Former Dundee United chairman Stephen Thompson is set to return to football – on the other side of the Atlantic.
He’s understood to be heading for New England to run a club in the National Independent Soccer Association league that’ll kick off in August.
It’s provisionally sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation to form what will be the new third tier in American football.
Thompson has been in talks with authorities stateside for some time now and the Tele understands he’s passed their fit and proper persons tests, meaning he’s free to take the helm of a team in the new set up.
Working with businessmen from the local area that’ll see the club formed and probably based in Norwich, Connecticut.
So far NISA have also confirmed plans for clubs based in Atlanta, Charlotte and Philadelphia.
Others in Florida and California are expected to be revealed in the near future and the long-term plan is two have a two-tier league of 24 teams.
The hope is to eventually have a route to the MLS.
That would involve teams working their way up through the USL Championship to the MLS where they’d be competing against the likes of LA Galaxy, though that’s a long way off and the top division have shown little desire for such a system.
A year ago, Thompson announced he’d step down as United chairman at the end of last season.
He brought that forward to March and handed over to Mike Martin. Last summer he sold his majority shareholding to Martin and fellow-director Jimmy Fyfe.
They sold the club on to a new owner, ironically American Mark Ogren, at the end of last year.
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