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Soccer Merger Nixed

NEW YORK () -- American Professional Soccer League club owners rejected an overture from Major League Soccer to join the proposed U.S. first division, apparently dooming any chance of the two merging to form one national league.


APSL commissioner Richard Groff said his club owners were adamantly opposed to MLS' so-called "single entity" league, which would own all the teams and player contracts. Individual investors, while not owning a team, operate the club with the authority to hire coaches and market the team in their area.


"Our owners prefer to ... be 100 percent responsible for their club," Groff said.

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