NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson, League Recognize Vast Potential In Caribbean

It certainly is no accident that the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League played the Cuban National Team in an international friendly Tuesday night.

The Caribbean is such a vital area for the league for myriad reasons, particularly for potential clubs and players.

"This is a very important region of the world for our league," NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson said, noting that more than two dozen Caribbean players are currently in the league.

The names include FC Edmonton midfielder Lance Laing, who was called into the Jamaican National Team for the Copa América in Chile; San Antonio Scorpions forward Billy Forbes, who is the captain of the Turks and Caicos Islands national side; and Cosmos goalkeeper Keasel Broome who was born in Delaware and plays for Barbados, among others.

"More coaches have spent more time in the Caribbean, so what they're signaling is that more players are down here that can help us win matches," Peterson said. "It's not just Cuba. It's the entire Caribbean area, Central American area, which are important for our growth. Any time we can be good partners and establish relationships, it's good for the entire league."

And the league has some history in the Caribbean. It has had a franchise in Puerto Rico and the Chicago Sting were the last North American pro soccer team to play in Havana before the Cosmos did on Tuesday. The Cosmos recorded a 4-1 victory over Cuba before 18,000 fans, who cheered for both sides and even applauded the U.S. national anthem before the match.

"This is a little bit special because of the circumstances," Peterson said. "We were the last club team to play here and darn it we want to be the first one as well. There's a lot of positives, in my opinion, going down the road."

While American college soccer and professional leagues have discovered more and more talent in the Caribbean in recent years, it still is considered an untapped area.

No one has to remind Peterson that Caribbean players on NASL teams do not simply fill out the rosters.

"A great number of them are quality players," he said. "They come in and fight for roster spots and they get them. They have contributed to a lot of success that teams have had. It's right here. We've had a team in the Caribbean before and we may have a Caribbean team again. It's an important area for us."

Peterson sees it as a positive development for NASL teams, the players, and even their respective national teams.

"That's one of the unique aspects for us being a U.S.-based league that would more readily allow you to do that," he said. "If we can identify talent from this area, they could come in and play for one or two years, establish their market value, go back on the market and see what they can do. They can go back to the Caribbean, they can go to Europe, they can go somewhere else to play, but they would have that opportunity, and they would not necessarily be locked up in a long-term contract.

"We think as the awareness grows of this league, more and more of the agents will direct their guys to try to come into the NASL and play first because they have a chance then to participate in the system. We've found the benefit back to the area as well. It stimulates kids' interest in coming to the U.S. to play college soccer."