On August 30th, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announced that eight bids have been submitted to join the league for its proposed inaugural 2018 season. Ownership groups in Charlotte, Chattanooga, Connecticut, Miami, Milwaukee, Omaha, Phoenix, and St. Louis submitted bids for teams. Charlotte, Miami, Phoenix and St. Louis are all currently home to United Soccer League (USL) or North American Soccer League (NASL) teams.
NISA was created as the third division of U.S. professional soccer and expects to have 8-10 teams in its first season. The league eventually intends on instituting promotion and relegation in conjunction with an independent second and fourth division league.