They say big stories come in threes, so maybe I should hold off writing this article for a couple of hours and see what comes next. Nah.

NISA is dominating the news cycle today with a one-two punch that has caught the attention of soccer fans across the country. The league had been inching into public consciousness during the pandemic, thanks to the Independent Cup and the various club signings that were bubbling in social media. Today, however, was more like a dam bursting, sweeping all other stories off the feed for American soccer fans.

The first news, which broke about an hour before the second story, was the announcement that Detroit City FC was offering up a 10% ownership share to the public, through the popular crowdfunding service, Wefunder. This is the same service that Chattanooga FC used to make a similar public offer last year. This story is still developing, but as the total raised through fan buy-in is already near $150,000 just three hours later.

The public offering is particularly interesting as it reveals some of the financials that soccer journalists have wondered about for some time. The Wefunder campaign places the value of the club at 10.8 million, with a target for the campaign just over a million dollars. Interestingly, the club made 1.1 million in 2018 and 1.5 million in 2019. The club seems to be in a great place financially, however, with the club having just gone professional, this may be the best time to leverage some of their popularity.

The truth is, It will be irresistible for most lower league fans to not buy into this opportunity, not to mention those who might ONLY know DCFC when it comes to non-USL lower league clubs. It’s a win-win for the club. To top all this goodness is an announcement from the club that it will be allowing season ticket owners, who weren’t able to attend matches this season (due to NISA canceling the season) to roll those funds into ownership shares. Class.

So yeah, that’s big news, then the other shoe dropped, just an hour later. NISA newcomer, New Amsterdam FC, announced the hiring of the club’s first head coach. And what a name to throw into NYC - Eric Wynalda. The well-known player and coach, last employed by Las Vegas Lights of the USL, is a massive get for the upstart club trying to gain market share in a big city. He also brings a tremendous amount of experience coaching clubs in the American lower leagues, including Cal FC, Atlanta Silverbacks, and LA Wolves. He knows the level he is working in and should be able to help the club continue their development as they ramp up to their first professional season.

What is clear from today is that NISA can and should dominate the soccer news on good days. The league has the level of investment, vision, and fan interest to catch some eyes and gain more fans. This is all momentum for the league - Independent Cup, big hires, player signings, clubs going public. The wave is growing, just go with the flow.

- Dan Vaughn