By Michael Lewis
FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

The North American Soccer League has filed an appeal of Judge Margo K. Brodie’s denial of its request for a preliminary injunction to retain its Division 2 status.

The league filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Sunday.

“Following the disappointing ruling issued by the U.S. District Court yesterday, the NASL filed an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit,” NASL interim commissioner Rishi Sehgal said in a statement. We remain confident in the merits of our case and that our request for a preliminary injunction is supported by the law. For that reason, we’re hopeful that the Second Circuit will deliver a ruling that allows the NASL to play at the Division 2 level in 2018 and enables us to continue growing and developing the sport. We have asked for our appeal to be expedited to eliminate the uncertainty facing all of our clubs, players, coaches, fans, and other stakeholders.”

In a written decision released Saturday morning, Judge Brodie of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York turned down the league’s request for the temporary relief it sought in its federal anti-trust case against the U.S. Soccer Federation.

In her ruling, Brodie stated though the NASL had cleared a number of required legal hurdles, including that the loss of Division 2 status would constitute “irreparable harm,” it never “made a clear showing of entitlement to relief.”

The NASL did not demonstrate that the USSF was not entitled to regulate and determine professional division designations, according to the ruling. Brodie said that the federation “has provided plausible bases to conclude that [division standards] have procompetitive effects.”

Judge Brodie also wrote that the NASL “fails to present sufficient evidence of undue influence in the actual standard-setting process” despite “ample evidence of a conflict of interest between [the USSF] and MLS.”

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.