The American Professional Soccer League was formed in 1990 with the merger of the Western Soccer League and the New American Soccer League. The APSL was officially sanctioned as an outdoor pro league in 1992 by United States Soccer Federation and changed its name to A-League Soccer in 1995. The league's member clubs and divisional alignments have historically been in constant flux. New clubs in Edmonton, Alberta and Puerto Rico are scheduled to compete in the 2004 league, while several clubs from the 2003 league have voluntarily dropped to lower levels of the pyramid.
Unlike most other nations, there is currently no system of promotion and relegation in American soccer; it has repeatedly been suggested to introduce it, but many feel that such a system is contrary to the way Americans think about sports.
