With all of the teams in Detroit for the playoffs, NISA Media Day happened today via Zoom. I will say, it couldn’t have gone much better. Each team was represented by coaches and players who were open and responded to questions from the media. The league also had sessions with John and Josh Prutch about the state of the league, and Peter Wilt and Evan Raimist made appearances for their expansion clubs.

The only negative was that the Protagonist computer failed to record the meeting. Cool.

So the following notes are some quick-hit points the staff was able to remember off the top of our heads. The league is hoping to make their recording available later today, so we may build off these when we have that. Enjoy!

Commissioner John Prutch and EVP of Expansion Josh Prutch

According to John, Oakland Roots got excused from media day by the league because it wouldn’t be fair to put players and coaches on the spot. I can’t express how much this felt like a cop out on Oakland’s part. They showed up to play in the playoffs but can’t face criticism and questions? Either play or don’t. They are professionals and deserve to face the same scrutiny as any other professional. The league shouldn’t have allowed that. Just because something is uncomfortable doesn’t mean the league or the club should avoid it.

When asked about the absence of Stumptown and 1904, John Prutch stated that the presser was for clubs in the playoffs currently. He did explicitly say 1904 was returning but didn’t mention Stumptown specifically. Seems to me that if Bobcats and Chicago can send people, it wouldn’t have been too much to ask those other clubs to also send reps. This should be about the league and, as far as we know, they are part of the league.

Josh Prutch feels that the pandemic didn’t affect expansion work, just changed the timing. This question from Michael Lewis was a solid one and Josh’s answer was a little surprising. We’ve heard from multiple sources that the pandemic HAD affected expansion due to reducing the number of investors interested in spending money. Doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong, maybe just a matter of interpretation of the market.

With the West being down to 3 teams, definitely going to be a single table in Spring 2021.

Ben Rode (MWPL) and Jeremy Poklemba (GCPL)

Ben didn’t make an appearance. Not sure what happened on this one, no Ben for the scheduled appearance. This time slot changed to accommodate Chattanooga FC’s practice schedule so maybe that was the issue. Regardless, Jeremy did a great job representing the GCPL.

GCPL doesn’t see NISA Nation as competition. When NISA’s amateur league was announced, many were curious if their regional partners might feel threatened. Not the GCPL apparently. Not only did Jeremy highlight what he felt the leagues’ differences were, but he also emphasized that they were consulted during the league’s formation.

When asked why a regional instead of USL, Poklemba focused on money and level of play. After I asked the question, it felt like he almost scoffed at the question, though I feel it was just a sincere response. He quickly and first off pointed out the difference in money spent with teams in the USL having no clue where the money was going. Secondarily, he highlighted that many regional leagues are just as good as their USL 2 counterpart. So why spend more money and give up more autonomy?

Michigan Stars

George Juncaj really played down the win over Detroit City. I think this was a smart but completely untrue response to the Stars win over City. That’s a big one, one that changes the narrative and puts Stars in the top spot in their group. So pretending it wasn’t sweeter to do it against your biggest rival is a little disingenuous, even if it’s the best response.

Steven Juncaj does feel more pressure playing for his dad. I was thrilled with the honesty from Steven. It cannot be easy to play for your father, especially considering the circumstances that are often brought up by detractors. I’ve never gotten bad vibes from him and think he’s a hell of a player. The other players on the panel both spoke about being impressed with his work ethic and drive.

When asked to explain the sudden improvement by Stars out of the pandemic, George highlighted practice and players. George was pretty blunt about the fact that he was working with his players for much of the off period, saying he felt it was a big contributor to the club’s success. He also pointed out the addition of multiple international players he had been waiting on visas for.

Steven Juncaj says it’s a derby.

LA Force

Roster turnover was with intent. We’ve wondered about this aspect of LA Force for a while - why did the roster turn over so much between Spring and Fall? The head coach highlighted that this was part of the plan to grow players from amateur to professional. That the players moved through the system both up and down, so rosters would change dramatically often.

Danny Trejo has made an impact as soon as he joined. Both the coach and Danny pointed out that his ceiling is probably higher than NISA and they expect him to grow to the point that he moves on. He seems like a very confident kid and I loved when he translated for his Spanish-speaking teammate.

Detroit City FC

Credit to Coach James, he was fair about his club’s performance against Stars. Coach was quick to highlight that he was actually pretty happy with the way his team had played, but that he felt that the size and aggressiveness of Stars players was too much for his club to overcome. There was a funny moment when he described the Stars’ lineup as 6’5 and his own as 5’2. Coach basically said they lost because they missed two marks and those led to goals.

When asked about the lack of scoring, James focused on compression. When the forwards are forced to come so far back to get the ball, it contributes to the improved defense but greatly reduces scoring chances. Can’t work in the long term.

New players added before the playoffs haven’t had enough time to mesh. When asked, James mentioned that while he was thrilled to add in talented, experienced players, the pandemic had really limited the teams’ ability to get on the same page, especially in attack. He blamed that specifically as one of the reasons for Detroit City’s lack of smoothness in attack and any real scoring threats.

New Amsterdam FC

Aldo has a new unlucky number. Aldo Munoz, the goalkeeper from New Amsterdam, joked about his club always giving up 3 goals. However, he emphasized that his defensive line in front of him was improving and that they were doing their best. Very upbeat response, given the results on the field.

NYCFC doesn’t care about people. Or so says Max Mansfield of NAFC. The subject came up in a question about the New York market and how New Amsterdam needs to differentiate itself. Max highlighted that aside from the obvious difference of leagues, the teams’ approaches are completely different and NAFC focuses on taking care of their players and building their community connection.

Max still positive about his club. When asked about the lack of points for the club so far, Max was very upbeat, pointing out that he didn’t think the club had failed this season, but certainly needed to improve. He also described the club’s ethos as scrappy and tough just like NYC; that’s how they play and they don’t apologize for it.

New York Cosmos

Unlike other clubs’ tones, Cosmos seemed extremely unhappy and slightly grumpy. I’m not saying they weren’t present and participating, there just seemed to be a general irritation with everything and every question seemed to be responded to with crossed armed and furrowed brows. Losing to Strikers must have been a big disappointment and it showed.

Injuries won’t play a big role moving forward. Specifically asked about Darwin Espinal, he mentioned the player was practicing and would be available moving forward in the tournament. He also said none of his other important contributors were injured.

Cal United Strikers

Shane Kaemerle is treated like any other player. Or so says Christian Thierjung. He highlighted the success of the young players and emphasized his incredible talent at a young age. Said the team tries to treat him as any other player, regardless of his age.

Coach Don Ebert is my new favorite person. One of the negatives of the pandemic and all the remote viewing of matches is that sometimes we don’t get any real glimpses of personalities on the sidelines. Coach Ebert was a breath of fresh air. He seemed like a grump but in a loveable, completely likeable sort of way. Ebert warmed on every question, beginning to respond reluctantly and gaining momentum and energy throughout his responses. He was fantastic.

Coach Ebert is definitely concerned about the pandemic’s effect on his club, but not in the way you might think. Ebert pointed out that the compressed schedule (2 matches in the West) left him with almost no time to get his players ready for match play. He continues to be very worried about player health and injury worries. He mentioned CFC’s rash of injuries and how he was very concerned about his own team.

Peter Wilt (NISA Chicago) and Evan Raimist (Maryland Bobcats)

Maryland Bobcats continue to impress me, even when they aren’t playing. I can’t express how thrilled I am to see the development of Bobcats. They just seem to be doing everything right and, having watched them play in Maryland Majors and UPSL, it’s hard not to be thrilled with their growth. Evan is always poised and ready for questions. He’s good at his job and makes my job easy.

Raimist feels they could compete now. When asked about his club’s play in Independent Cup, he said he felt nothing but positive about his club’s performance on the field, that they could hang with any NISA side. Because of this, the team’s focus is on getting the organization into shape before the 2021 season. Evan also feels the club will be play in multiple leagues in the spring, as it continues to prepare to go pro. To get there, he highlighted his focus on making sure to include ALL of Maryland in their scope.He feels the strength of the club is in their diversity and ability to reach out to all communities in the state.

Peter Wilt moving the ball forward in Chicago. It was interesting watching Evan and Peter side by side. Peter has done this tens of times, while Evan is in try number one. When asked, Peter mentioned he was moving along with adding staff in key parts of his organization and that he felt hires would start finalizing early in 2021. He also took a moment to mention his disappointment with the announcement concerning the murder of Breonna Taylor. He’s right.

Peter Wilt feels Keyworth is “the best place in the country to see live soccer.” He praised the venue and fans in the highest of terms. Wilt also pointed out that the lack of fans was really a big loss for the tournament, but that it was understandable because of the pandemic.

Chattanooga FC

Alec Reddington feels incredibly confident. Chattanooga’s goalkeeper is feeling good going into the tournament, peaking at the perfect time. Head Coach Peter Fuller highlighted the work of his GK coach in growing Reddington’s skills and emphasized that Alec’s level of play puts the rest of the players in a better position to be creative and confident. Reddington also mentioned feeling good with the Cosmos being their next opponent, having faced them once already this season.

Richard Dixon should be good to go. Straight from the players mouth, he should be fine for the next match. Dixon said he was originally concerned about the severity of the knock, but was now sure he’d be ready to play.
Coach Fuller thrilled with his team’s level of play this season. The coach was effusive in his praise for his club, highlighting the camaraderie and connection between the players and how they seemed to take everything in stride. He downplayed the season-opening loss to Stars, instead emphasizing the 4 match winning streak his team has since built. He seems a man very confident in his club’s chances. And he should be.