Canadian soccer pyramid

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The Canadian Soccer Pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the Canadian Confederation. Leagues are often based in the United States.

The league structure in the Canadian Confederation is radically different from that used in much of the world (but like most other sports league systems in the United States) in one key respect: promotion and relegation does not regularly occur between any two levels. This is because the teams are generally franchises awarded by the leagues, not theoretically autonomous clubs.

Major League Soccer has a fixed number of franchises (currently 14), with no merit-based promotion possible from the USL First Division, which is run by a completely separate entity, the United Soccer Leagues (USL). Economic-based promotion to MLS can be considered should a club meet MLS requirements, namely to have a purpose-built stadium, an owner willing to foot the costs of competing in MLS, and acceptance of the league's various sponsorship deals. So far, no club has shown interest in meeting all of MLS criteria.

The USL manages many leagues including the USL First and Second Divisions. There is no system of relegation, as of 2006, between the USL First and USL Second divisions. A promotion system has been established, but has largely been unused. Several franchises have voluntarily dropped from the First Division to the Second, usually to cut costs.

[edit] Men

The premier league in the Canadian Confederation is Major League Soccer. Under that are the United Soccer Leagues (USL) and the Canadian Soccer League (CSL). The Canadian Soccer Association is the governing body for the Confederation.

Level	Leagues or Divisions
1	Major League Soccer (MLS) 14 clubs total (in 2 conferences), 1 Canadian club
2	United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) 11 clubs total, 2 Canadian clubs
3	Canadian Soccer League (CSL) 12 clubs (in 2 divisions), all Canadian
4	Pacific Coast Soccer League (PCSL) 11 clubs total, 8 Canadian clubs
5	United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL) 59 clubs total (in 10 divisions in 4 conferences), 4 Canadian clubs