Artist: Run The Jewels
Album: RTJ4
Date Released: June 3rd, 2020
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Artist Background
The duo consisting of Atlanta rapper Killer Mike, and legendary underground produceMC El-P, known together as Run The Jewels, originally came together as a result of Adult Swim executive Jason DeMarco who introduced the two in 2011. After his 2011 album PL3DGE peaked at #115 on the US charts, Killer Mike told Jason that he wanted to make his own AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted. Jason informed Mike, “If you want AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted modernized, the only producer I know who comes close to the Bomb Squad-level of production is El-P”. The duo’s chemistry was immediate, as El-P went on to produce all of Killer Mike’s 2012 last solo album R.A.P. Music, and Mike featured on El-P’s final solo album Cancer 4 Cure. Mike and El’s respective albums released within a week of each other in May 2012, and the two embarked on a twenty-city US tour in the following months. After returning from tour, the pair had found a friendship growing between themselves, and made the decision to put other projects on hold and focus on the chemistry that had been sparked. Recording at an upstate NY studio beginning in April 2013, the duo re-appropriated the phrase “Run The Jewels” from the LL Cool J track “Cheesy Rat Blues", and released their self-titled collaborative album, for free via digital download, only a mere 2 months later in June 2013.
36” Chain vs. Pistol & Fist
Run The Jewels discography currently exists in a distinct pairing. With Run The Jewels as their debut, this record set the group's tone as a light-hearted, braggadocious duo with as much confidence in their abilities as swag in their punchlines. Just over a year later, the sequel Run The Jewels 2 took the foundation set from their freshman effort and dialed the insanity up to 11. RTJ2 pushed the boundaries of their aggression and flows to new heights; with incredible energy in their verses, and absolutely impeccable beats, blending El-P’s signature industrial sound with sharp synth arpeggios, chopped Zach De La Rocha vocals, and absolutely bonkers Travis Barker drums.
It was then nearly 3 years before Jamie and Mike followed up their breakout RTJ2, with Run The Jewels 3 being released again ahead of its scheduled release date via free digital download, this time on Christmas Eve 2016. Instead of these two attempting to outdo the pure insanity and in-your-face attitude found in their predecessor, Mike and El decide to evolve themselves as a group. The duo had noticeably pulled back on the swag and dick jokes which made such a splash on RTJ2, instead choosing a more subdued, electronic approach to their beats, as well as a clearly stronger political approach in their lyrics. This change in sound and style is demonstrated in the album cover’s artwork. The first two records featured the distinctive RTJ “Pistol and Fist”, with the fist tightly gripping a chain. The chain, in my opinion, represents the swag and braggadocio that drove the aggressive nature of their first two albums. In RTJ3 the chain is removed, leaving only hands that have transformed from bleeding and bandaged, to a pristine gold.
This brings us to early 2020. It’s been nearly 4 years of living in a post-Trump America, and El-P announces that Run The Jewels fourth record has been completed. Mike and El live-stream the first single “yankee and the brave” on Instagram on March 22nd, 2020. Lyrically and sonically, RTJ4 exists as the successor to Run The Jewels 3, with Mike and El again taking the good from their previous effort and launching it into the creative stratosphere. El-P’s beats are again leaning towards the synthetic, electronic side, this time with the intensity dialed all the way up to 11. From a lyrical perspective, RTJ takes the politically-charged lyrics from their predecessor, and again, up the ante, laying down some of the hardest hitting and politically poignant bars either of these two have ever spit.
Album Review
2020 was a year that none of us will soon forget. An unprecedented global health crisis kept the majority of us inside for months at a time. RTJ4 was announced on May 12th, 2020, with a release date slated for June 5th, 2020. However, with 2020 as the gift that won’t stop giving, the end of May was highlighted by the unjust killing of George Floyd. The phrase heard around the world, “I can’t breathe” instantly became a rally-cry for the oppressed to finally take to the streets to demand systemic police reform, as Floyd’s death was not the first time this phrase was uttered in an unjust police killing. In fact, a 2020 study by the New York Times showed that at least 70 people have died in police custody after using the same phrase over the past decade. As millions of American’s began organizing protests and demonstrations in the wake of Floyd’s death, Run The Jewels made the decision to release their latest chapter two days ahead of the scheduled release. El-P tweeted, just minutes ahead of the drop, “Fuck it, why wait. The world is infested with bullshit, so here’s something raw to listen to while you deal with it all. We hope it brings you some joy. Stay safe and hopeful out there and thank you for giving 2 friends the chance to be heard and do what they love”. In line with all past Run The Jewels releases, the album was made available for free digital download, two days ahead of its scheduled release date, on June 3rd, 2020.
THE RETURN (we don’t mean no harm but we truly mean all the disrespect)
RTJ4 opens with the first single, “yankee and the brave (ep. 4)”. Using the team names from their respective hometown baseball teams, Mike and El use the opening track to prove that they’re not just a hip-hop duo, they’re brothers, for better or worse. El-P kicks this installment off with rapid-fire, machine-gun esque snares, matching Killer Mike’s aggressive flow and tightly packed rhymes, before El jumps in to trade some dense rhymes as well. Mike and El depict themselves as outlaws, with Mike surrounded by cops with only one bullet remaining. He contemplates suicide instead of allowing the police to take him alive, until El-P jumps back in, offering Mike a way out, with a getaway car waiting outside. This tense situation is depicted lightheartedly in this song’s music video, which was released via Adult Swim and features the duo animated.
The trade-off between Mike and El’s short verses are reminiscent of late-80’s EPMD flows, while the production sounds like boom-bap that’s been sent to us from the future. This distinctive blend of old-school rap roots and forward thinking production is what continues to separate Run The Jewels from absolutely all of their contemporaries. While so many artists are continually playing catch-up with the latest trends, RTJ are side-stepping the trendy and moving forward with the mind-bending.
FLEXIN’ (ayo one for mayhem, two for mischief)
The second single “ooh la la” samples a Gang Star track "DWYCK (feat. Nice & Smooth)" as the basis for the chorus. I say “samples” as that’s how it is credited in the album’s liner notes, however it’s truly an interpolation of Greg Nice’s bar, slowed down slightly, and sung by El-P and Greg Nice himself. El-P is a true old-head at heart, and it’s abundantly obvious in his work, even going as far as to recruit legendary producer DJ Premiere to handle the scratching on the back end of this banger.
Out of key piano chords are looped to quickly create an unsettling aura surrounding the track, before El-P’s voice cuts through the infectious piano like a whip. Pounding, up-tempo drums are introduced after the chorus’ first iteration, creating what is possibly El-P’s first danceable beat. Lyrically, Mike and El-P initially seem scattered on this track, however the music video quickly makes their point very obvious.

”we imagined the world on the day that the age old struggle of class was finally over. a day that humanity, empathy and community were victorious over the forces that would separate us based on arbitrary systems created by man.
this video is a fantasy of waking up on a day that there is no monetary system, no dividing line, no false construct to tell our fellow man that they are less or more than anyone else. not that people are without but that the whole meaning of money has vanished. that we have somehow solved our self created caste system and can now start fresh with love, hope and celebration. its a dream of humanity’s V-DAY… and the party we know would pop off.”

The video envisions a society celebrating the fact that the class system we currently exist within has finally imploded. Money is worthless, and we have rejected the desire to bind ourselves to the constraints of capitalism. All creeds and colors unite to burn the system that has so effectively controlled us for over a century. It’s a party, and if there was a song to celebrate the end of the world as it is currently known, “ooh la la” is that song.
Mike’s last verse features a few metaphors and comparisons celebrating the destruction of capitalism, saving the most poignant for last:

I used to love Bruce, but livin' my vida loca
Helped me understand I'm probably more of a Joker
When we usher in chaos, just know that we did it smiling
Cannibals on this island, inmates run the asylum

Premo’s expertly cut scratches lead us into the equally hard hitting sample flip of “Misdemeanor”, by Foster Stevens as the basis for the beat to “out of sight”. Lending yet another nod to the old-school greats that laid the foundation for RTJ, “out of sight” samples the same track as The D.O.C.’s “It’s Funky Enough”, only adding a bouncy, electronic synth atop the inverted chord hits, and uptempo, industrial drums, to create an absolutely infectious groove for Mike and El’s dynamic chemistry to shine, rapidly jumping between each other’s two line flows in the first verse.
“out of sight” shows each MC providing insight into how each of them earned a living and achieved their current status. Mike and El’s opening verse each details themselves robbing people in order to eat. El alludes to the fact that he crossed his accomplices in crime for the whole bag, while Mike details the fact his assailant tells him it’s an “honor” to be robbed by his mother’s only son.
While El-P’s production is the obvious stand out on first listen, Killer Mike comes through with one of the most sonically pleasing and technically proficient verses of 2020.

We the motivating, devastating, captivating
Ghost and Rae relating product of the fuckin' '80s
Coke dealin' babies, never regulating, bag accumulating
It would not be overstating to say they are underrating
The pride of Brooklyn and the Grady, baby
We don't need no compliments or confidence
Our attitude and latitude is "fuck you, pay me"

The dense, intricate rhyme schemes smack you in the face, almost distracting you from Mike’s delivery and blistering flow on the verse; flexing his legendary status while paying homage to his drug-dealing past. This absolutely stunning display of technical skill, story telling, and complex rhyming illustrates how RTJ seamlessly integrates the best of both old school and new school hip-hop.
“out of sight” also features a guest verse from 2 Chainz, and he continues to lay the braggadocio on thick. Considering Tity Boi’s dedication to trap stylings, his verse feels right at home on the flex track, despite it’s late 80’s tribute sample, a considerable departure from his usual sound palette.
Up until this point, I haven’t mentioned any of the El-P’s lyrics specifically. El-P is a great rapper, but Killer Mike… Well, Killer Mike is an incredible rapper. He’s the guy who draws you in. El-P is the one who lays the foundation for greatness and Mike is the show stopper, and that’s generally the case for most RTJ tracks. But on “holy calamafuck”, El-P seems determined to make people stop and ask, “Who the fuck is this?!”.
A sharp, yet nearly minimalistic drum kit backing a heavily distorted synthesizer melody lays beneath rhymically knocking cow-bells. This aggressively set stage allows Mike and El to flex as the dynamic duo they are, until the beat suddenly takes a turn for the chaotic. A gnarled, ultra-menacing synth overtakes everything while Mike screams into the abyss, until a distorted snare, enormous 808s, and skeletal hi-hats cut through and launch the beat switch into another dimension. The minimal, yet incredibly dark soundscape allows El-P to snap in a way I have never heard from him previously. His rhymes schemes are reminiscent of an old MF DOOM lyric notebook, while his topics flawlessly combine flexing, psychedelic use, and his well-cemented legacy in the hip-hop community. Cutting and pasting a few of his bars into this review could not convey a fraction of how stunning El-P’s performance on “holy calamafuck” is.
Slightly later in the track list, making liberal use of the Ether song “Gang of Four”, “the ground below” samples and loops the sharp guitar riff and adds aggressive, pounding drums as the basis for the beat; this is finally reminiscent of the forward-thinking, stridulous production El-P has built his reputation on. Capitalising on the classic RTJ moment, Mike and El both flex in their own unique ways. Mike compares himself to Godzilla taking on Tokyo, and El-P demands respect for his name as the legend he is, threatening to smack dying children for mispronouncing his name with his middle finger to the world; his complete disregard for human life and confidence in his abilities are summed up at the end of his verse.

You see a future where Run the Jewels ain’t the shit
Cancel my Hitler-killing trip
Turn the time machine back around a century

SO¢IAL JU$T-ICE (until my voice go from a shriek to whisper...)
While the first few tracks aren’t without their social and political themes, the back-end of RTJ4 is where Mike and El start to bust out the heavy topics. “goonies vs. E.T.”. starts off light, with El-P pointing to the irony of how once he finally started to make it “big” in the industry, the world began to descend into chaos due to climate changes, increasingly obvious social injustice, and political madness. He culminates his frustration with our disregard for the Earth with a fantastic quotable.

Fuck y’all got, another planet on stash?
Far from the fact of the flames and our trash
That is not snow, it is ash, and you gotta know
The past got a wrath, it’s a lover gone mad

Mike’s verse takes the light-hearted frustration expressed by El-P, and turns the aggression to the next level. Aiming his sights against the ruling class and their society that’s been designed to oppress people for profit, who have very meticulously painted themselves as celebrities and idols to the American public. Mike accepts that he will be villainized by these people for speaking against them, but he welcomes the nefarious role, knowing that the working class will eventually eat the rich, no matter how much they are stomped into the dirt.
And this is just the warmup.
If it’s possible for a song to represent a moment in time that captures the absolute shit storm that has been 2020, “walking in the snow” is that song. It’s release coincided perfectly with the protests for George Floyd which were sweeping the nation. Killer Mike’s verse directly references the phrase “I can’t breathe”, the last words of Eric Garner, which also happened to be the last words of Floyd as well. The fact that this verse was reportedly written in November 2019 perpetually underscores the importance of the content and perfectly represents how persistent this problem is. “walking in the snow” is a true encapsulation of both a defining moment in time and an ever-persisting issue.
But he doesn’t just stop at the racial injustice. Mike goes on an absolute rant about the American education system; how it’s not designed to teach people, but to discriminate against poor populations, limiting their legitimate opportunities, and therefore disproportionately leading them into a criminal lifestyle. He calls out the media as fear-mongers, and the apathy of the American public in the face of indecency. Fortunately for Mike, by the time we finally had the chance to hear this masterpiece, we were already on our feet, using this album as a war cry to mobilize against a tyrannical government that militarized against its own citizens simply for asking that we recognize systemic racism and demanding change. Killer Mike has the best verse of the year, no doubt in my mind.
The only drawback is that Mike’s verse is so fucking good that it completely overshadows El-P’s, which is also amazing. A menacing guitar riff and haunting synths kick the track off into a bouncy groove, where El-P unleashes a flurry of internal rhymes that does not relent for about half his verse. Even adding layers of social commentary within the densely packed bars, El refuses to quit and continues on his political tirade; criticizing ICE’s detainment center practices and the “pseudo-Christians” who support them, with a bar that now lives in my head:

Pseudo-Christians, y’all indifferent, kids in prison ain’t a sin? Shit
if even one scrap of what Jesus taught connected you’d feel different
what a disingenuous way to piss away existence, I don’t get it
I’d say you lost your goddamn minds if y’all possessed one to begin with

The combination of two of the best verses spit by any rapper(s) this year and production help from El-P and long time RTJ collaborator Little Shalimar, create a bouncy, aggressive, deeply truthful banger. “walking in the snow” not only encapsulates the crux of 2020 with lyrics that will become more powerful as they age, but will also forever be associated with the Black Lives Matter movement and the determination to expose continuing racial and societal injustices.
The sonic palette of RTJ4 holds an extremely unique place in El-P’s discography. Jamie is the definition of a self-made 90’s hip-hop legend. This is the dude who put New York underground hip-hop on the map with Company Flow, and he did it with his unique flavor of dark, noisy, dense, boom-bap. Whether he was doing it with the help of Rawkus, or completely independently during his Definitive Jux run, El-P has never made music with the intention of becoming famous. Funcrusher Plus, Fantastic Damage,I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead, and Cancer 4 Cure are all highly revered as industrial, technical, abrasive, and completely unsuitable for the radio or a party. The fact that three songs on RTJ4 could easily be heard on the radio, at a party, or in a TV series credits scene is frankly, astounding. In a 2002 interview/documentary on El-P’s budding record label Def Jux, he stated that his friend bet him $500 that he could not make a beat that was “happy”. At the time of the interview, El-P said that he had not won that bet yet. While I might not qualify the beats on RTJ4 as “happy”, if you showed El-P the beat for “JU$T” in 2002, I believe he might have won that bet.
Pharell opens “JU$T” with the pre-chorus, spitting varied examples of how we’re all slaves to our current system throughout the track, over echoing snares and bouncy 808s before bright synth chords and up-tempo hi-hats burst in while Killer Mike delivers the chorus, pointing to the fact that the majority of the people featured on American currency owned slaves at one point in their lives. Mike’s verse touches on the fact that he has committed crimes to get where they are today. Mike is publicly open about his past as a drug dealer. So why is he a criminal, but Benjamin Franklin isn’t? These are the people who built our country, and they built it on the backs of slaves. He illustrates this theme with a more recent examples:

You believe corporations runnin marijuana? Ooh (how that happen?)
and your country gettin ran by a casino owner (ooh)
pedophiles sponsor all these fuckin’ racist bastards (they do)

When corporations are able to sell cannabis legally, but the government continually incarcerates people who trap, our president is a notoriously fraudulent businessman, and the people who helped put him in power run a pedophile ring, yet none of them face consequences and are allowed to continue to profit and remain in power while people suffer; well, we might be closer to slaves than previously imagined.
Rage Against The Machine frontman Zach de la Rocha also makes his mandatory feature appearance at the end of “JU$T”. As the only artist to feature on three Run The Jewels albums, Zach is essentially an unofficial member of the group at this point. His fiery verse is spit with the same “Rage” energy that set him apart in the mid-90’s, ending the track questioning his place in a capitalist society as a recipe for his inevitable demise, since his “breath”, or art, as his weapon to express himself is still being exploited for other’s profit.
Continuing with RTJ4’s heavily synthetic sonic palette, “never look back” features wavering synth leads resting above the slow-jams snappy snares and thumping bass, while a haunting voice echoes in the background. This unsettling aura provides additional gravity for Jamie and Mike to continue self-reflecting on defining moments in their childhood, and as well as how far they’ve come from those moments. Mike and El are both self-made men, and while they have a certain fondness for those gritty moments that defined them, moving forward in life is undoubtedly more important.
Skeletal drums reminiscent of a slowly pounding heart opens “pulling the pin”, before rhythmic hi-hats and textured, watery synths fluttering in the upper register resting above a bouncy synth lead, and punchy 808s, burst in. The track digs itself into a slower, marching groove and shows the duo figuratively doing exactly what the title implies. Painting a portrait of a society that has turned on itself, Mike and El are ready to pull the pin and start over.
The duo both detail their despise for the ruling class, pointing out multiple examples of how the elite have designed our society to keep poor people in their class. Simultaneously recognizing their own hypocrisy for profiting in a system that inherently discriminates; Mike reflects on his own success, knowing that living the lifestyle he enjoys is one built on oppression, and expresses the guilt that has caused him. El-P opens with a brutal metaphor for police, implying that they’re the root cause of the “wretched state of danger” our society exists within, and that the only effective corrective action is to numb yourself with drugs. Despite his advice, Jamie knows this is not a permanent solution, but one that causes more self-inflicted wounds.
The final piece of the puzzle that is RTJ4, “a few words for the firing squad” begins to close the album with ever crescending strings, and loud, thunderous drums which never seem to resolve, continuing throughout their verses. While the drums that lead to nowhere can be sonically unpleasant, the unresolved melodies are intentionally representative of their current mindsets. Their verses are reflective and grim, but simultaneously optimistic and envisions a world where tragedy is a less common occurrence.
El is grateful for what he has now but recognizes his entire life has been skewed by traumas, so out of place feels normal for him. He reflects on his current success, noting that the worst people tend to end up with the most, which makes becoming “rich” something not as desirable as it once was.
Mike opens up about the death of his mother who died while he was on an airplane, admitting his struggles to not cope with his trauma with opioids. However, his wife provides him the most important reason to stay clean “but my queen/say she need a king/not another junkie rapper fiend” while a heartbreaking saxophone solo highlights the gravity of his lyrics.
The track ends with what sounds the like wrap-up voiceover to a TV show, a conceptually satisfying ending, as the opening track “yankee and brave (ep.4)” began with El-P stating:

”This week, on Yankee and The Brave”

This voiceover paints the duo as brothers on the run from the law and crooked cops, and while this does close this “episode” out as intended, the critic in me is bothered by the slightly kitschy outro to such a spectacular album. The voices singing over and over, “Brave, brave, braaaaaave, Yankee and the Brave” would be, simply put, better left on the cutting room floor. The ending of this track alone is what knocks my score of this album down a few points. Despite its stellar lyrical content, with drums that never seem to reach that “holy shit!” moment, and the easily skippable outro, it’s upsetting to me that an album this great ends on such a low note.
Overview
RTJ4 is by far my favorite album of the year. El-P’s cutting edge approach to their sound, blended with lyrical content that continues to be more relevant by the day, the duo have come together with what is objectively their most accessible album to date. RTJ4 is the natural evolution of sound and subject matter for the duo; taking the foundation set by Run The Jewels 3 and evolving it into a more concise, more accessible, and more conceptual album. While I still personally prefer the “fuck the world” intensity and experimental nature of Run The Jewels 2, RTJ4 opens themselves up to a whole new world of exposure, and when you’re as talented as these two, you know they’re going to capitalize on it. RTJ is currently at their apex, and they’ve created an album that will make many new life-long fans going forward.
9.2/10
Discussion Points

• How does this compare to other RTJ releases? How about in comparison to the member’s solo works?
  
• Does the overwhelmingly positive critical reception of this album surprise you?
  
• How will this be looked back on in 5 years?
  
• What are your favorite lyrics?
  

TL;DR: Man with too much time on his hands goes deep down the rabbit hole on a concept this sub already didn’t seem that enthusiastic about. If you really want to skip ahead, CTRL+F “verdict” and it’ll get you there.
Two days ago, u/MrPhillyj2wns made a post asking whether USL should launch a D1 league in order to compete in Concacaf. From the top voted replies, it appears this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.
But I’ve been at home for eight weeks and I am terribly, terribly bored.
So, I present to you this overview of what the USL pyramid might look like if Jake Edwards got a head of steam and attempted to establish a USSF-sanctioned first division. This is by no means an endorsement of such a proposal or even a suggestion that USL SHOULD do such a thing. It is merely an examination of whether they COULD.
Welcome to the Thunderdome USL Premiership
First, there are some base-level assumptions we must make in this exercise, because it makes me feel more scientific and not like a guy who wrote this on Sunday while watching the Belarusian Premier League (Go BATE Borisov!).

1. All D1 teams must comply with known USSF requirements for D1 leagues (more on that later).
   
2. MLS, not liking this move, will immediately remove all directly-owned affiliate clubs from the USL structure (this does not include hybrid ownerships, like San Antonio FC – NYCFC). This removes all MLS2 teams but will not affect Colorado Springs, Reno, RGVFC and San Antonio.
   
3. The USL will attempt to maintain both the USL Championship and USL League One, with an eventual mind toward creating the pro/rel paradise that is promised in Relegations 3:16.
   
4. All of my research regarding facility size and ownership net worth is correct – this is probably the biggest leap of faith we have to make, since googling “NAME net worth” and “CITY richest people” doesn’t seem guaranteed to return accurate results.
   
5. The most a club can increase its available seating capacity to meet D1 requirements in a current stadium is no more than 1,500 seats (10% of the required 15,000). If they need to add more, they’ll need a new facility.
   
6. Let’s pretend that people are VERY willing to sell. It’s commonly acknowledged that the USL is a more financially feasible route to owning a soccer club than in MLS (c.f. MLS-Charlotte’s reported $325 million expansion fee) and the USSF has some very strict requirements for D1 sanctioning. It becomes pretty apparent when googling a lot of team’s owners that this requirement isn’t met, so let’s assume everyone that can’t sells to people who meet the requirements.
   

(Known) USSF D1 league requirements:
- League must have 12 teams to apply and 14 teams by year three
- Majority owner must have a net worth of $40 million, and the ownership group must have a total net worth of $70 million. The value of an owned stadium is not considered when calculating this value.
- Must have teams located in the Eastern, Central and Pacific time zones
- 75% of league’s teams must be based in markets with at a metro population of at least 1 million people.
- All league stadiums must have a capacity of at least 15,000
The ideal club candidate for the USL Premiership will meet the population and capacity requirements in its current ground, which will have a grass playing surface. Of the USL Championship’s 27 independent/hybrid affiliate clubs, I did not find one club that meets all these criteria as they currently stand.
Regarding turf fields, the USSF does not have a formal policy regarding the ideal playing surface but it is generally acknowledged that grass is superior to turf. 6 of 26 MLS stadiums utilize turf, or roughly 23% of stadiums. We’ll hold a similar restriction for our top flight, so 2-3 of our top flight clubs can have turf fields. Seem fair?
Capacity is going to be the biggest issue, since the disparity between current requirements for the second-tier (5,000) and the first tier (15,000) is a pretty massive gap. Nice club you have there, triple your capacity and you’re onto something. As a result, I have taken the liberty of relocating certain (read: nearly all) clubs to new grounds, trying my utmost to keep those clubs in their current markets and –importantly--, ensure they play on grass surfaces.
So, let’s do a case-by-case evaluation and see if we can put together 12-14 teams that meet the potential requirements, because what else do you have to do?
For each club’s breakdown, anything that represents a chance from what is currently true will be underlined.
Candidate: Birmingham Legion FC
Location (Metro population): Birmingham, Ala. (1,151,801)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Legion Field (FieldTurf, 71,594)
Potential owner: Stephens Family (reported net worth $4 billion)
Notes: Birmingham has a pretty strong candidacy. Having ditched the 5,000-seater BBVA Field for Legion Field, which sits 2.4 miles away, they’ve tapped into the city’s soccer history. Legion Field hosted portions of both the men’s and women’s tournaments at the 1996 Olympics, including a 3-1 U.S. loss to Argentina that saw 83,183 pack the house. The Harbert family seemed like strong ownership contenders, but since the death of matriarch Marguerite Harbert in 2015, it’s unclear where the wealth in the family is concentrated, so the Stephens seem like a better candidate. The only real knock that I can think of is that we really want to avoid having clubs play on turf, so I’d say they’re on the bubble of our platonic ideal USL Prem.
Candidate: Charleston Battery
Location (Metro population): Charleston, S.C. (713,000)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Johnson Hagood Stadium (Grass, ~14,700)
Potential owner: Anita Zucker (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: Charleston’s candidacy isn’t looking great. Already disadvantaged due to its undersized metro population, a move across the Cooper River to Johnson Hagood Stadium is cutting it close in terms of capacity. The stadium, home to The Citadel’s football team, used to seat 21,000, before 9,300 seats on the eastern grandstand were torn down in 2017 to deal with lead paint that had been used in their construction. Renovation plans include adding 3,000 seats back in, which could hit 15,000 if they bumped it to 3,300, but throw in a required sale by HCFC, LLC (led by content-creation platform founder Rob Salvatore) to chemical magnate Anita Zucker, and you’ll see there’s a lot of ifs and ands in this proposal.
Candidate: Charlotte Independence
Location (Metro population): Charlotte, N.C. (2,569, 213)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Jerry Richardson Stadium (Turf, 15,314)
Potential owner: James Goodnight (reported net worth $9.1 billion)
Notes: Charlotte ticks a lot of the boxes. A move from the Sportsplex at Matthews to UNC-Charlotte’s Jerry Richardson stadium meets capacity requirements, but puts them on to the dreaded turf. Regrettably, nearby American Legion Memorial Stadium only seats 10,500, despite a grass playing surface. With a sizeable metro population (sixth-largest in the USL Championship) and a possible owner in software billionaire James Goodnight, you’ve got some options here. The biggest problem likely lies in direct competition for market share against a much better-funded MLS Charlotte side due to join the league in 2021.
Candidate: Hartford Athletic
Location (Metro population): Hartford, Conn. (1,214,295)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Pratt & Whitney Stadium (Grass, 38,066)
Potential owner: Ray Dalio (reported net worth $18.4 billion)
Notes: Okay, I cheated a bit here, having to relocate Hartford to Pratt & Whitney Stadium, which is technically in East Hartford, Conn. I don’t know enough about the area to know if there’s some kind of massive beef between the two cities, but the club has history there, having played seven games in 2019 while Dillon Stadium underwent renovations. If the group of local businessmen that currently own the club manage to attract Dalio to the table, we’re on to something.
Candidate: Indy Eleven
Location (Metro population): Indianapolis, Ind. (2,048,703)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lucas Oil Stadium (Turf, 62,421)
Potential owner: Jim Irsay (reported net worth of $3 billion)
Notes: Indy Eleven are a club that are SO CLOSE to being an ideal candidate – if it weren’t for Lucas Oil Stadium’s turf playing surface. Still, there’s a lot to like in this bid. I’m not going to lie, I have no idea what current owner and founder Ersal Ozdemir is worth, but it seems like there might be cause for concern. A sale to Irsay, who also owns the NFL Indianapolis (nee Baltimore) Colts, seems likely to keep the franchise there, rather than make a half-mile move to 14,230 capacity Victory Field where the AAA Indianapolis Indians play and expand from there.
Candidate: Louisville City FC
Location (Metro population): Louisville, Ky. (1,297,310)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Lynn Family Stadium (Grass, 14,000, possibly expandable to 20,000)
Potential owner: Wayne Hughes (reported net worth $2.8 billion)
Notes: I’m stretching things a bit here. Lynn Family stadium is currently listed as having 11,700 capacity that’s expandable to 14,000, but they’ve said that the ground could hold as many as 20,000 with additional construction, which might be enough to grant them a temporary waiver from USSF. If the stadium is a no-go, then there’s always Cardinal Stadium, home to the University of Louisville’s football team, which seats 65,000 but is turf. Either way, it seems like a sale to someone like Public Storage founder Wayne Hughes will be necessary to ensure the club has enough capital.
Candidate: Memphis 901 FC
Location (Metro population): Memphis, Tenn. (1,348,260)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Liberty Bowl Stadium (Turf, 58,325)
Potential owner: Fred Smith (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: Unfortunately for Memphis, AutoZone Park’s 10,000 seats won’t cut it at the D1 level. With its urban location, it would likely prove tough to renovate, as well. Liberty Bowl Stadium more than meets the need, but will involve the use of the dreaded turf. As far as an owner goes, FedEx founder Fred Smith seems like a good local option.
Candidate: Miami FC, “The”
Location (Metro population): Miami, Fla. (6,158,824)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Riccardo Silva Stadium (FieldTurf, 20,000)
Potential owner: Riccardo Silva (reported net worth $1 billion)
Notes: Well, well, well, Silva might get his wish for top-flight soccer, after all. He’s got the money, he’s got the metro, and his ground has the capacity. There is the nagging issue of the turf, though. Hard Rock Stadium might present a solution, including a capacity of 64,767 and a grass playing surface. It is worth noting, however, that this is the first profile where I didn’t have to find a new potential owner for a club.
Candidate: North Carolina FC
Location (Metro population): Durham, N.C. (1,214,516 in The Triangle)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Carter-Finley Stadium (Grass/Turf, 57,583)
Potential owner: Steve Malik (precise net worth unknown) / Dennis Gillings (reported net worth of $1.7 billion)
Notes: We have our first “relocation” in North Carolina FC, who were forced to trade Cary’s 10,000-seat WakeMed Soccer Park for Carter-Finley Stadium in Durham, home of the NC State Wolfpack and 57,583 of their closest friends. The move is a whopping 3.1 miles, thanks to the close-knit hub that exists between Cary, Durham and Raleigh. Carter-Finley might be my favorite of the stadium moves in this exercise. The field is grass, but the sidelines are artificial turf. Weird, right? Either way, it was good enough for Juventus to play a friendly against Chivas de Guadalajara there in 2011. Maybe the move would be pushed for by new owner and medical magnate Dennis Gillings, whose British roots might inspire him to get involved in the Beautiful Game. Straight up, though, I couldn’t find a net worth for current owner Steve Malik, though he did sell his company MedFusion for $91 million in 2010, then bought it back for an undisclosed amount and sold it again for $43 million last November. I don’t know if Malik has the juice to meet D1 requirements, but I suspect he’s close.
Candidate: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Location (Metro population): Pittsburgh, Penn. (2,362,453)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Heinz Field (Grass, 64,450)
Potential owner: Henry Hillman (reported net worth $2.5 billion)
Notes: I don’t know a ton about the Riverhounds, but this move in particular feels like depriving a pretty blue-collar club from its roots. Highmark Stadium is a no-go from a seating perspective, but the Steelers’ home stadium at Heinz Field would more than meet the requirements and have a grass surface that was large enough to be sanctioned for a FIFA friendly between the U.S. WNT and Costa Rica in 2015. As for an owner, Tuffy Shallenberger (first ballot owner name HOF) doesn’t seem to fit the USSF bill, but legendary Pittsburgh industrialist Henry Hillman might. I’m sure you’re asking, why not the Rooney Family, if they’ll play at Heinz Field? I’ll tell you: I honestly can’t seem to pin down a value for the family. The Steelers are valued at a little over a billion and rumors persist that Dan Rooney is worth $500 million, but I’m not sure. I guess the Rooneys would work too, but it’s a definite departure from an owner in Shallenberger who was described by one journalist as a guy who “wears boots, jeans, a sweater and a trucker hat.”
Candidate: Saint Louis FC
Location (Metro population): St. Louis, Mo. (2,807,338)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Busch Stadium (Grass, 45,494)
Potential owner: William DeWitt Jr. (reported net worth $4 billion)
Notes: Saint Louis has some weirdness in making the jump to D1. Current CEO Jim Kavanaugh is an owner of the MLS side that will begin play in 2022. The club’s current ground at West Community Stadium isn’t big enough, but perhaps a timely sale to Cardinals owner William DeWitt Jr. could see the club playing games at Busch Stadium, which has a well established history of hosting other sports like hockey, college football and soccer (most recently a U.S. WNT friendly against New Zealand in 2019). The competition with another MLS franchise wouldn’t be ideal, like Charlotte, but with a big enough population and cross marketing from the Cardinals, maybe there’s a winner here. Wacko idea: If Busch doesn’t pan out, send them to The Dome. Sure, it’s a 60k turf closed-in stadium, but we can go for that retro NASL feel and pay homage to our nation’s soccer history.
Candidate: Tampa Bay Rowdies
Location (Metro population): Tampa, Fla. (3,068,511)
Time zone: Eastern
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Raymond James Stadium (Grass, 65,518)
Potential owner: Edward DeBartolo Jr. (reported net worth $3 billion)
Notes: This one makes me sad. Despite having never been there, I see Al Lang Stadium as an iconic part of the Rowdies experience. Current owner Bill Edwards proposed an expansion to 18,000 seats in 2016, but the move seems to have stalled out. Frustrated with the city’s lack of action, Edwards sells to one-time San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., who uses his old NFL connections to secure a cushy lease at the home of the Buccaneers in Ray Jay, the site of a 3-1 thrashing of Antigua and Barbuda during the United States’ 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Breather. Hey, we finished the Eastern Conference teams. Why are you still reading this? Why am I still writing it? Time is a meaningless construct in 2020 my friends, we are adrift in the void, fueled only by brief flashes of what once was and what may yet still be.
Candidate: Austin Bold FC
Location (Metro population): Austin, Texas (2,168,316)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 95,594)
Potential owner: Michael Dell (reported net worth of $32.3 billion)
Notes: Anthony Precourt’s Austin FC has some unexpected competition and it comes in the form of tech magnate Michael Dell. Dell, were he to buy the club, would be one of the richest owners on our list and could flash his cash in the new first division. Would he have enough to convince Darrel K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium (I’m not kidding, that’s its actual name) to go back to a grass surface, like it did from ’96-’08? That’s between Dell and nearly 100,000 UT football fans, but everything can be had for the right price.
Candidate: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Location (Metro population): Colorado Springs, Colo. (738,939)
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Falcon Stadium (FieldTurf, 46,692)
Potential owner: Charles Ergen (reported net worth $10.8 billion)
Notes: Welcome to Colorado Springs. We have hurdles. For the first time in 12 candidates, we’re back below the desired 1 million metro population mark. Colorado Springs actually plans to build a $35 million, 8,000 seat venue downtown that will be perfect for soccer, but in our timeline that’s 7,000 seats short. Enter Falcon Stadium, home of the Air Force Academy Falcons football team. Seems perfect except for the turf, right? Well, the tricky thing is that Falcon Stadium is technically on an active military base and is (I believe) government property. Challenges to getting in and out of the ground aside, the military tends to have a pretty grim view of government property being used by for-profit enterprises. Maybe Charles Ergen, founder and chairman of Dish Network, would be able to grease the right wheels, but you can go ahead and throw this into the “doubtful” category. It’s a shame, too. 6,035 feet of elevation is one hell of a home-field advantage.
Candidate: El Paso Locomotive FC
Location: El Paso, Texas
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Sun Bowl (FieldTurf, 51,500)
Potential owner: Paul Foster (reported net worth $1.7 billion)
Notes: God bless Texas. When compiling this list, I found so many of the theoretical stadium replacements were nearly serviceable by high school football fields. That’s insane, right? Anyway, Locomotive don’t have to settle for one of those, they’ve got the Sun Bowl, which had its capacity reduced in 2001 to a paltry 51,500 (from 52,000) specifically to accommodate soccer. Sure, it’s a turf surface, but what does new owner Paul Foster (who is only the 1,477th wealthiest man in the world, per Forbes) care, he’s got a team in a top league. Side note: Did you know that the Sun Bowl college football game is officially, through sponsorship, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl? Why is it not the Frosted Flakes Sun Bowl? Why is the cereal mascot the promotional name of the football game? What are you doing, Kellogg’s?
Candidate: Las Vegas Lights FC
Location: Las Vegas, Nev. (2,227,053)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Allegiant Stadium (Grass, 61,000)
Potential owner: Sheldon Adelson (reported net worth $37.7 billion)
Notes: Sin City. You had to know that the club that once signed Freddy Adu because “why not” was going to go all out in our flashy hypothetical proposal. Thanks to my narrative control of this whole thing, they have. Adelson is the second-richest owner in the league and has decided to do everything first class. That includes using the new Raiders stadium in nearby unincorporated Paradise, Nevada, and spending boatloads on high profile transfers. Zlatan is coming back to the U.S., confirmed.
Candidate: New Mexico United
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Time zone: Mountain
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Isotopes Park – officially Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park (Grass, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion)
Potential owner: Maloof Family (reported net worth $1 billion)
Notes: New Mexico from its inception went deep on the community vibe, and I’ve tried to replicate that in this bid. The home field of Rio Grande Cr---I’m not typing out the whole thing—Isotopes Park falls just within the expansion rules we set to make it to 15,000 (weird, right?) and they’ve found a great local ownership group in the Lebanese-American Maloof (formerly Maalouf) family from Las Vegas. The only thing to worry about would be the metro population, but overall, this could be one of the gems of USL Prem.
Candidate: Oklahoma City Energy FC
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. (1,396,445)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (Grass, 13,066)
Potential owner: Harold Hamm (reported net worth $14.2 billion)
Notes: There’s a bright golden haze on the meadow and it says it’s time to change stadiums and owners to make it to D1. A sale to oil magnate Harold Hamm would give the club the finances it needs, but Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark (home of the OKC Dodgers) actually falls outside of the boundary of what would meet capacity if 1,500 seats were added. Could the club pull off a move to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma – home of the Oklahoma Sooners? Maybe, but at 20 miles, this would be a reach.
Candidate: Orange County SC
Location: Irvine, Calif. (3,176, 000 in Orange County)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Angels Stadium of Anaheim (Grass, 43,250)
Potential owner: Arte Moreno (reported net worth $3.3 billion)
Notes: You’ll never convince me that Rangers didn’t choose to partner with Orange County based primarily on its name. Either way, a sale to MLB Angels owner Arte Moreno produces a fruitful partnership, with the owner choosing to play his newest club out of the existing Angels stadium in OC. Another baseball conversion, sure, but with a metro population of over 3 million and the closest thing this hypothetical league has to an LA market, who’s complaining?
Candidate: Phoenix Rising FC
Location: Phoenix, Ariz. (4,857,962)
Time zone: Arizona
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): State Farm Stadium (Grass, 63,400)
Potential owner: Ernest Garcia II (reported net worth $5.7 billion)
Notes: We’re keeping it local with new owner and used car guru Ernest Garcia II. His dad owned a liquor store and he dropped out of college, which is making me feel amazing about my life choices right now. Casino Arizona Field is great, but State Farm Stadium is a grass surface that hosted the 2019 Gold Cup semifinal, so it’s a clear winner. Throw in Phoenix’s massive metro population and this one looks like a lock.
Candidate: Reno 1868 FC
Location: Reno, Nev. (425,417)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Mackay Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000)
Potential owner: Nancy Walton Laurie (reported net worth $7.1 billion)
Notes: The Biggest Little City on Earth has some serious barriers to overcome, thanks to its low metro population. A sale to Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie and 1.6 mile-move to Mackay Stadium to split space with the University of Nevada, Reno makes this bid competitive, but the turf surface is another knock against it.
Candidate: Rio Grande Valley FC
Location: Edinburg, Texas (900,304)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): McAllen Memorial Stadium (FieldTurf, 13,500 – 15,000 with expansion)
Potential owner: Alice Louise Walton (reported net worth $45 billion)
Notes: Yes, I have a second straight Walmart heiress on the list. She was the first thing that popped up when I googled “McAllen Texas richest people.” The family rivalry has spurred Walton to buy a club as well, moving them 10 miles to McAllen Memorial Stadium which, as I alluded to earlier, is a straight up high school football stadium with a full color scoreboard. Toss in an additional 1,500 seats and you’ve met the minimum, despite the turf playing surface.
Candidate: San Antonio FC
Location: San Antonio, Texas (2,550,960)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Alamodome (FieldTurf, 64,000)
Potential owner: Red McCombs (reported net worth $1.6 billion)
Notes: I wanted to keep SAFC in the Spurs family, since the franchise is valued at $1.8 billion. That said, I didn’t let the Rooneys own the Riverhounds based on the Steelers’ value and it felt wrong to change the rules, so bring on Clear Channel co-founder Red McCombs. Toyota Field isn’t viable in the first division, but for the Alamodome, which was built in 1993 in hopes of attracting an NFL franchise (and never did), San Antonio can finally claim having *a* national football league team in its town (contingent on your definition of football). Now if only we could do something about that turf…
Candidate: San Diego Loyal SC
Location: San Diego, Calif. (3,317,749)
Time zone: Pacific
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): SDCCU Stadium (formerly Qualcomm) (Grass, 70,561)
Potential owner: Phil Mickelson (reported net worth $91 million)
Notes: Yes, golf’s Phil Mickelson. The existing ownership group didn’t seem to have the wherewithal to meet requirements, and Phil seemed to slot right in. As an athlete himself, he might be interesting in the new challenges of a top flight soccer team. Toss in a move to the former home of the chargers and you might have a basis for tremendous community support.
Candidate: FC Tulsa
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (991,561)
Time zone: Central
Stadium (playing surface, capacity): Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium (FieldTurf, 30,000)
Potential owner: George Kaiser ($10 billion)
Notes: I’m a fan of FC Tulsa’s rebrand, but if they want to make the first division, more changes are necessary. A sale to Tulsa native and one of the 100 richest men in the world George Kaiser means that funding is guaranteed. A move to Chapman Stadium would provide the necessary seats, despite the turf field. While the undersize population might be an issue at first glance, it’s hard to imagine U.S. Soccer not granting a waiver over a less than a 10k miss from the mark.
And that’s it! You made it. Those are all of the independent/hybrid affiliates in the USL Championship, which means that it’s time for our…
VERDICT: As an expert who has studied this issue for almost an entire day now, I am prepared to pronounce which USL Championships could be most ‘ready” for a jump to the USL Prem. A reminder that of the 27 clubs surveyed, 0 of them met our ideal criteria (proper ownership $, metro population, 15,000+ stadium with grass field).
Two of them, however, met almost all of those criteria: Indy Eleven and Miami FC. Those two clubs may use up two of our three available turf fields right from the outset, but the other factors they hit (particularly Silva’s ownership of Miami) makes them difficult, if not impossible to ignore for the top flight.
But who fill in the rest of the slots? Meet the entire 14-team USL Premier League:
Hartford Athletic
Indy Eleven
Louisville City FC
Miami FC
North Carolina FC
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Saint Louis FC
San Antonio FC
New Mexico United
Phoenix Rising FC
Las Vegas Lights FC
Orange County SC
San Diego Loyal SC
Now, I shall provide my expert rationale for each club’s inclusion/exclusion, which can be roughly broken down into four categories.
Firm “yes”
Hartford Athletic: It’s a good market size with a solid stadium. With a decent investor and good community support, you’ve got potential here.
Indy Eleven: The turf at Lucas Oil Stadium is no reason to turn down a 62,421 venue and a metro population of over 2 million.
Louisville City FC: Why doesn’t the 2017 & 2018 USL Cup champion deserve a crack at the top flight? They have the market size, and with a bit of expansion have the stadium at their own SSS. LCFC, you’re in.
Miami FC, “The”: Our other blue-chip recruit on the basis of ownership value, market size and stadium capacity. Yes, that field is turf, but how could you snub Silva’s chance to claim victory as the first division 1 club soccer team to play in Miami?
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC: Pittsburgh sacrificed a lot to be here (according to my arbitrary calculations). Their market size and the potential boon of soccer at Heinz Field is an important inclusion to the league.
Saint Louis FC: Willie hears your “Busch League” jokes, Willie don’t care. A huge market size, combined with the absence of an NFL franchise creates opportunity. Competition with the MLS side, sure, but St. Louis has serious soccer history and we’re willing to bet it can support two clubs.
Tampa Bay Rowdies: With a huge population and a massive stadium waiting nearby, Tampa Bay seems like too good of an opportunity to pass up for the USL Prem.
Las Vegas Lights FC: Ostentatious, massive and well-financed, Las Vegas Lights FC is everything that the USL Premier League would need to assert that it didn’t intend to play second fiddle to MLS. Players will need to be kept on a short leash, but this is a hard market to pass up on.
Phoenix Rising FC: Huge population, big grass field available nearby and a solid history of success in recent years. No brainer.
San Diego Loyal SC: New club? Yes, massive population in a market that recently lost an absolutely huge sports presence? Also yes. This could be the USL Prem’s Seattle.
Cautious “yes”
New Mexico United: You have to take a chance on New Mexico United. The club set the league on fire with its social media presence and its weight in the community when it entered the league last season. The market may be slightly under USSF’s desired 1 million, but fervent support (and the ability to continue to use Isotopes Park) shouldn’t be discounted.
North Carolina FC: Carter-Finley’s mixed grass/turf surface is a barrier, to be sure, but the 57,000+ seats it offers (and being enough to offset other fully-turf offerings) is enough to put it in the black.
Orange County SC: It’s a top-tier club playing in a MLB stadium. I know it seems unlikely that USSF would approve something like that, but believe me when I say “it could happen.” Orange County is a massive market and California likely needs two clubs in the top flight.
San Antonio FC: Our third and only voluntary inclusion to the turf fields in the first division, we’re counting on San Antonio’s size and massive potential stadium to see it through.
Cautious “no”
Birmingham Legion FC: The town has solid soccer history and a huge potential venue, but the turf playing surface puts it on the outside looking in.
Memphis 901 FC: Like Birmingham, not much to dislike here outside of the turf playing surface at the larger playing venue.
Austin Bold FC: See the other two above.
FC Tulsa: Everything’s just a little bit off with this one. Market’s slightly too small, stadium has turf. Just not enough to put it over the top.
Firm “no”
Charleston Battery: Small metro and a small potential new stadium? It’s tough to say yes to the risk.
Charlotte Independence: A small new stadium and the possibility of having to compete with an organization that just paid over $300 million to join MLS means it’s best for this club to remain in the USL Championship.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC: When a club’s best chance to meet a capacity requirement is to host games at a venue controlled by the military, that doesn’t speak well to a club’s chances.
El Paso Locomotive FC: An undersized market and a turf field that meets capacity requirements is the death knell for this one.
Oklahoma City Energy FC: Having to expand a baseball field to meet requirements is a bad start. Having to potentially play 20 miles away from your main market is even worse.
Reno 1868 FC: Population nearly a half-million short of the federation’s requirements AND a turf field at the hypothetical new stadium makes impossible to say yes to this bid.
Rio Grande Valley FC: All the seat expansions in the world can’t hide the fact that McAllen Memorial Stadium is a high school stadium through and through.
Here’s who’s left in the 11-team Championship:
Birmingham Legion FC
Charleston Battery
Charlotte Independence
Memphis 901 FC
Austin Bold FC
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
El Paso Locomotive FC
Oklahoma City Energy FC
Reno 1868 FC
Rio Grande Valley FC
FC Tulsa
With MLS folding the six affiliates it has in USL League One, the league is a little bit thin (especially considering USSF’s requirements for 8 teams for lower level leagues), but seems definitely able to expand up to the necessary numbers with Edwards’ allusions to five new additions this year:
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
Forward Madison FC
Greenville Triumph SC
Union Omaha
Richmond Kickers
South Georgia Tormenta
FC Tucson
Format of Assorted Leagues – This (like everything in this post) is pure conjecture on my part, but here are my thoughts on how these leagues might function in a first year while waiting for additional expansion.
USL Premier – We’ll steal from the 12-team Scottish Premiership. Each club plays the other 11 clubs 3 times, with either one or two home matches against each side. When each club has played 33 matches, the top six and bottom six separate, with every club playing an additional five matches (against each other team in its group). The top club wins the league. The bottom club is automatically relegated. The second-bottom club will enter a two-legged playoff against someone (see below) from the championship playoffs.
USL Championship -- 11 clubs is a challenge to schedule for. How about every club plays everyone else three times (either one or two home matches against each side)? Top four clubs make the playoffs, which are decided by two-legged playoffs. The winner automatically goes up. I need feedback on the second part – is it better to have the runner-up from the playoffs face the second-bottom club from the Premiership, or should the winner of the third-place match-up get the chance to face them to keep drama going in both playoff series? As for relegation, we can clearly only send down the last place club while the third division is so small.
USL League One – While the league is so small, it doesn’t seem reasonable to have the clubs play as many matches as the higher divisions. Each club could play the other six clubs four times – twice at home and twice away – for a very equitable 24-match regular season, which would help restrict costs and still provide a chance to determine a clear winner. Whoever finishes top of the table goes up.
And there you have it, a hypothetical look at how the USL could build a D1 league right now. All it would take is a new stadium for almost the entire league and new owners for all but one of the 27 clubs, who wouldn’t feel that their property would be massively devalued if they got relegated.
Well that’s our show. I’m curious to see what you think of all of this, especially anything that you think I may have overlooked (I’m sure there’s plenty). Anyway, I hope you’re all staying safe and well.

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We've reached it! The end of CONCACAF! Where this series has spiked into amazing highs (highest upvotes and I believe first starred post with Martinique) and somewhat dreary lows (stopped being starred when whoever dictates that realised I'm not shutting up and amongst lowest upvotes and upvote % with posts like Bonaire). Hopefully Sint Maarten will be enough to tide you lot over until we shift continents tomorrow. If not, too bad, minor dislike and outright boredom from you lot won't make me deviate from my schedule.
Sint Maarten
https://preview.redd.it/q2pxdne4se031.png?width=152&format=png&auto=webp&s=a7f37da22d8e895ead0965c2ef1a427ef4d6c3d6
To the Dutch half of Saint Martin! At least everyone agrees what it should be called, although not how it should be spelt. The more popular half of the island, with a lot of casinos, but still the smaller half. Famously has the airport pointing right at the beach, leading to some very interesting take-offs and landings…
The national league has run extensively since 2001, with at least some activity from 1975. Flames United SC are the only club that have participated in the CFU Caribbean Club Championship, conceding at least 8 goals in each of their 3 games, only scoring in their game against System 3 of St Vincent and the Grenadines, though they did score twice in their 9-2 defeat. However, the best name in the league by far is Funmakers FC.
Overall, the national side does not perform well, with several failed attempts at qualifying for the CFU Caribbean Cup. However, they did make it to the 1993 edition where they managed a draw and 2 losses. With a 20 year gap in appearances between 1997 and 2017, performances dropped off, their recent results being amongst the worst in Nations’ League qualification with a 13-0 loss to Haiti and a 12-0 loss to Bermuda. They then improved, with a 2-0 loss to Dominica and a stunning 4-3 victory over neighbours Saint-Martin. That still left them in League C and being placed in a group with Guadeloupe is unlikely to be ideal for them.
As with Saint Martin, they aren’t brilliant and don’t play official matches at home, also relying on nearby Anguilla. Membership of CONCACAF is more than enough for now but the Nations League is a great opportunity for improvement.
Previous Posts

1. Greenland
2. Monaco
3. Vatican City
4. Falkland Islands
5. Guadeloupe
6. Martinique
7. French Guiana
8. Saint-Martin
9. Saint Barthélemy
10. St Pierre & Miquelon
11. Bonaire

Right after losing his NEVER Openweight Championship to Zack Sabre Jr., Chris Hero is struck with even further bad news as he’s informed he isn’t to be part of the G1! Hero trashes the area, demanding to know why he isn’t in the tournament. After all, he’s the Wrestling Genius, he’s a former champion, he’s the self-proclaimed best! Why shouldn’t he be in the tournament?
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Upon asking for answers, his contract is pulled up, with it being revealed that in the fine print, it states that he will not be entered into the G1 due to their concerns that this ‘flexible contract’ may lead to him getting injured beforehand and thus, losing them a main attraction from the tournament. Instead, NJPW would rather play it safe and use members they know are going to be around and healthy. Hero goes on another rant about the disrespect shown to him, before promising that he’s going to find his way in, one way or another…
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Build to Dominion 6.13
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The company are currently on their Dominion loop, doing the usual shows to build up to the big upcoming show. Due to IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada not having a challenger heading into the show, a contract signing livestream is announced where he gets to choose who he wants to face, that person making the match official by signing the contract.
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The segment ensues as scheduled, with all the formalities and such taking place. Okada comes out in a suit, his World Title hanging from his shoulder, a proud and collected expression on the Ace’s face. He takes a seat, signing his part of the contract, before giving a few words, before signalling off camera to welcome his challenger on set and ink their signature too. An awkward pause occurs, before Okada signals again to the expected opponent, who’s standing behind the curtain to come out, yet still no response.
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Suddenly, an uproar of yells sound, causing Okada to raise an eyebrow before sending someone to go check it out. They come running back, breathing heavy as they explain that Okada’s selected opponent has been attacked and laid out! He slams his fists on the table, angry at the shenanigans that have taken place. He questions who he’s to face then instead, claiming that everyone else worthy of getting a shot is booked up. That’s when a voice shouts ‘Not everyone!’… OUT COMES CHRIS HERO!
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Blood dripping from Hero’s fists, it’s clear to Okada that it was Hero who instigated the attack, immediately popping up to his feet to get into Hero’s face, who pushes him back to further draw his ire. The two men are broken up before a proper brawl can break out though, with Okada being returned to his chair. Okada demands Hero to be escorted out, but the Knockout Artist resists, claiming that Okada has something that he wants! He said that he’s going to win a World Championship by the end of the year, and seeing as Okada has no challenger for Dominion, and also seeing as Hero has knocked out all his stablemates, bringing up his matches with Goto, Ishii and Ospreay, he says that he feels that he’s more than worthy to take the mantle of challenger.
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Okada grits his teeth, knowing that as much as he hates the situation, he can’t deny Hero’s point. He doesn’t want to hand out a title shot in this manner, for the title he put years into making it as prestigious as he is, but anger gets the better of him, telling Hero it’s a lock, Hero laughing as he knows he’s gotten what he wants. The Wrestling Genius puts pen to paper, making the World Title match official, before telling Okada that NJPW tried to rob him a spot in the G1. But when he beats Okada and becomes the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, it’s going to be Okada that’s left without a spot in the round robin tournament, Hero going onto win the whole damn thing and choose his own opponent for the Tokyo Dome show.
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Okada fires back in Japanese, claiming that he’s put down ragtag gaijin like Bullet Club before and Hero is just like one of them, so he’ll put down Hero the same way. Upon receiving translation of Okada’s words, Hero displays a look of insult, telling Okada to never compare him to those scum ever again. He’s Wrestling’s Hero, not like BC. What he did behind the curtain wasn’t an act of ‘villainy’. He was simply putting his fists to use to bring justice, like a true hero, for himself being robbed a spot in the G1, so he’s not ever to be compared to them ever again. The two men pose for the official photo, before staring daggers at each other.
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Okada believes that Hero committed an act of disrespect by taking out his scheduled opponent, wanting to show him that he can’t just come to NJPW and do as he pleases, instead having to abide to the strict code of honour and respect for this company and the people. Hero responds, saying that Okada has it all twisted, trying to frame the Hero for something he’s not guilty of doing. Did he commit villainous actions? No. Did he deliver justice? Yes. And he’s going to deliver further justice at Dominion when he knocks Okada out and takes his title home with him.
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A new development is made on the road to Dominion, as it’s announced that Hero has been entered into the Super Strong Style 16 Tournament! Despite having a major match with Okada coming up soon, Hero is that trusting of his own abilities that he believes that not only can he win the PROGRESS Tournament that he’s never won before, but also, he can knock off Okada and leave as World Champion! Meanwhile, Okada reacts to the news on Twitter with mere disappointment, telling Hero that he should focus on Okada or he’s going to be hit with the biggest reality check he ever has been hit with to date when Okada’s standing over him, his title raised high.
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PROGRESS Chapter 108: Super Strong Style 16 | Alexandra Palace | May 29th – 31st 2021
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Taking a detour on the path to the huge Tokyo Dome main event, Hero’s getting some ‘practice matches’ in to get himself ready. To give some context behind Hero’s choice decision, he’s been in the SSS16 twice, but has never won. The first time in 2016, he was eliminated by his protégé, Tommy End, in the Quarter-Finals, whilst the second time he suffered a loss to Zack Sabre Jr. in the Finals in 2018 during his NXT run. Now though, he looks to break the curse and prove that third time’s the charm, getting himself another title shot for down the road.
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Chris Hero vs The O.J.M.O in the Round of 16
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In the first round, Hero takes on the high-flying prodigy, The O.J.M.O, a.k.a Michael Oku. Oku has made quite the name for himself in PROGRESS, having gotten as far as challenging for the top title at Chapter 100 at only 26 years of age. Ever since, he’s been scratching and clawing to make his way back to the pinnacle, and he gets that opportunity in the opening round. He uses his high-risk offense to put Hero on the back pedal early, only for Hero to maul him with his patented elbow strikes. Oku fights back, ever the scrappy competitor, but the Rolling Elbow does him in, allowing Hero to advance!
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Chris Hero def. The O.J.M.O to advance to the Quarter Finals (12:21)
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Chris Hero vs Shigehiro Irie in the Quarter Finals
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Following that, Hero finds himself in the ring with a fellow beefy lad who happens to hail from Osaka, where Hero’s upcoming World Title match is. Irie has shown himself to be quite the talent in his sparing appearances for the company, this one being one of his biggest opportunities to showcase himself, and he does big time. This is the classic big man vs big man formula with a lot of strong style striking. Irie gives Hero quite a run for his money, showing him that there’s someone who can match his strength, but it is Hero who advances once again, delivering the Hero’s Welcome to seal the deal!
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Chris Hero def. Shigehiro Irie to advance to the Semi Finals (14:03)
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Chris Hero vs Timothy Thatcher in the Semi Finals
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Hero finds his toughest challenge ever as he’s forced to face a demon from his past run on the indies, Thatcher, who enters his first-ever SSS16. Match after match, Hero battled Tim up and down the indies, and even most recently back at Chapter 99, yet was never able to beat him in the matches that mattered the most, leading to doubt heading into this match. Will Hero be eliminated in the Semis once more? The Knockout Artist works hard to avert that fate, tanking through Thatcher’s lethal striking and submission game, but it seems history will repeat itself once more as the British Messiah locks in the Fujiwara Armbar! Hero manages to make it to the ropes though, before flipping the submission game on Thatcher with the Rivera Cloverleaf, forcing him to tap out!
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Chris Hero def. Timothy Thatcher to advance to the Finals (14:57)
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Chris Hero vs Ilja Dragunov in the Finals
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Finally, the big match everyone has been waiting for! Hero makes an emphatic return to the Finals for the second time in a row, whilst Dragunov finds himself moving up one from 2019’s Semi Finals, now in the endgame! The Unbesiegbar is ever the underdog babyface is this match as he battles the arrogant veteran who believes this is his time, and that no one can take this from him. That seems to be the case as the two men go to a striking contest, Hero getting the better of Dragunov without much trouble, only to find out that the resilience of Dragunov is what’s gotten him so far, realising that it isn’t as easy as he had once originally thought! Dragunov gives Hero hell, bringing out the Grüße aus Moskau that takes Hero off of his feet, before going for the final shot: the Torpedo Moskau! As he launches himself at Hero though, Hero has it scouted, knocking Dragunov right in the noggin with a Rolling Elbow, before delivering the Death Blow! 1…2…3! HERO HAS WON THE SSS16!
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Chris Hero def. Ilja Dragunov to win SSS16 2021 (18:39)
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After three attempts, Hero has finally come out on top, making a dream come true! Streamers hail down from the rafters and everyone celebrates the beautiful moment as they watch Hero hoist the trophy up high. He may not have been the crowd favourite to win, but Hero is Hero, and to see him light up with so much glee is a true sight to behold. His expression changes though when he remembers what winning entails: a shot at the PWG World Champion.
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And who oh who is the Champion but the man coming down to the ring to come face-to-face with Hero… David. Starr. The man who beat Hero in his return to the indies is the man who’ll be defending his title against Hero. Two men with immense disdain for one another for very obvious reasons. As Starr holds the title up in Hero’s face, the commentators rave about the two men’s first encounter, an absolutely first class match that spanned over half an hour. Both men have evolved quite a fair bit ever since, with Hero making quite the rebound up until his match with ZSJ. Now though, it’ll be the SSS16 2019 Winner and current World Champ, Starr, against the SSS16 2021 Winner and challenger, Hero. Starr cuts a chilling promo on Hero, telling him that wherever he goes on the indies, Starr will be there to reprimand him for selling out and put him down, preventing him from accomplishing his fantasy of becoming World Champion, the independent scene deserving a more worthy champion than Hero.
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NJPW Dominion 6.13 | Osaka-Jo Hall | June 13th 2021
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Chris Hero vs Kazuchika Okada (c) for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
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Before we get around to the match between Hero and Starr though, Hero gets his big opportunity in the limelight against the current Ace of NJPW. The story of the match features the cocky veteran, wanting one last run at the top, believing he still has what it takes to be the best, facing off against the vengeful champion, who wants to protect the honour and legacy of the company by preventing a gaijin from taking his title once again. Hero feels chills as big as he’s ever felt when Okada makes his grand entrance, entranced by the crowd reception to yet another star who’s remained loyal to his people by staying as a NJPW lifer unlike Hero. He doesn’t let himself crack under the pressure of Starr’s words though, concentrating on winning gold instead.
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Hero is brash and disrespectful, but also extremely talented too, leading to the man beating down Okada to pulp, much like he did to Okada’s originally chosen opponent. Hero yells at the fans to cheer for him as he’s their hero, but as he spends time messing around, Okada gets back into the match, doing his big money match routine, both men pulling out all the stops. We get an incredible Rainmaker reversal into a Rolling Elbow, Hero very nearly sealing the deal with the shot. As he goes to finish Okada off with the Death Blow, he’s arrogance costs him, the submission work that Thatcher did a couple weeks back causing Hero to tweak his arm and not be able to follow through with the move, allowing Okada to down him after two consecutive Rainmakers!
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Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Chris Hero to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Championship (29:40)
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ROH Best in the World | UMBC Event Center | July 2nd 2021
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Marty Scurll (c) vs Colt Cabana for the ROH World Championship
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Following his loss to Okada, Hero continues going down a dark path when he shows up at Best in the World to interfere in the ROH World Title match. However, the question on everyone’s mind though is who is he interfering for? Former rival Scurll, or close friend Cabana? Villain Enterprise immediately bring to action when they notice Hero coming down the ramp, the crowd exploding upon spotting the ROH alumni!
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Scurll has a look of grave concern on his face whilst Cabana is confused yet relieved to find out there’s someone to level the numbers game for him. As Hero strolls down the ramp, the referee gets distracted, allowing Scurll to hit him from behind with the umbrella, the ref collapsing to the floor not knowing what just hit him! VE flood into the ring and sick Cabana, tearing the indie legend to pieces as the crowd boo. They stare expectantly at Hero though, chanting his name over and over; the sweet symphony he’d been longing to hear.
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The Wrestling Genius slides into the ring, causing the Villain to hide behind Brody, sending him in Hero’s path, only for the big man to eat a Rolling Elbow! PCO attempts to intervene, suffering the same fate as his partner! Scurll pushes Flip in Hero’s path to buy some time, but Hero simply sends Flip soaring! It comes down to just Hero and Scurll now, Scurll doing his best to high-tail out of the way. Hero smirks, letting the Champ escape the ring, before extending his hand to Cabana to help him up, who obliges… HERO DROPS CABANA WITH THE ROLLING ELBOW! HERO TURNED ON HIS FRIEND!
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Scurll looks on in shock, stunned by Hero’s actions! First VE… now Cabana? Who’s side is he on? Things become crystal clear when he reaches out to help Scurll back into the ring, the Hero and the Villain standing side-by-side! Slowly, the rest of VE return to their feet, confused by all that’s happened, yet not questioning in fear of taking another elbow that knocks their heads off. Marty cackles as he feeds Cabana to Hero, who floors him once for with the elbow, before latching on the Crossface Chickenwing, reviving the referee to watch Cabana quickly pass out! Scurll has retained, and VE has just found itself its newest member!
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Build to The Crockett Cup 2021
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Wrestling fans all over the world lose their MINDS over Hero’s shocking heel turn, the man they all once used to trust turning his back on one of his closest friends in heartbreaking fashion to help Scurll go over. The ROH World Champion admits that he didn’t even see it coming himself, but he’s not one to question a smart man who knows what the smart thing to do is, gladly welcoming Hero to join the ranks, before handing a mic over to him to speak his mind as much as he wants to.
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Hero nods, taking over and talking about how things have changed so much since he’s returned to the independent scene. He found out that these people, the ones he gave his heart and soul to make this place what it is, have thrown him to the wayside, suddenly forgetting who he truly is. He’s not a joke that can be passed over by management, or disregarded by his peers/fans. He’s Chris Freaking Hero, so in his mind, the only thing that happened at Best in the World is he brought justice to the world. It may have been at the expense of someone he once loved like a brother, but this whole time since returning all the people he loved and fought for have moved onto another man who tries to act like Chris Hero 2.0. They want their damn ‘loyalty’ and whatnot, acting like toddlers when a professional man like himself makes professional decisions in hopes of bettering this wrestling world. They can cheer or boo him all they want, whilst he’s going to take what he deserves, and there’s no better group of men to serve that justice alongside him other than VE.
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The spiteful words of Hero are delivered on as he tears things up on weekly ROH TV, knocking out fan favourites week after week, before VE even launch an attack on NWA, invading an episode of Powerrr! Hero claims that as part of delivering justice, he’s going to bring the group the gold that they should’ve held two years ago when Scurll faced Aldis for the World Title. Thus, the match is made official for the upcoming cross-promotion Crockett Cup event, with the newest member of VE taking a crack at the National Treasure!
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NWA/ROH The Crockett Cup 2021 | Cabarrus Arena & Events Center | August 14th 2021
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Chris Hero vs Nick Aldis (c) for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
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The atmosphere is electric in the building, as the home promotion crowd cheer at the top of their lungs for Aldis, whilst booing the hell out of Hero, the two men coming to blows in the ring. Hero wrestles a much more aggressive style than usual, turning everything he does up a notch or two, whilst Aldis, despite having the world in his corner, shows how a true heel does it in the ring, outclassing Hero’s work and playing mind games with him. Hero tries to not let it get to him, instead calling for VE to back him up, who turn the tide in his favour in the match, only for Aldis to find himself some support from the locker room, people banding together to prevent a ROH guy from taking their top title! Eventually, throughout all the chaos, Aldis nails Hero in the skull with the gold, busting him open, before putting him down with the Mag Daddy Driver to retain!
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Nick Aldis (c) def. Chris Hero to retain the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship (22:18)
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Build to Death Before Dishonor 2021
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Hero is left in an emotional wreckage after losing to Aldis, unable to understand what he needs to win a World Title and get all of his fans back. He thought by going to Japan and proving his mettle against the top stars he’d be embraced, but he blew it after he snapped following the loss to ZSJ, becoming just another guy like BC that runs wild without respect for anything. He sacrificed one of his long standing friendships to join VE, thinking that aligning himself with a man he found respect for in the ring, Scurll, a current World Champion, would help him reach where he wanted to be, but in all fact, all he did was betray his own morals and mess things up even further. Now, he has to fight that former friend in Colt Cabana at DBD, the two men getting a chance to settle the score.
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What breaks him even further is seeing a highlight reel of the past years he competed on DBD, from leading charge in an epic CZW/ROH rivalry unlike the whimper that was the charge on NWA, beating one of the UK’s biggest stars in Nigel McGuinness, unlike his loss to Aldis, before teaming as the Kings of Wrestling to retain the Tag Titles over the Briscoes, one of ROH’s best Tag Teams, who continue the common theme of staying loyal to a promotion. What does Hero need to do to pull himself out of this state? He isn’t getting any younger and wants a World Title by the end of the year that he can hold with the fans by his side. We’ll just have to see how he fares against Cabana…
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ROH Death Before Dishonour 2021 | Sam’s Town Casino | September 27th 2021
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Chris Hero vs Colt Cabana
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The battle between Hero and Cabana is a true emotional bout as two veterans of the indie scene who helped significantly in shaping it up go to war. Cabana left his post once to go to the WWE, thinking it would bear the same fruits that Hero thought it would, only to find out it was a lie, returning to the people who made him instead. Hero left them twice, and now seems to have shut them out despite wanting them back so badly. Cabana tries to snap some sense into Hero throughout the match, reminding his friend of everything he’s throwing away, Hero seemingly slowly turning back to see the light, but tonight is not the night for making monumental changes, as Hero knocks his friend out with the Ripcord Rolling Elbow.
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Chris Hero def. Colt Cabana (13:35)
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PROGRESS Chapter 115: Treasure Chase | Alexandra Palace | October 10th 2021
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Chris Hero vs David Starr (c) for the PROGRESS World Championship
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Following the victory over Cabana, we’re finally treated to Hero/Starr II, the story much more different than it was the first time, Hero truly turning into a despicable individual, greedy for gold, whilst Starr remains firmly the Man of the People, promising to teach Hero a lesson for all his misdeeds. The two tear things up once again, clobbering each other with the future of indie wrestling in their minds. The fans boo Hero every time he has even the slightest advantage, Starr’s cult following fully backing him up. They go much longer than last time though, battling right down to the wire, going the distance for the full 60-Minute Time Limit Draw!
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Chris Hero and David Starr (c) wrestle to a draw (60:00)
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Yet again, Hero has failed to capture a World Title despite delivering his best performance to date. The atmosphere is rather peculiar after the match, as the fans actually give BOTH men a standing ovation, Hero not believing his ears for a moment, having spent months surrounding himself in the jeers and boos. And then he turns to face Starr, seeing the tiniest glint of respect in his eyes. He takes a look at himself for a moment, thinking, wrestling needs a hero… but is it Chris Hero? The fans seem to love Starr, but it’s clear that they’re desperate to have their hero back too, and after putting on one of the best performances of his career, Hero just might finally be on the right track…
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Part Four: Heroes Never Die
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Going with a quick summary approach here, following his time limit draw against Starr, Hero moves onto ROH Survival of the Fittest, entering the tournament that he’s won in the past many years ago when he was the hero of the people, believing he needs to do it again to become that man once again. Scurll seems to start becoming worried as he notices Hero becoming humbled by all his big World Title losses, slowly becoming more receptive to fan chants and becoming a fan favourite once again. Scurll reminds Hero to keep his head in the game and win SOTF so Marty doesn’t have to defend at Final Battle, Hero telling him not to worry. He’s tasked with facing stablemate Brody in Qualifier Round, with Brody trying to knock out Hero, suspicious of him. Hero wins though to Brody’s chagrin, advancing to the elimination style match where he faces off against: Jay Lethal, RUSH, Flip Gordon, Bandido and Dalton Castle. 5 of ROH’s best in the ring with Hero, and he manages to survive them all to become the first-ever two time winner!
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Scurll comes out to congratulate his stablemate, making sure he doesn’t rub Hero the wrong way and cause fractions in his group, but it’s already too late for that as Hero knocks out Scurll to become a fan favourite once more, challenging the man in the main event of Final Battle for the World Title! Hero and Scurll tear it up, the bout labelled as ‘Hero vs Villain III’, with Hero knocking off the Villain to become ROH World Champion, winning the title that once was the true representation of the independent scene for the first time in his career, and thus, accomplishing his World Title goal! Hero is a hero once more, but he just has a couple things left that he needs to settle.
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Firstly, he returns to NJPW and apologises to the people for his disrespect, the fans immediately taking him back and embracing him. One man that has a bone to pick with Hero though is Chris Jericho! Former AEW World Champion calls out Hero for talking about how he promises to never sign with AEW in his career, wanting to devote the rest of his life to the independent scene instead. Jericho deems Hero an idiot, claiming he would’ve invited him to the Inner Circle after his match with Okada, only to find out Hero is just another one of those ‘indie marks’ that has no semblance of respect for true greatness. We receive a dream clash in a Chris vs Chris match, one man the people’s champ, the other the chaotic and loathed gaijin. Hero manages to knock off Jericho, reaffirming his point of only needing the indies to succeed.
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Secondly and most importantly, Hero returns to PWG to apologise to the people, challenging Starr to one last match, no titles on the line. Starr accepts, noticing Hero’s humble attitude and respect once again towards the place he helped build, the two men ending their trilogy of matches with Hero finally going over! After the match, Hero bows down to Starr, embracing him as the current face of the Independent movement, before promising to stake his life to making this the place it always used to be. He also promises to Starr to make this ROH World Title a representation of the indies once more as opposed to the corporate belt it’s become over time. All is finally well in Hero’s world. It was a tough ride where he fought the top stars all over the indies, finally coming to terms with who he is once again and becoming Wrestling’s Hero once more. He’s no longer a sell out, he’s Chris Freaking Hero, and he’s World Champion.