league officials began deliberating anew in 2023, kicking off a transparent, year-long process, complete with monthly media briefings and a listening tour that saw Nonomura visit clubs in snowy northern regions that would be most affected. In the end, just one team voted against the move. 'It was because we'd been debating this for 20 years – the idea that the calendar had to change in order for the league to grow – that we felt it was necessary to share this information with as many people as possible,' Nonomura said. 'And I think that because we made that effort, the number of people against the move decreased.' Related: MLS Year 30: A league at a philosophical crossroads as World Cups loom If MLS does go forward with the switch, Nonomura believes, they'll have an advantage in terms of the amount of funding they can invest toward the transition. But he insists that fans should be a part of the conversation. Advertisement 'I like that in the US you can take on new challenges quickly, but when it comes to very weighty matters [the discussion] shouldn't remain within the league,' he said. 'If you believe that fans and supporters are important stakeholders, I think you need to tell them what's being discussed and what you're aiming to achieve.' Establishing that trust is something Nonomura focused on in his nine years as president of Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, the J League's northernmost club and among its best-known abroad thanks to the signings of Southeast Asian stars such as Le Cong Vinh and Chanathip Songkrasin. 'In order to win you need enthusiasm from your fans, and in that sense they're like club staff. When we were in the J2, we'd go to Sapporo Dome and present our financial situation and say, 'This is what our revenue looks like now, but to raise it over the next five years we need your support to help win games,' and that's how we built our base. In that sense, to grow the J League it's very important that our fans be aligned with the direction we want to take.' Together in the top five Though he admits that he is 'envious' of MLS's financial power, Nonomura sees a future in which both the North American circuit and the J League can stand together among the best leagues in the world. Advertisement '[MLS] is refreshing because it's a different approach to traditional soccer culture like promotion/relegation and a focus on building up grassroots,' he said. 'It's motivating, in a way. But I'm sure they look at what we're doing in Japan and see things they're envious about. 'I think if we maintain a good relationship and continue to grow, right now the top five leagues are in Europe, but one day maybe it will be three from Europe, plus [MLS] and the J League.' One gap that the J League hopes to narrow with MLS in the next few years is in the boardroom: The league established Sports Human Capital, its own business school, in 2016 under then-chair Mitsuru Murai. Nonomura himself – a former player, TV commentator, club president and now chair – is emblematic of how Japanese soccer has raised its initial crop of sporting executives nearly from scratch, in contrast to MLS's ability to draw from deep ranks of talent across the American sports business landscape, including Garber, who was once the senior VP of NFL International. 'The league's reached adulthood, but there's lots of ways we can still grow,' Nonomura said. 'After all, I'm 53, and there were so many things I didn't understand at 32 that I do now.'
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Watch Live: Detroit City FC vs. Portland Hearts of Pine
Detroit City Football Club returns to USL Jägermeister Cup action this Saturday as they travel to Maine to face off against USL League One side Portland Hearts of Pine. Kickoff from Fitzpatrick Stadium is set for 5 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on CW Detroit 50 (WKBD-TV). For Michigan residents, the match is free to stream on Le Rouge enters this match off a 3-1 defeat to Charleston Battery on Saturday afternoon. It was a brilliant start for Detroit, as Jay Chapman opened his Detroit City account with a goal in the second minute, but Detroit struggled to get anything going after that. A Cal Jennings first-half brace would see the visitors up 2-1 going into the half, and Juan Torres sealed the game with a goal in the 57th minute. Last time out in the Jägermeister Cup, Detroit City walked away with a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Darren Smith saved the day for DCFC in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, heading the Ben Morris cross into the bottom corner of the net, giving Le Rouge its first three points of the competition's group stage. Portland Hearts of Pine enter this match on a four-match unbeaten streak in league play. In its inaugural season, Portland currently sits in 11th place in USL League One with one win, five draws, and one loss. Last weekend, Portland traveled to Madison, Wisconsin, to face off against Forward Madison FC in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw, resulting in shared points. After going down 1-0 seven minutes into the game, Portland fought back to level in the 35th minute off a Nathan Messer from outside the box. Portland's first match in the Jägermeister Cup came against Hartford Athletic, where the Connecticut club walked away with a 2-0 victory. Jack Panayotou would score the two goals for Hartford before being sent off with a red card in the 72nd minute. As things stand in Group 4 of the Jägermeister Cup, Rhode Island FC sits in first, Hartford claims second, and Detroit City sits in third. Those three all have three points each, but with goals scored being the tiebreaker, both Rhode Island and Hartford find themselves above Detroit. Westchester SC sits fourth, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in fifth, and Portland Hearts of Pine in sixth. Le Rouge continues on the road next weekend when they travel to Pennsylvania to face Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Detroit returns to Keyworth Stadium Saturday, June 21st, to take on The Miami FC. Kickoff from Keyworth Stadium is set for 4 p.m. Tickets for all Detroit City matches are available at For more information about Detroit City FC, visit and follow @DetroitCityFC on X and Facebook and @detroitcityfootballclub on Instagram. CBS News Detroit is the official broadcast partner of Detroit City FC. This story is reprinted with permission from Detroit City FC.
