Rocco Commisso claims that U.S. Soccer is “cutting out of its duties to protect all of soccer.” (FrontRowSoccer.com Photo)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

Rocco B. Commisso Thursday made some strong allegations Thursday afternoon.

The North American Soccer League chairman and Cosmos owner claimed there were “huge, huge conflicts of interest” between Major League Soccer, Soccer United Marketing and U.S. Soccer Federation, which has impeded the NASL.

During a conference call to discuss the NASL’s antitrust lawsuit against the USSF, Commisso said U.S. Soccer was “cutting out of its duties to protect all of soccer.”

SUM is the marketing arm of MLS and is the exclusive marketing partner of the USSF.

“They are in the business of making money,” Commisso said. “The only way it can make money is by protecting the interest of the MLS. So, tell me how right it is, for the United States Soccer Federation to be involved in a business relationship with the league that they are sustaining and never flipped on anything in the last six months to help me carry on for the next year?”

Commisso added that he and other NASL owners had spent $50 million the past year.

Later during the conference call, Commisso then took on soccer writers, claiming they should do their job.

“You guys are the writers,” he said. “You guys ask the questions and I hope you do because I hear from a number of people that they are afraid to write about all the shenanigans that are [happening] at U.S. Soccer because they might not get the tickets to go to their games. So, I would hope, one day, before I’m gone, gone for good, you know what I mean, that somebody would wake up and say, ‘Look I was trained to be a reporter, I was trained to write and do the right thing.’ Write what is happening as opposed to staying back and don’t have the energy to go out and do investigative reporting that you should be doing frankly, because that’s your job and figure out why this is taking place in U.S. Soccer.”

U.S. Soccer had no comment.

Neither MLS or SUM could be reached for comment.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.