The proposed new soccer league that is awaiting approval by the United States Soccer Federation has added two more teams, bringing the number to nine new teams for the proposed new league.

Crystal Palace Baltimore and the Tampa Bay Rowdies will join seven other teams in the quest to form a new professional soccer league that would start play in April of 2010. Several of the teams, including the Carolina RailHawks, were former members of the United Soccer League that grew unhappy with the USL's new owners.

The Rowdies were on the original plan for this start-up league, but had been left off the list of teams until today.

The addition of Tampa Bay and Baltimore brings the new league to nine teams. The USSF minimum for a new league is eight, but the new league owners were hopeful an exception would be made in case an eighth did not come forward.

RailHawks owner Selby Wellman said in an interview last week that other USL teams were "on the fence" to see whether they would join the new league or stay in the USL — even saying that some USL teams have yet to pay their franchise fee. Neither Tampa nor Baltimore were previous USL-1 teams, but Baltimore played in the USL-2 for the last three seasons.

The new league hopes to announce its official name next week and is searching for a full-time commissioner.