[3][4] The NASL cancelled its 1985 season shortly afterwards, and five of the USL franchises (the New York Nationals, Charlotte Gold, Jacksonville Tea Men, Buffalo Storm and Rochester Flash) folded while the Houston Dynamos withdrew to become independent.

In hopes of attracting a few more members before the second half of the season, they decided to open with a round-robin set of games in which the teams would play each other twice (once at home and once away) to compete for the "USL Cup."

Commissioner Burfeind resigned and league vice president Kalman Csapo replaced him just as USL Cup play was starting.

[7] The Tulsa Tornado's owners were facing lawsuits related to payment for stadium rent, and after one round of paychecks bounced, they started missing pay periods for players and coaches altogether.

[10][11] In June, an Oklahoma-based group of investors led by former University of Oklahoma and professional football player Jimbo Elrod and country singer Sammie Jo Cole made an offer to purchase majority control of the Tulsa franchise and take additional steps to rescue the failing league, and this allowed the Tornado's to piece together a roster and fund the travel to Fort Lauderdale for the last game of the Cup round on June 15.

[17] The suspension of the season triggered an immediate shut down for the teams from Dallas, Tulsa and El Paso/Juarez, but the Sun tried briefly to carry on as an independent squad by participating in exhibition matches that would keep them active and help them offset their payroll debt.