Whats this rubbish about not being able to play Div 2?
If you choose a team in a fully licensed league you start in that league and cannot edit the structure, therefore you cant start in div 2. This applies to Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch leagues. I have not checked that since last years game but I'm almost certain it's the same.
To start in div 2 you must choose a team from the 'others' section or any unlicensed league. You must then edit the league structure in the edit section from the main menu. You can change any league that is not licensed. So that's the PES league, D2 league, Portuguese League and English League.
Once that's done you can choose the league you will be promoted to once you've started the ML and picked your team, this answers the OP's question.
Thats how it works as far as I know.