The NISA Season that Wasn't

 Note: This is for funzies, so take it with a grain of salt and a large alcoholic beverage. Or chocolate if you’re living a sober lifestyle.

 NISA’s 2020 Spring Season has been shut down, another sports league brought to a grinding halt by COVID-19. We’ll never know how it would have played out. Frustrating, I know. And in frustration, perhaps you shout out something like…

 “Isn’t there anyone who can tell me who would have taken the NISA trophy this spring?”

“Sure – I can tell you who would have taken the NISA trophy this spring.”

Lights, please.

And yes, those are clouds. We are heading into a dream sequence, so keep your arms inside the vehicle until the ride comes to a complete stop.

Going by the alphabet, let’s start with Cal United Strikers. With plenty of firepower, aggressive midfield play, and a solid, competent backline, Cal United would find a way to struggle every week. Enough results would go their way, yet at times they could frustrate the heck out of you. During one of these performances against LA Force, the usually happy and joyful play-by-play voice of the Strikers Simon Allen loses it in midstream, runs onto the field and starts yelling maniacally at the Cal United forwards, “Surely he’s going to shoot now! SURELY HE’S GOING TO SHOOT NOW!” The ref finally stopped play and surely showed Allen a red card. 

Chattanooga FC enjoyed a very sold first season as a professional club. Staying in the top half of the table for most of the spring season, playing in front of crowds that most lower league teams would be jealous of, CFC would punch a ticket to a playoff spot with a home win over 1904 FC. Good times, right? So why were the locals annoyed? In a word: Nashville hot chicken. OK, three words. If the members of the Chattanooga faithful got a nickel for every time visiting fanbases asked where to get the best hot chicken, they would hate the Red Wolves just as much (hah – didn’t see that coming, did ya?),  

Just fill in any gaps with imaginary friends. (Image courtesy of Youtube)

So yeah - Detroit City FC won lots of games, ran away from the rest of the league, blah de blahblahblah.  The more interesting aspect of the Spring Season was in the stands at Keyworth. Limited by a seating capacity of just under 8,000, the Northern Guard schemed up a way to increase this number: imaginary friends. First it was Invite an Imaginary Friend Night. Then those imaginary friends brought their friends. And so on. And so on. When the announced attendance was 27,394 for the Cal United Strikers game, things had gotten pretty weird – even by Northern Guard standards. So the decision was made to ban imaginary friends for the rest of the season. A few invisible tears were shed.   

So the LA Force crowds were practicing social distancing long before COVID-19, evidently. I know – low-hanging fruit. But the club would struggle for points and fans in stands during the spring season. And that’s a shame, because this is how many fans of lower league soccer want to see clubs built – from the ground up. This is an academy club that added a pro team at the top. The hope here is that the club can develop a following of a corps of passionate fans that can spread the word. Hey – they’re not all going to be funny.   

The Michigan Stars would continue to be a collective pain in the butt to play against, challenging offenses with their ability to take away each team’s best players. When Cal United came to Pontiac, the Stars put three men on Christian Thierjung right from the first moment. No, not the start of the game – as soon as he got off the bus. And in the parking lot. And into the locker room. Thierjung never actually got onto the pitch, and the Stars went with the rarely-used 7-1-0 lineup. But Cal United could only manage a nil-nil draw, as Gustavo Villalobos was swallowed up by Zanin Mahic’s hair.   

Only the first of many moments that ended up on tshirts.

Laney College Stadium would finally become that fortress for the Oakland Roots, and the club would make any opponent’s trip to Oakland a tough one. The road would cause some issues, but the club would keep themselves in the top half of the table throughout the spring. And the quick release of T-shirts to capture celebrated moments (like the Jack McInerney game-tying goal on opening night) would continue. A Matt Fondy wonderstrike against Detroit City – on a T-shirt. Taylor Bailey saves to PK against Cal United – on a T-shirt. Ariel Mbumba being subbed on in the 67th minute against LA Force – on a T-shirt. David Abdor taking a point blank shot to his junk – considered, but ultimately not on a T-shirt.

 The move from San Diego State’s stadium to Lincoln High School did not have the effect that 1904 FC – sorry, Ought Four – wanted as far as crowd support. As the season went on, the club would try different venues to get that intimate feel. Local parks. Parking lots. Mini golf courses. Against the Michigan Stars, they tried playing in a bowling alley. Didn’t manage much on the scoreboard (Tito Ramirez was bottled up at the snack bar by the Stars defense), but midfielder Christian Enriquez did bowl an impressive 187. Through it all, the Black Plague kept the faith - except when Enriquez missed an easy spare in the 9th frame. That almost broke them. 

In Stumptown, chasing a playoff spot would be a constant throughout the season. It would ultimately be not in the cards for the club, but they would be there right to the end. A home-and-home series with Detroit City to end the season would be Stumptown’s undoing. But here was one other storyline that hung over the season: the progress of the building behind one of the goals at OrthoCarolina Soccer Complex. When the Michigan Stars arrived, the siding had been completed. By the time of the Cal United game, some landscaping had been placed. Things looked good. Then came the Detroit City game, and an errant shot from George Chomakov sailed over the fence, crashed through an upper-story window, and blasted a hole through the roof. Deemed unfit to occupy, the building was razed – with new construction to start at the beginning of the fall season.

When the season ended in June, the table stood thusly:

Team                            Pts

Detroit City FC              987

Cal United Strikers         34

Chattanooga FC             31

Oakland Roots SC          29

Stumptown Athletic        24

San Diego 1904 FC         18

Los Angeles Force          16

Michigan Stars FC            9

(My math is impeccable, by the way).

 Since Cal United had already qualified for the playoffs due to the Fall Showcase, they somehow ended up having to face off against themselves in the semi-finals – much to the chagrin of the Oakland Roots! And that chagrin found its way onto a T-shirt. Playing itself to a nil-nil draw, Cal United managed to get past themselves on penalties.

In the other semi-final, it was Detroit City and Chattanooga FC hooking up for tense battle between old NPSL rivals. Evenly played throughout the first half, things got unraveled in the second half when the Northern Guard started chanting “Where’s your hot chicken?” which seemed to unnerve CFC. The floodgates opened, and DCFC was going to the finals!

Now it was down to Detroit City and Cal United. And in the final, the Strikers would pass and move with a veracity and determination that was impressive and almost led to a goal. But the final whistle would come, and both teams were without a goal. Extra time would be needed. For the Northern Guard, this meant extra extra smoke. A billowy blast would emanate from the stands, and slowly cover the entire field. Nobody could see a damned thing. Industrial fans would quickly be brought in to blow the smoke off the field. And when order was restored – the NISA trophy had disappeared!

Who’s laughing now? (image courtesy of Forbes.com)

Suddenly, the sound of wheels peeling out could be heard as a black limousine sped away. And leaning out the back window, Rocco Commisso held out the trophy, laughing.

So who took the NISA trophy? The New York Cosmos, of course.  

- John Howard-Fusco

If you enjoyed John’s approach to NISA in this article, you should check out his NISA podcast, the Knights Who Say NISA - available on the Protagonist Podcast feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get podcasts.

Salvatore Piraine: Taking DCFC Into Uncharted Waters

Last year, with some fanfare, Detroit City FC announced major plans for the future and a brand new club expansion. After 8 years of playing men’s soccer in multiple leagues (NPSL, NISA), the rouge and gold are entering new territory by rolling out a women’s side into the United Women’s Soccer. The club is known for having talented sides and supporters as notorious as any player on the field. As the kickoff to the next UWS season approaches, we sat down with head coach Salvatore Piraine to discuss how he’s preparing his club for their first season in a new league.

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You've been coaching since 2002, can you talk about the path that brought you to Detroit City FC? 

I have been coaching for a while now, and I would say in the last 10 years I have not only coached in the youth game, but also with some men’s amateur teams over the summers.  So the level of summer "Semi-pro" summer ball is something that helped me get to this point.. The relationship now with Detroit City FC and the youth affiliates has also helped with the working relationship we have created.

DCFC has a strong track record for sustainable growth, what made the time right for a WOSO side?

Couple things that I think has made this the right time for the club to add a UWS side. The level of soccer for females has grown within the UWS and the state of Michigan, along with the strong support of the female side of our youth affiliates made it a no brainer to put out a women's team to compete. 

Do you feel extra pressure to succeed because of the DCFC brand?

I wouldn't say that I feel pressure but do expect for us to compete immediately... It is always tough coming into an established division of a league and try to compete immediately but there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to. There will be definite learning moments that we will have being new to the league, but again, expect for us to learn and grow during the season to hopefully be competing in July.

What sort of support do you expect from the Northern Guard?

I feel that we will have massive support for the City faithful just based on the large amount of support we have already received. We had over 1,000 fans at our first ever tryout in January and the support via all social media has been amazing… Super excited!!!

Where are you in the process of staffing and roster building?

I would say that I have my staff in place, with maybe 1 or 2 volunteer opportunities that I am working on. As for the roster, it is a work in progress. Making sure that I am building a team that will buy into the culture we are trying to create. With the season being so short, my goal is to build a side that will work hard for me and each other. It is not necessarily what college you play or have played for, but more of buying in to what we want here at DCFC.

You’re building a roster from local talent, so how did your tryouts go?

We had 67 players turn up for tryouts and the level of play was good. I was able to narrow the number down and currently have a smaller pool of players that I am still looking at.

What are your expectations for season one?

Like mentioned above I would like to compete immediately. The UWS division we are playing in has teams that have challenged for a title so this division is not a walk in the park. I am looking for us to be as competitive as we can, that is all i can ask of the ladies...

The UWS site hasn't been updated yet, but I assume you'll be playing in the Midwest conference, several clubs familiar to DCFC from NPSL competition, plus Detroit Sun. Who do you see as rivals from day one?

Tough to say, I am sure every match will feel like an immediate rivalry but to just name one team, I cannot do.

How will you measure success this season?

I think we will sit at the end and take a look at what we accomplished and from there we will make the necessary changes for the following years if needed. 

DCFC Making Friends on the Road

The quest to find fans and convert disinterested people to true believers is the key to survival in grassroots soccer. Soccer fans are a subset of sports fandom in this country and the field is full of rival clubs, both foreign and domestic. Every supporter group member and player is an ambassador for your club and how they represent themselves can ensure the long-term stability of the organization. And last weekend, Laura Horah became a fan of Detroit City FC.

The story popped up on twitter and was too good to not follow. Laura posted a response to a Detroit City FC post about meeting the club in the hotel they were both staying at.  We reached out for more of the background.

Laura was travelling on business and happened to share the hotel with the Detroit City players who were in town for their match with LA Force. Laura isn’t exactly a soccer fan. When we asked if she followed soccer or DCFC prior to this weekend, she was blunt. “I do not and did not know anything about them prior to this hotel stay.” She happened to spot all the young men wearing Detroit City jackets and her interest was piqued.

I am staying in your hotel and have chatted with a few of you in the elevator and breakfast area. You are all such polite and friendly young men. Your parents should be super proud! Congrats on your win too!

— Laura Jane (@LJHorah) February 29, 2020

“One of the players was in the coffee area trying to determine the various types of coffee being served. I pointed out the Hazelnut, regular and decaffeinated. He asked me what decaffeinated meant and I explained it was coffee without caffeine. I then said ‘I don't know why anyone would even bother drinking coffee without caffeine’ and he said the same thing. He was looking for real coffee like I was. I wished him a nice day and he did the same and thanked me.”

Laura’s dog, Cessna

The next day, as Laura and her husband were trying to make the elevator, “Several players were in that left elevator and yelled out to us, holding the door for us and telling us there was room. I believe George Chomakov and Matt Lewis were two of those players. I think there were 3 or 4 total? I thanked them for holding the door open. We were dressed for exercising and one of them (George I think) asked us if we were headed to work out. I said yes and that we needed to do something to help with the breakfasts they had been serving. He agreed. I asked him when their game was (I said game but I think it's called match, as I now know!) and he said it had been the prior night and that they had won. I told them congratulations. They seemed very excited about the win.”

When she got back to her room, she decided to do some investigating. “Out of curiosity I looked up the team online when I got back to the hotel later that morning. I wanted to reach out because we rarely get anything positive news-wise. Athletes, as well as others in the public eye, are often described as rude and entitled. I have heard all kinds of horror studies. My interactions with this team were so positive I thought it might be nice for them to be recognized in some fashion.”

And now, Laura, who seems like the nicest person on twitter (you can see how cute her dog is), is a fan of the club. “I definitely will. I now know their games are streaming and I plan to check them out. I am a big sports fan so I will add this to my list and will always consider Detroit City FC my favorite soccer team!”

You never know who you are holding the elevator for, maybe it’s your next biggest fan!

- Dan Vaughn

Dan Watches NISA: Week One

Each week, I’ll be writing a recap of the NISA matches, give my thoughts on the matches and give a short power ranking of the clubs at the end. All matches were watched on Mycujoo, because I don’t live within 500 miles of any NISA clubs. Matches will be in random order.

What a week 1! Great rollout for the league with solid attendance in two of four matches and close to 15,000 views of the matches through their online platform partner, Mycujoo. For the most part the broadcasts looked and sounded professional, offering a great connecting point for potential fans of the league. The matches were exciting and delivered goals, cards, and some late minute heroics. I, for one, enjoyed every second of this week’s matches, so let’s get into them.

Oakland 1 - Chattanooga 1

• Several production points and a general point about the pitch. First, Roots (as I guess I should have expected) had the best production of the week. The broadcast also featured the only REAL advertising I spotted this weekend. Even the opening lineups were sponsored. In the end, to survive you have to make money, Roots appear to be in the groove on that part. Laney looked good in the broadcast, with a large crowd, over 5k. But the FIELD. Ugliest field in the history of soccer. Just looked like trash. Gotta find a way to get onto a better rug.

• The match itself was a banger. Hella enjoyable. Both sides looked aggressive and hungry, so early in the season, with all the issues Chatta faced in the preseason, that’s exceptional.

• The goal for Chatta, how was McGrath THAT open? Defenders fell asleep on that one.

• The red card to Hines was the softest red I’ve seen. Yes, he tried to pull the ball from McGrath, but that happens 10 times a match. Defender was stalling to let his defense get into shape and the attacking player was trying to get the ball rolling. And that’s when the ref reaches into his back pocket, so the resulting bump between the players wan’t the trigger, it was the original struggle for the ball. I don’t get it. Shaped the entire rest of the match. Sucks.

• Jack McInerney is a bad man. Dangerous the entire match, multiple scoring chances. He will be a handful all season and I bet his kit will be a hot item for Oakland. The equalizer was a thing of beauty and was the best moment of Week one. If you haven’t seen it, skip to 5:40 and you’re welcome.

Stumptown Athletic 2 - San Diego 1904 2

• Didn’t expect this match to be as good as it was, but Stumptown looked better than I expected, especially considering their disappointing Fall campaign.

• On the production side, went with a solo announcer and dude seemed a little lonely. He was fine, but could have used someone to bounce conversation off. The camera angle was poorly chosen, with an empty field beyond the sideline, fans are part of the match, SHOW them - though it sounded pretty poorly attended on the feed.

• Stumptown kits look good. I like that pattern/gradient combo look. Solid. And SD1904 has maybe the blandest uniforms in NISA. White. Neat. Ok.

• Tate Robertson’s goal, what a banger. That was easily 30 yards out. Crushed it. 

• That first goal for San Diego was ugly. Just a ball in the scrum happening to fall into the net.

LA Force 0 - Detroit City FC 2

• Definitely the match everyone wanted to see on Mycujoo, drawing close to 6,000 views. Easily dwarfing the number of people there to see the match. LA needs to get things together and connect with their market. They are SLOW on social media and the shots posted on twitter of their stands showed a basically empty stadium. Some claimed it was close to a thousand and to those people I say, you’re nuts. I’d guess 400 max. And that included the guys from Michigan Stars who played the next day. If you can’t draw a crowd to see Detroit City come to town, I don’t understand.

• This match was a tale of two halves, with Detroit dominating possession in the first half and LA becoming the aggressor in the second half. The difference, DCFC converted their chances. The first goal resulted from a set piece, when a deflected ball was passed to Matt Lewis, who buried the shot.

• Both clubs pressed this entire match. It was FUN to watch.

• Roddy Green’s goal, which made little difference in the result, was beautiful. The result of Detroit’s press, he could have passed once in the box, but finished confidently. Dude signed his pro contract 5 days earlier. Ice cold.

• One player that caught my eye for Detroit was Tendai Jirira who is listed as a defender on the roster. He is silky smooth on the ball. He has a touch that won’t quit. I was very impressed with his play the entire match.

• Detroit is going to be very good this season.

California United 1 - 0 Michigan Stars

• So the announcer has European charm and gravitas, that’s fine. But did he have to constantly refer to the Michigan Stars as “the red men” the ENTIRE match. The red men sounds vaguely racist, though that wasn’t his intent. If anything, it just sounded dumb. What also sounds dumb is the other announcer calling NISA “N-I-S-A” the entire match. Everyone calls it NISA (nee-suh), get with it, dude.

• Crowd at the match looked legit, filled most of the stands, but would have loved to see a little more “soccer” things - flags, smoke, drums. Maybe there are bans at the stadium?

• Michigan Stars play HARD ASS defense. Aggressive tackles, studs up, teeth clattering challenges, two early yellow cards didn’t stop them from beating up Cal United the rest of the match. The stacked their lines most of the match, bunker style, 9 players against their own box, with a single roving attacking player trying to pick off a pass. I suspect they will end the season with the most cards AND give up the fewest goals.

• The goal for Cal United was interesting because the shot from Michael Bryant was from so far out. Far enough out that, if he was off target he would have been WAAAAYYYY off target. Instead he smashed it and the keeper couldn’t cleanly handle it, spilling the ball into the path of Kevin Jeon, who finished it off.

• Two Cal United players caught my eye. First, Gustavo Viallobos’ footwork and ball handling were a thing of beauty the entire match. The other was 15 year old Shane Kaemerie, who came on as a sub. He’s a product of Cal United’s academy and an exciting prospect for the club. You love to see the next generation.

Dan’s NISA Week 1 Power Rankings

1. Detroit City FC

2. Cal United

3. Stumptown Athletic

4. Chattanooga FC

5. SD 1904

6. Oakland Roots

7. Michigan Stars

8. LA Force

Editor’s Note: There was a point about who owns the rights to DCFC’s Matt Lewis. This was deleted when a twitter user corrected us.

Ranking the NISA Home Openers

For those that missed it, NISA put out a list of the home openers for the Spring 2020 season. With the first match kicking off on the weekend of February 29, we’re sitting 6 weeks out from the kick-off of the expanded season of NISA play with the addition of Chattanooga, Detroit City, and Michigan Stars. The full schedule won’t be released until later this month, so for now, let’s rank the home openers.

- Dan

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★

Stumptown Athletic vs. 1904 FC (2/29/20)

Stumptown Athletic was the runner up in the East to Miami FC, but with Philly Fury forfeiting the season and Atlanta SC’s 2 wins coming in matches that Philly vacated, they have a tremendous amount to prove heading into this season. The addition of heavy hitters in the East will mean that task will be even harder. 1904 only managed two wins in the stronger West and will be desperate to start off their season with a win. This will be a match most will skip out on and, with Stumptown’s attendance issues last season, the stands will reflect that.

★★

Cal United Strikers FC vs. Michigan Stars FC (2/29/20)

This isn’t going to come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the NPSL, Michigan Stars was the little brother in a conference dominated by big name clubs, including their fellow NISA expansion, DCFC. Stars have a lot to prove in their league and will have to kick off their season on the road, heading to Orange County to face Cal United Strikers. Strikers finished the last regular season in second position in the standings. They followed that up by beating LA in the playoffs on PKs. Kicking off their season against an unproven NISA expansion side should be a recipe for a quick 3 points.

Chattanooga FC vs. Michigan Stars FC (3/14/20)

CFC is one of two big names to cross over into NISA during the offseason. With their ability to fill Finley, it’s reasonable to expect a crazy crowd for this first professional match for Chatta. The club should make quick work of their fellow ex-Members Cup opponent. Speaking of Members Cup, Michigan finished with only 2 wins and a negative 8 goal differential. Not good, man.

★★★

Michigan Stars FC vs. Los Angeles Force (3/21/20)

So I’ve dunked on Michigan Stars in two previous previews, so let’s give this home opener a 3 star rating. I’d expect the club to be on a losing streak and this will be a chance to bounce back, facing a club that had to travel over 2,000 miles. Is anyone else a little troubled the match is scheduled at a location TBD? Seems a little late in the game for details like that to not be settled. Anyway, back to the match, so good chance for a bounce back for the hosts, EXCEPT their opponent was the regular season champ in the West and lost on PKs in the playoffs. LA Force will have faced DCFC at home for their opener (more on that later) and we don’t know the rest of the schedule yet, but without a doubt this appears on paper to be a big win opportunity for LA.

★★★★

Detroit City FC vs. Oakland Roots (3/21/20)

Detroit City FC heads into NISA with a ton of steam after soundly defeating the rest of the Members Cup participants in the Fall. Detroit really matched their support and swagger with solid play on the field and look to be the favorites of this first season in NISA. Their first NISA opponent at Keyworth will be Oakland Roots, a club that nailed every aspect of their rollout in 2019, except for their on-field play. With a new coach and a renewed roster, Oakland will be looking to match their looks with substance in 2020.

Oakland Roots vs. Chattanooga FC (2/29/20)

Everything I said about Oakland in the previous preview, but now they get to host the other big boy expansion club, Chattanooga FC. It’s a long trip from Chattanooga, so maybe that helps Oakland? Especially considering Oakland draws well, something that CFC rarely has rarely seen outside of Detroit. I think this match is sneaky good and should show us where Oakland is headed into 2020.

★★★★★

Los Angeles Force vs. Detroit City FC (2/29/20)

Yet another match to be played at TBD, but WHAT a match. The 2019 regular season winner from the West hosts the bad boys of Detroit on the first week of the 2020 season. This should bring all the eyes on opening weekend. Circle this match.

Club of the Year Nominee: Detroit City FC

In every industry, there’s a gold standard. Every competitor aims to replicate its success, to mirror results, to match the reputation, but the item that occupies that top spot is universally appreciated and admired. Even the haters and detractors throw their barbs with the knowledge they are doing it out of jealousy and they’d trade spots in a heartbeat, if they could. But no amount of wishing ever gets a thing to the apex position, instead it is achieved through hard work, dedication, passion, consuming ambition, fierce aggression, and a recognition that building something that will last will require massive amounts of sacrifice.

The history of the lower leagues is a bloodbath, awash with the corpses of thousands of clubs that have come and gone. Each year, clubs bow out of competitions and leagues, shut up shop and send out defeated emails to fans. It’s not the exception, but the rule in the current American landscape. Well-intentioned men and women have wasted millions of dollars and thousands of hours trying to create a lasting legacy of success for their club, only to watch the stands sit empty and the bill pile up, until eventually, emptied of resources and devoid of confidence, they give up. Sometimes it’s the plan, sometimes it’s finances, sometimes it’s the lack of fan support, sometimes it’s the players, sometimes sponsors can’t be found, and sometimes it just wasn’t meant to be.

To get to the mark of the gold standard, acts of faith and sacrifice are required. Honestly, there’s so much advice against trying it, most friends will have to be ignored. You’d be insane to believe you’re going to be the club which makes it. All of the facts tell any reasonable person to find something else to invest your time into. And the money, people have gone bankrupt doing this, throwing away retirement funds, burning bridges by borrowing operating expenses, maxing out credit cards in pursuit of the dream. None of it makes sense, but if you can push through, maybe you can climb the mountain of dead and failing clubs. That’s the dream anyway, that’s Detroit City FC.

Detroit City FC (DCFC) played its first season in the NPSL in 2012 and Alan Jacobson, a member of the Northern Guard Supporters Group (NGS), was there. Alan had watched other clubs try to connect with the city, but when he met Sean Mann, one of five DCFC owners, he sensed something different. “Sean made it clear that active support would not only be ok, it would be appreciated. The willingness to allow an organic culture to develop at DCFC is an example of the approach the team owners would take in terms of managing the team. As Sean has said in the past, they (the owners) are the “hosts of the party, not the stars of the party.” For a lot of people this was a big contrast to sporting events run by the big pro teams, where every game day element seems to be contrived and controlled.” Mark Navarro, a fellow member of NGS, seconded that idea of organic connection. “City stands out over other clubs because it genuinely cares about the community in which it plays and wants to see that community thrive, not just in soccer, but also in the well-being of the people who live there.”

Writing about DCFC without discussing the importance of NGS would be ignoring a primary part of what makes DCFC the gold standard. Lindsey Pehrson, DCFC Communication Director agrees. “Without Northern Guard, Detroit City FC wouldn't be what it is today. They are the life and soul of this club and they are largely the reason for the growth the club has experienced over the years. We are supporter built through and through.” Many clubs have attempted to replicate the connection between club and fan, but the organic symmetry between the club on the pitch and NGS in the stands is magic. The rising smoke of the flares, the screaming faces in the crowd, the banging of the drums, the club feeding off that energy on the field, there is nothing like it in ALL of American soccer.

Navarro highlights that feeling as contagious and bigger than soccer. “I’ve met many people in NGS who didn’t care about soccer until they came to a match and saw what NGS does. And, as a result, they’ve fallen in love with the club, which is our ultimate goal as a group. It’s about the environment: Not just the smoke and the drums and all of that, but the fact that all people--regardless of race, gender identity, sexuality, religion, citizenship status, political affiliations, or any other identities--are welcome into our section as long as they love City is vital.”

This year saw the culmination of 8 years of growth with the club announcing a move to NPSL Pro, then Members Cup, and eventually into NISA - DCFC would become fully professional. But the business of the NPSL saw the club win its division, before absolutely dominating the short but heavily stacked Members Cup lineup. Detroit lost a single match in the league, led by a stifling defense which only allowed 4 goals in 10 matches. The play on the field matched the passion of the crowds filling Keyworth Stadium. When asked what stood out, Pehrson listed off the accomplishments, “winning the NPSL Great Lakes Conference before hoisting the 2019 Members Cup championship, beating Atlas FC at home, going nine games unbeaten in 23 league games, etc. It's hard to boil it down to just one moment.” Pair that on the field success with the continued expansion of Detroit City Fieldhouse, a 75,000 square foot indoor multi-sport facility, and the announcement of the creation of a women’s side. 2019 was a ringing success for Le Rouge.

Every club in the country would do anything to have what DCFC has, few are willing to work as hard to achieve that goal. The club has succeeded by putting city on their heart and never straying. And that connection to Detroit has made DCFC’s players family for the fans that fill the stands of Keyworth. They cheer for their club because they cheer for their city. It’s time to recognize the gold standard. It’s time to vote for Detroit City FC.

- Dan Vaughn

GSMU Announces Week 8 Top 25 and End of Year Awards

Week 8 of the Grassroots Soccer Media Union Top 25 poll is out this morning and the top 3 stay exactly the same. Detroit City FC continues to rise, now sitting at 4, bolstered by their strong play in the NPSL. FC Arizona rounds out the top 5 of the poll. Orange County FC had the biggest drop of the week, moving down to 13. Boca Raton FC had an impressive rise to 18, with their big win in the South Florida UPSL Championship.

In other GSMU related news, the Union announced a broad slate of end of the year awards planned. The candidates will be nominated and voted on by the members of the Union. Awards will be in many categories, including Player of the Year, a Top XI, and Journalist of the Year. For a complete list of awards and the other details, here’s the press release.

For the full voting tally for week 8, check out the press release from GSMU.

1. NY Cosmos

2. FC Golden State

3. Miami FC

4. Detroit City FC

5. FC Arizona

6. Des Moines Menace

7. FC Golden State Force

8. Cal FC

9. South Georgia Tormenta 2

10. Minneapolis City SC

11. Brooklyn Italians

12. Chattanooga FC

13. Orange County FC

14. FC Waco

15. AFC Ann Arbor

16. Tropics SC

17. Greenville FC

18. Boca Raton FC

19. Med City FC

20. Miami United

21. Florida Soccer Soldiers

22. Duluth FC

23. Reading United AC

24. Tulsa Athletic

25. San Antonio Runners

Professional Games, Professional Management – Detroit and Milwaukee Hire Historied Coaches Ahead of Founders Cup

With the NPSL’s Founders Cup taking place later this year and representing the bridge for several clubs from an amateur or semi-professional status to a truly professional one, a major question for clubs was how they would, or wouldn’t pursue professional level coaching. For some clubs, especially the former-NASL clubs, the path seemed somewhat clear as they already had coaches with that history, but for others the fog is only beginning to clear.

We can begin to find our answers in the recent hiring of two new head coaches for two of the Founders Cup’s clubs, the Milwaukee Torrent and Detroit City FC, both of which play in the NPSL Midwest Great Lakes conference.

Detroit City FC

Detroit City called Ben Pirmann coach for six seasons, seasons that saw the club win conference and regional titles, play clubs from across the planet, and become one of the NPSL’s biggest names. While Pirmann’s legacy at the amateur level is about robust as it comes, he will not be leading the club into the professional realm after leaving to become an assistant coach for Memphis 901 FC, a new USL Championship franchise set to play in 2019.

With a key leadership position open for business, City announced Trevor James as its new head coach on January 4th. On top of a playing career, James has an extensive list of credentials in various staff and freelance positions, working with the legendary Sir Bobby Robson as a scout for towards a decade before becoming an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. He would hold that position, along with other duties with the Galaxy, for four years before moving to the Portland Timbers where he was assistant head coach from 2010 to 2012. James also worked as Director of Scouting and Assistant Technical Director for the Chicago Fire and coached with the Indy Eleven in 2017. From scouting for Barcelona, Newcastle, and Porto, to coaching top clubs in the professional tiers of the United States, to say Trevor James is an experienced individual would be an immense understatement.

The question will be if James can lead Detroit City to a big result in the 2019 NPSL Great Lakes season and the Founders Cup. City finished in fourth last season, low for their historical standards, and will surely hope to return to the top of their conference. At the same time, the club faces a cup campaign that will pit them against two former NASL titans, the Cosmos and Miami FC, along with other top NPSL clubs like Miami United and Chattanooga FC. Doing well in the tournament would provide Detroit with a brilliant start to the next stage in their history.

2018 was Detroit’s year in many ways, but a successful upgrade with James could leave Detroit the undisputed champions of 2019.

Milwaukee Torrent

The Milwaukee Torrent also added their already-professional organization with the hiring of Carlos Cordoba as Head Coach for the 2019 season, which will see them play in the Founders Cup but not the NPSL Great Lakes conference. Cordoba has a strong record on and off the ball, spending nine years as a left back for Boca Juniors before making the move to management. Cordoba first managed as an assistant coach for the Dallas Burn (now known as FC Dallas) before spending a year as manager of the Miami Fusion, a now-past MLS franchise. The Fusion finished fourth in the East and made it to the conference semi-finals and Open Cup quarterfinals during Cordoba’s tenure. Cordoba would begin a career in Wisconsin while managing the Milwaukee Rampage, a former pro-club that played in the A-League from 1993 to 2002. Cordoba has also served as Technical Director for Strike F.C., a position he will continue to hold. Between the Rampage and Strike F.C., Cordoba’s career has included time with the Colorado Storm, Dallas Texans, UW Whitewater, the San Diego Hornets, and clubs like Chivas and Tecos FC.

Needless to say, the Torrent have recruited an immensely experienced man to lead their new endeavor into the experiment that is the NPLS’s Founders Cup. The club’s time in the NPSL has been a challenging stint, including their second-to-last Great Lakes conference finishes in 2017 and 2018. With no regular season to worry about in 2019, Cordoba has been presented a chance to lead the Torrent to a level of success the club has yet to achieve.

In Conclusion

Both Milwaukee and Detroit have made serious and professional signings when it comes to who will be guiding their squads from the side line. Both James and Cordoba have made things work at the professional level and will have an eye for what makes a player special, both from playing in historic sides like Maradona’s Boca like Cordoba and through scouting for the great clubs of the world like James.

The Founders Cup is a tournament surrounded in mystery, even by those entrenched in following the NPSL both in the past and present, but the slow coming together of a set of professional leaders for its clubs allows us to begin to form expectations for the cup’s nature and execution. Many questions remain. How will both clubs’ rosters reflect this new level of professionalism? How will Detroit manage its regular season while preparing for the Founders Cup? Milwaukee and Detroit have begun to show us the near-future of the NPSL. It surely, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.

- Dominic Bisogno

The New NPSL League: Skepticism, Optimism, Reality

What if I said there’s a new thing in the lower leagues that’s like cotton candy, Jesus, and a new Star Wars film? Ephemeral, difficult to define, full of hope and promise, thrilling in theory, troubling in its potential to fail, hard to understand, easy to poke holes in, far enough in the future to remain fuzzy, near enough to find the fuzziness worrisome, attacked by purists, elites, true believers, non-believers, skeptics, and the faithful. All of these things are true of the words on every lower league soccer fan’s lips - Founders Cup and the professional league to follow.

The Facts

NPSL Founder’s Cup is the still-developing professional league emerging from the NPSL. Set to kick off a full season in 2020, the clubs involved will play in a kick-off tournament called the NPSL Founders Cup in the Fall of 2019. In November, NPSL Chairman Joe Barone described the situation - “Beginning with the Founders Cup, fans will be able to enjoy watching authentic clubs compete with professional players and staff. This new venture will build upon the success and experience of NPSL and its nationwide network of local soccer club members.” Barone has since been replaced as Chair, but the plans for the new league continue to move forward.

I should be upfront in saying that Protagonist Soccer is a media partner of the NPSL and, while that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t criticize the league, that relationship may color the way some of my stated views might be received. So there it is - there’s the elephant in the room. Moving on.

The list of clubs involved so far are ASC San Diego, Cal FC, California United Strikers FC, Chattanooga FC, Detroit City FC, FC Arizona, Miami FC, Miami United FC, Milwaukee Torrent, New York Cosmos, and Oakland Roots - some of the strongest sides in the NPSL, depending on how you measure strength. DCFC and Chattanooga FC are two of the best attended and supported clubs in the lower leagues, even if you bunched USL into “lower leagues” (Against USL attendance numbers this year, DCFC would rank 7th and Chatta would be 19th). If you are measuring strength with financial backing, obviously the two old NASL sides, New York Cosmos and Miami FC, have two of the richest owners in the lower leagues, Rocco Commisso and Riccardo Silva. The rest of the clubs are not quite to the level of the four I mentioned, but more on that to come.

The Reception

As I discussed on a recent episode of the Lower League Soccer Show, the announcement of this league has brought the hot takes from both sides of the argument. And, by definition, hot takes are meant to stir up controversy and spur reactions, but dear God, the unbridled optimism of some has only been matched by the sheer negativity of the other side.

For some, the coming of a professional expansion of NPSL is seen as a lower league response to the “encroachment” by USL into areas with established NPSL and UPSL sides. Those same people despise MLS for all the reasons that people despise MLS, most importantly the lack of pro/rel. And while pro/rel hasn’t been discussed publicly yet, many are hopeful that NPSL Pro will eventually open up the gates for promotion from the NPSL.

On the other side, scepticism is out of control. Some is coming from the old guard in the NPSL who see this upcoming professional league as nothing more than catering to the ex-NASL teams. Other criticism is coming from the other lower leagues’ supporters NPSL has competed against, mainly UPSL. That criticism seems to be more in the vein of “stay in your lane, who do you think you are,” which feels more like jealousy than actual criticism. The last camp of criticism is from the MLS types, who seem convinced that this league will fail and deserves mockery. I will never understand an American soccer fan rooting for a club or league to fail. But they exist, I assure you, just look for the side eye trolling online.

The Issues

While the loudest voices get the most attention online, there’s a segment of the soccer world who have concerns but aren’t burning down the house to make their point. I like to think of these types as the cautiously optimistic. They aren’t wishing for the league to fail, but they are worried about some issues that might arise. I’d like to compile a quick list of these issues and offer my takes as well.

Photo from reddit u/DomeyDion.

Attendance - When listing the strengths of the league earlier, I highlighted the drawing power of Detroit City and Chattanooga. Let’s look at the other teams we have information on. According to Kenn Tomasch’s site, Kenn.com, ASC San Diego drew around 1,000 people for home games (large aside: 1. Massive thanks to Tomasch, who is the only person online I could find trying to track this information. 2. Tomasch is the first to admit his information is severely limited. He begs for more information on his site. Teams should be lining up to help him.). The worst part about this is that ASC San Diego is the only other NPSL Pro club Tomasch has attendance information on. So who knows about the other 8 clubs, leaving a gap in the information leads me to speculate, but I’ll leave it be.

So with only three clubs with information, our data is short on attendance. What I would expect is that NPSL will bring some buzz around the clubs that are in the league. So all should expect a bump, at least in year one. After that, it will all depend on marketing and connecting with fans. Unlike MLS, who uses expansion fees to drive league growth, this NPSL professional league will have to focus on bringing fans through the doors. And if the newcomers can follow the model of DCFC or Chattanooga, maybe that can happen. My concern on that is TIME.

Unlike Detroit City, founded in 2012, and Chattanooga FC, founded in 2009, the newer clubs don’t have 6-10 years to get attendance, they have a year or three to escalate attendance and excitement. Maybe that’s too short of a window for the optimists, but I’m trying to be realistic. I think to get to where they need to be, they need a media deal.

Media Deal - Consider the model of MLS, even if it hurts you for a minute. While clearly expansion fees are funding their organization. According to wikipedia, “ESPN and Fox Sports pay a combined $75 million per season, and Univision pays $15 million per-season.” That’s 90 million a season. That’s aside from local broadcasting deals that some clubs have managed to negotiate. If you’re struggling to fill the seats, media money can help a lot. Or if you’re a brand new league who’s trying to get a foothold into local markets across the country.

“If creating a pro league was easy, we’d be overrun with pro soccer leagues.”

I’m only working with the information I have here, but several NPSL owners have voiced concerns in private about the lack of a media deal. Even a small deal that didn’t generate a ton of revenue could have the desired effect of drawing eyes to a brand new league. That might drive potential revenue streams in advertising, merchandise sales, and expansion markets. A media deal is a must.

Travel Cost - Consider the distance that Detroit City FC has to travel to their farthest current conference opponent, Milwaukee Torrent - 382 miles. When DCFC moves into Pro (even with the regional divide), the farthest distance will be 1,384 miles (Miami, FL). Even if you limited the number of travelers to 20 (11 starters, 5 bench players, 3 coaches, a trainer), the only way to travel will be by plane for a trip that long. Plus the cost of hotel rooms for overnight stay. Plus feeding your team (these are professionals now). Plus transportation to and from airport, hotel, and venue. This is troubling. And I don’t see an easy fix. For clubs with deep-pocketed owners, I guess they can eat that cost, but for clubs either unable or unwilling to take a loss because of travel costs, I see this as a sticking point. According to one source, the travel budget being discussed is around 400k. That’s almost a third of the estimated 1.5 million budget most teams will be operating under.

The only real solution I can see is expansion and regionalization. But again, with only 11 clubs confirmed for 2020, that’s a long way off. And money will be disappearing down the drain while those new clubs are found or founded.

There are probably some other issues hanging out there, the naysayers are loud and numerous. But that doesn’t necessarily make them right. The concerns I listed were the ones I’ve heard the most and the ones I feel are the most common sense.

The Reality

The list of concerns are daunting, of course, but I’m a big believer in the NPSL, the clubs, the owners, the fans, and the power of hard work. If creating a pro league was easy, we’d be overrun with pro soccer leagues. MLS, SUM, and USSF have made it progressively difficult for pro leagues to be successful. If not now, I seriously doubt it will be easier five or ten years from now. This is an uphill battle, but it’s an important battle, one worth fighting.

My list of concerns has almost certainly been discussed by the 11 clubs set to form this league. While I don’t see easy solutions for any of them, I do not think the men and women involved are stupid or blind to the challenge. On the contrary, I am confident that there are solutions and that those solutions are being planned. Some may say that’s ignorant trust, but the NPSL has been the most stable lower league for the last fifteen years. It has a track record of measured, steady growth. Why shouldn’t NPSL Pro be the next step?

So we shall see what comes. I am certainly excited about this league, but that excitement is tempered by an awareness of stumbling blocks that will need to be cleared. Success can be found, but it will take great effort in searching for it. I am a believer in soccer, especially lower league soccer - this can be done. Let’s put our shoulders to the wheel and move this thing forward.

- Dan Vaughn

*This article was edited to delete the use of the phrase “NPSL Pro.” Apparently the upcoming league will not be using that name and has yet to determine or announce the final label for the league.