Second-Division Soccer Makes a Return in US

    Second-division soccer in the United States is set to make a return.  The on-again, off-again Division 2 North American Soccer League (NASL) has been provisionally sanctioned by the U.S. Soccer Federation¹ (USSF) for the 2011 season.  The league will be expected to meet certain requirements before receiving permanent Division 2 status.
    In a nation where American football reigns² supreme³, soccer is viewed more as a niche⁴ sport.  And while Major League Soccer, the top tier professional soccer league in the United States, has grown slowly and steadily⁵, the leagues underneath⁶ it have struggled to stabilize(稳固,安定).
    U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati this week emphasized the influence the second-tier North American Soccer League would have on the growth of the sport in America. "If we want to see American soccer grow, having additional outlets⁷ for fans, whether in some cases it's in very different cities than where MLS may be, in other cases in suburbs of MLS markets or at a different level, I think it's very important," he said.
    The re-development of NASL, which originally operated from 1968-1984, has been promising⁸ but not without struggles.
    The league had been provisionally sanctioned in November 2010 before being revoked⁹ last month over financial concerns of some of its teams.  But last Friday, the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors voted to re-instate the provisional sanction（批准,认可）.
    NASL Chief Executive Officer Aaron Davidson understands that the NASL is a work in progress. "No one is under the assumption all of our teams are going to break even overnight, even now we are provisionally sanctioned and we are a second division league," he said.
    With league play scheduled to begin on April 9, NASL is working hard to promote its eight teams (Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina Railhawks, FC Edmonton, FC Tampa Bay, Miami FC, Impact De Montreal, NSC Minnesota Stars and Puerto Rico Islanders) that are located in major markets across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
    U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati believes that with a solid foundation, NASL will be difficult to ignore. "The opportunity and the stability of the league are, obviously, very much related," he said. "If the league is stable, and that's what we're counting on, and the business plan makes sense and you have sensible attendance and so on, then there will be increased interest for people to make an investment in a team."NASL's Aaron Davidson views the 2011 season as a litmus test to see where the league stands and what needs to be done to create stability in the future.  "This year is really about focusing on [foundation] and making sure we run a league where the teams are happy with the direction it's headed, where the [U.S. Soccer] Federation is happy with the direction it's headed, where the media and fans are happy so we can build a methodical growth plan going forward," he said.
    One of the teams, Montreal, will only be on board for one year before joining MLS and the five U.S.-based NASL teams will not be involved in this year's U.S. Open Cup soccer tournament due to delays in sanctioning. For NASL, the promising but difficult journey has just begun.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

2 reigns   

n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期

参考例句：

• In these valleys night reigns. 夜色笼罩着那些山谷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Queen of Britain reigns, but she does not rule or govern. 英国女王是国家元首，但不治国事。 来自辞典例句

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

7 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

9 revoked   

adj.[法]取消的v.撤销，取消，废除( revoke的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It may be revoked if the check is later dishonoured. 以后如支票被拒绝支付，结算可以撤销。 来自辞典例句
• A will is revoked expressly. 遗嘱可以通过明示推翻。 来自辞典例句