The report, notably, was commissioned by Silva International Investments, which is owned by Riccardo Silva, who owns NASL club Miami FC, who are in the second division of US soccer.

And, in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Abbott said he believes the fact that the report was paid for by an NASL team owner seriously undermines its findings and added that significant investment off the field, as well as success on the field, is the driving force of professional soccer in the US.

"I've read a summary of the report and I've only been able to give that a cursory review. I don't know if there is more than the summary or not," Abbott told The Telegraph via telephone. "It's been written about a lot, the report was paid for by an NASL owner with a vested interest in promotion. I think we have to look at it through that lens and recognise that there's some serious credibility questions with respect to the report itself.

"With respect to the substance, the report ignores the really fundamental aspect of what is required to continue to grow professional soccer in the United States and that is the investment of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars, in a wide range of programmes, infrastructure and initiatives, including player development, soccer-specific stadiums, marketing, the creation of high-quality broadcast and digital content to name just a few.

"And by narrowly focusing on the sole criteria of winning the championship in the second division, the NASL's proposal does not propose or require any of this investment - and I think in fact would discourage it.

"It is simple common sense that a team that is promoted and faces the prospect of relegation the next year would not be prepared to invest the hundreds of millions of dollars required to build a stadium or the other areas needed to grow a strong fanbase.

"New stadiums now cost $150 million and require strong public-private partnerships and based on decades of working with elected officials across the country we know that no local community would be willing to contribute to that partnership if that team was subject to relegation."