When NISA announced that it was declaring its regular season champion ineligible for the playoffs, it came as a pretty big surprise. While the league has toiled in almost total obscurity this season, most people knew one club from this league, Maryland Bobcats. In fact, after the departure of Chattanooga FC, Maryland was viewed by many as the only legitimate team left in the league. While several other NISA clubs have legitimate operations, their owners are prone to distraction and their teams often reflect this by fading for stretches of the season. Maryland, on the other hand, put together a legitimately great season, earning 50 points in 19 matches, suffering a single loss all season, FOUR months ago.

So when Maryland was declared ineligible for the playoffs, “as it is not in compliance with the league nor the U.S. Soccer Federation,” people wanted answers but few were forthcoming from the league. In fact, the twitter post announcing it was easily the most interacted with of all the league’s posts this season, earning 66 retweets, 58 comments, and 60k views (as of today). The league has been known for giving silence to questions from the public in the past, so those in the know weren’t surprised at the lack of response.

Complications

I should quickly interject that while Protagonist covered this league thoroughly for three seasons, both through podcasts and regular articles, we decided to cease our coverage this season. While the league hasn’t always run as efficiently as fans would like, our decision was based around persistent claims of non-payment of players. A professional club should pay its players what it promised. Since we stopped covering the league, the claims of player non-payment have continued. Just last week, I received a DM from a player who claimed that his club “owes about 6 guys over 2,000 dollars.”

Darwin Espinal has been unstoppable for Maryland this season, easily winning Golden Boot.

This afternoon I had an extended conversation with a well-connected source within the Maryland Bobcats organization. This source described the situation facing the club this season and offered explanations as to why the club was forced into being ineligible for the playoffs.

Finances, or the Lack Thereof

According to this person, the club had been promised investors multiple times by the league, but none of those investors ever came to the table with offers that fit the financial needs of the club. Local investors the team approached have been reluctant to invest as long as the club remains in NISA. Entering this season, the Bobcats did not have the financial backing to get through the season after the exit of an original club investor. When the league was notified of this issue, according to the source, the league offered several means of help. The Bobcats would not have to pay league dues and a lump sum of money was offered to shore up the team’s position. According to this source, that money never materialized and the club was forced to make some incredibly hard decisions, including the decision to not pay the required performance bond. However, the team always made good on making payroll. Not paying the players what was promised was never an option.

During the summer, the league reached out to the club, demanding that the team pay both the performance bond and the club’s league fees. According to the club source, that combined amount was almost half a million dollars and the club did not have the means to pay. Yet the team continued to play and win, despite a financially trimmed roster.

Some History

If there’s anything you might know about NISA this season, it’s probably that a LOT of matches were forfeited. Most chalk this up to clubs lacking the money to field teams or, more importantly, to pay for hotels, meals, and plane tickets. While NISA claims eight teams, its a widespread rumor that multiple teams are league-run operations, operated on shoestring budgets to keep the league in standing with US Soccer. Sure the teams have “ownership groups,” but most assume the funding is coming from league sources, specifically the two most financially flush owners, Bob Friedland (LA Force) and George Juncaj (Michigan Stars). Both are rumored to have given large sums to the league in order for it to remain operational.

You might remember the loud exit of former NISA club owner, Laurence Girard. In early 2022, his clubs, New Amsterdam FC and Chicago House AC, were declared “members in forfeiture” due to unpaid league fees. Girard was vociferous in his argument that the league was unfair in this action and also claimed that NISA had promised his club a large loan that had went unpaid. There was little public sympathy for Girard, though his Chicago House AC continues to perform well as an amateur club in the Midwest Premier League. House has plenty of fans, though their owner has taken a backseat to the more publicly-adored Peter Wilt.

Coming to a Head

So, all that being said, why aren’t the Bobcats in the playoffs?

According to the source I spoke with today, the league drew a line in the sand and demanded that Maryland commit to pay the league fees, the performance bond, and promise to remain in the league next year and beyond or be booted from the playoffs. For the club, this was too much of an ask. The team claims to have spent almost a million dollars this year on travel and player salaries. Adding another half a million in debt and tying up the club’s future was not an option. So the team refused. And NISA kicked its best team out of the playoffs.

Bobcat players and staff celebrate their regular season championship.

For Maryland, this has to sting. While the club is beloved in the lower league soccer community, it has never been able to win a professional championship. Given the the team’s record this season and its current trajectory, it felt like this was the year. And then this happened.

When the team finished the regular season, it posted pictures of the club celebrating with the caption “2024 NISA Eastern Conference Regular Season Champions.” According to the team source, the league contacted the team and demanded it remove the post due to its playoff ineligibility. The club refused and the post remains public. The unplanned absence from the playoffs is “allowing the club to consider its future.” Given where the relationship is between NISA and Maryland Bobcats, it would seem that future will not be together.

If the source had described the situation accurately, there are still plenty of questions remaining to be answered. Where do the Bobcats play next season? Will NISA offer a better explanation of its decision to bar Maryland from the playoffs? Will US Soccer get involved? Without the Bobcats, is there still a fanbase for this league? Can NISA find 8 teams for another season if Maryland exits?

- Dan Vaughn