On Thursday, I got up with RailHawks predsident Brian Wellman about the recent news that NASL had re-submitted its bid for Division 2 sanctioning with two extra teams. NASL concluded its recent meeting in Tampa last week.

I've posted the audio in two parts from that interview, since I'm sure there are several questions among the minds of D2 fans across the country. I want those answers to be as clear as possible, and there's nothing more clear than posting the entire interview online.

A few short points before you listen (or for those of you who are too ansty to sit through eight minutes of audio):

• Wellman's definitely a fan of Atlanta returning to Division 2. He gives us some insight as to how Atlanta seemingly joined out of nowhere. As it turns out, the Silverbacks have been waiting the past two years getting ready for this move.
• AC St. Louis wasn't added to the bid because nothing has been finalized yet with the franchise's search for investors. If a deal is finalized before NASL starts putting together its schedule for next year, then St. Louis will likely join. As Wellman said "the more teams, the better." He adds "they can show on the radar anytime if that sell goes through."
• He says that the first bid was submitted with just the six teams that he knew were on firm ground so the USSF could do "due dillegence" to those six first. He said it was communicated to the USSF that NASL would finish off the list at a later date.
• Wellman says the USSF will have its end-of-the-year meeting soon, and hopes that NASL will hear back around that time. The only other USSF meeting is in February — which would be too late for a ruling — and the U.S. will be spending most of December trying to get a World Cup bid for 2022. So with that in mind, Wellman thinks it won't be long to hear if NASL is sanctioned for next season.
• A former minority owner from the Austin Aztex — the franchise was moved to Orlando to become a Division 3 franchise — was at the NASL meeting. Although he shouldn't be looked at as a person who could be a primary owner, he is involved with the Austin community and hopes to have a franchise there in the future. "Austin remains on the radar," Wellman said.
• San Antonio owners were said to have contributed "heavily" at the recent NASL meetings. San Antonio will play in 2012 as an expansion NASL franchise.
• There's a mystery franchise that NASL has agreed in principle to start play in 2013. Wellman said he could not make that official yet.
• Wellman says there are "three or four" other markets that NASL is currently targeting.
• Crystal Palace Baltimore was at the USSF D2 meetings. They will not play in 2011 but hope to be ready to go in 2012.

RailHawks president Brian Wellman said meetings called by United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati may have "stabilized" a lot of the tension between the new ownership of the United Soccer League (USL) and Team Owners Association (TOA).

Wellman said his father and majority owner Selby Wellman was representing the RailHawks at the meetings in New York City that were scheduled for Tuesday and have continued into today.

It was the first time the USL leaders, Alec Papadakis and Rob Hoskins — the ownership team of NuRock Soccer Holdings that purchased the USL in late August — and USL president Tim Holt had met with all representatives of the TOA under the same roof.

"It seemed like at least a lot of the tension has stabalized because everyone finally got to meet face-to-face and everyone knows what everyone's goals are," Brian Wellman said.

Outside of that, Wellman said most everything else is up in the air.

"Outside of that, there's nothing definitive."

The dispute between the league and the TOA hit a boiling point on Friday when the USL e-mailed players from the RailHawks and other TOA member franchises saying that not only were those respective franchises no longer in the USL, its players had been released from their contracts.

"I think a lot of positives just came out of a face-to-face meeting as opposed to e-mails, phone calls and things that... communication can get out of context when it's done over the internet and not the old-fashioned way." 

If you think it's odd that this is the first time those face-to-face meetings have taken place, Wellman said the TOA requested a face-to-face meeting immediately after NuRock's purchase of the USL. The USL leader group insisted they meet with each individual team instead.

"We definitely wanted to meet with them first and foremost, but they wanted to do it a separate way," Wellman said. "So yesterday was the first time they all got together."

So where does this leave the RailHawks? Are they any closer to forming a separate league with other TOA members or is a return to the USL more promising? Wellman, who has said the RailHawks will play next year in some capacity, said those answers are too far off to determine presently.

"I couldn't give that now. I wouldn't know where to begin with that. There's still a lot of work to be done, but at the same time there's still a time factor so a lot of work is going to have to get done in a short amount of time."

In an interview on Monday, Wellman noted that a decision needs to be reached within the "next 30 days." The fall is when teams must re-sign players (the RailHawks have "6-8" players they are hoping to re-sign according to Wellman) and create next year's schedule, among other things.

With USSF officials due in London within the next 24 hours, Wellman said it may be towards the end of the week before anything resolute is determined. For now, at least cooler heads have prevailed.

"I don't know what the next step is. Again, I haven't gotten enough information from the guys. I'm sure after today and into tomorrow we'll get an idea what the next step is for sure."