In her second appearance on the Soc Takes Pod, NPSL managing director Cindy Spera joins co-hosts Kevin Johnston and Nipun Chopra to recap the 2018 season, size up some of the tougher aspects of her job and briefly discuss NPSL Pro.
If you missed Spera’s first time on the podcast which touched on her background in the game and career on Wall Street, listen to Episode 46.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.
Image credit: Indy Eleven
INDIANAPOLIS — After scheduling marquee summer friendlies in each of the past two years against Liga MX clubs, the Indy Eleven will not play a mid-season friendly in 2017.
Hat tip to reddit user silkysmoothjay, who posed the question after many supporters had already assumed there wouldn’t be a friendly this year given the lack of an announcement of one. A club official confirmed that’s the case.
The Eleven hosted Monarcas Morelia at Carroll Stadium in 2015, a match that ended in a nil-nil draw.
In 2016, Indy welcomed C.F. Pachuca and pulled off a 1-0 upset as the visitors struggled to adjust to the turf. U.S. national team center back Omar Gonzalez made a cameo, putting in a 45-minute shift for the Tuzos in the first half.
“(There) won’t be a summer/fall friendly this year. Simply too congested and wanted to give the guys a weekend off,” wrote the team official in an email to Soc Takes.
The decision was made largely in part to the new NASL schedule. In previous years, the spring season was only 10 matches followed by a month-long break. Then the fall season resumed with a 22-game slate.
The NASL wised up by switching to a more practical 16 and 16 format this year. Additionally, teams now have just one weekend off in between seasons but receive more rest between matches. For the Eleven, the more spread-out grind of 2017 was enough to nix any plans of cramming in a mid-season friendly.
Indy has one match left to play in the spring, a Saturday evening clash at home against Jacksonville Armada FC, before travelling north to Edmonton for its fall opener July 30.
Update: Per a team official, season ticket holders’ unused bonus tickets will be redeemable for two tickets to any non-playoff match this fall. For example, if you purchased three season tickets, you can get six extra tickets to any fall game of your choice. Contact the Indy Eleven ticketing staff for more information.
***
You can follow Kevin on Twitter @KJboxing.
Soc Takes is on Patreon. Get access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.
Photo credit: Real Salt Lake
After an intense 90 minutes of play, Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City settled for a 1-1 draw Saturday night in Sandy, Utah. Goals on either side of halftime by RSL’s Luis Silva and SKC’s Benny Feilhaber cemented the scoreline.
While there was plenty of action on the pitch, the real fireworks started at the postgame press conference.
RSL head coach Mike Petke was ejected from the match in the 72nd minute after excessively jawing at the fourth official. Still fuming, he showed up to the presser with a mountain of “evidence” like a prosecutor presenting to a jury at a murder trial.
Here’s the must-watch video, courtesy of RSL’s Twitter account:
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/bfvQZerJ4G
— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) July 23, 2017
Who knows what additional punishment, if any, Petke will receive beyond his ejection. But he might want to set some money aside for a stiff fine from MLS. Just sayin’. In fact, witty RSL supporters already launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for their coach’s likely inevitable fine.
“Be the Mike Petke that you wish to see in the world.”
@RealSaltLake #TheFrickingPrinterBroke— Matthew D. LaPlante (@mdlaplante) July 23, 2017
Both clubs will return to action next Saturday, as RSL hosts Columbus Crew SC and SKC welcomes the red-hot Chicago Fire to town.
***
You can follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.
Soc Takes is on Patreon. Get access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.
Matheus Ayrolla (right) helps out on defense against Jacksonville Armada FC earlier this season. Photo credit: Gabriela Heizer
For his four-tally outing in his team’s convincing road win in Week 11 of the NPSL season, Boca Raton FC striker Matheus Ayrolla was chosen as the league’s National Player of the Week. Ayrolla provided all the scoring as his side took down Storm FC 4-0 on May 26.
“This award is a testament to Matheus’ work ethic,” said Boca Raton FC manager Jim Rooney in the press release announcing the award. “Matheus is a great player who always has the right attitude towards the goals he has. He has been an integral part of our offense this season and we will continue to rely on his goal-scoring abilities as we navigate the second half of the NPSL season.”
A former standout at Lynn University who later played professionally for Brazilian side Friburguense, Ayrolla is in his first season with Boca Raton FC. He’s currently the leading scorer in the Sunshine Conference thanks to the goal outburst.
Photo credit: Gabriela Heizer
“It’s humbling to receive the National Player of the Week award,” Ayrolla said in the release. “I’m thankful to the Boca Raton FC organization and the coaching staff for putting their trust in me and giving me the opportunity to defend the crest proudly. I couldn’t do this without my teammates, and we will continue to work hard and get better every game as we look ahead to a
tough matchup this weekend.”
Boca Raton FC will return home this evening for a stringent test against Miami FC 2. The two clubs are technically in second and third in the Sunshine Conference right now with nine (Miami FC 2) and six (Boca Raton FC) points.
Because NPSL teams often play a vastly different number of games at different times, the conference tables are officially sorted by points earned per match played, thus Jacksonville Armada FC is currently above both teams with a win and a draw from two games despite only having four points total.
Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.
Photo credit: John Pavlecka
It’s that time of the year again, folks. The top two teams in each conference have been decided and another wild and entertaining edition of the NPSL playoffs will begin soon. Let’s take a look at each Midwest Region playoff team, their road to getting here as well as their chance of winning the regional and heading on to the national NPSL semifinal round.
For those unfamiliar with the NPSL playoff tournament, the format is as follows:
Image credit: NPSL
Teams qualified:
Great Lakes: 1st Ann Arbor, 2nd Grand Rapids FC
North: 1st Minneapolis City SC, 2nd Duluth FC
East: 1st Erie Commodores FC, 2nd Cleveland SC
No. 1 seed – Minneapolis City SC
Minneapolis is very well deserving of the #1 seed in the region as they are not only the North Division champions but the only team in the Midwest Region to remain unbeaten. To put it simply, these guys score a lot of goals. The Crows have scored a whopping total of 46 goals so far this season, good for first place of the entirety of the NPSL (98 teams) in goals scored. Liberian brothers Martin and Whitney Browne are the goalscorers on this team with six a piece and are tied for the team lead. But another player to keep an eye on is Will Kidd. The young, speedy, blonde American has not only scored four goals this season, but has had his hand in creating many assists and is an important playmaker for this team.
No. 2 seed – AFC Ann Arbor
Great Lakes Conference champions for the second straight year, AFC Ann Arbor has had another fantastic regular season in the NPSL. But regular-season success does not always result in postseason success and “The Mighty Oak” had to find that out the hard way last postseason as they were tragically defeated by Detroit City FC in the Midwest Region Championship despite having the much better regular season than Detroit. This team will use that as motivation during this playoffs, as anything but a birth into the national NPSL semifinals will be likely viewed as a failure. If you couldn’t tell from my Great Lakes Conference midseason review, I am pretty high on Ann Arbor and what they can do. They have a great balance between local Michigan talent and international players who have been making a big difference thus far. There isn’t necessarily one key guy to be focused on with this team because they have so much talent, but a couple goalscorers who are likely going to find the back of the net in the playoffs are Jordan Montoya, Yuri Farkas and Marc Ybarra. However, this team not only scores a lot of goals but defends terrifically, allowing the fewest goals per game in the entirety of the NPSL, an extremely impressive feat.
No. 3 seed – Erie Commodores FC
Erie Commodores FC has won the East Conference Division for a second consecutive year and were only a win away from beating out AFC Ann Arbor for a first-round bye, which would have been greatly appreciated considering their early departure from the playoffs last postseason. The lone U.S. Open Cup second-round representative out of the East Conference Division, Erie has set the standard of quality soccer in their division and will try to be the team to upset the heavyweights of this Midwest Region in Minneapolis and Ann Arbor. The key goalscorers for this team are New Zealand native Cam Philpot and England native Steve Rigg, who actually bounced around in the lower divisions of professional soccer in England and Scotland before heading stateside. The Commodores were able to clinch the East Conference Division thanks to a winner-takes-all season finale against another fellow playoff team Cleveland SC. Despite being a man down due to a red card in the first half, Erie was able to hang on to a 2-1 lead and defend their division title.
No. 4 seed – Cleveland SC
Cleveland SC replaced AFC Cleveland in the NPSL this year and had some great success in doing so. For the most part, Cleveland kept pace in the standings with defending division champions Erie and even handed them their first loss of the season 3-2 back in June. The new kids on the block were clearly undaunted by the more experienced clubs they were competing against. Vinny Bell, the man who scored a hat trick to defeat Erie, is a crucial piece to this team in order for them to make a run in the playoffs. His health is a question though. Bell played in last weekend’s clash against Erie in which Cleveland lost; however, Bell had missed time over the course of the previous two weeks nursing an injury.
Erie Commodores SC vs. Cleveland SC prediction:
(July 14 at 7 p.m. ET, Gannon University)
This will be an interesting game considering these two teams just played each other at the same venue last weekend. Erie starting goalkeeper Nicolau Neto will be suspended for this match due to his red card late in the first half in last weekend’s affair. But the fact that Erie still won this match despite being a man down for the entirety of the second half is telling to me. There clearly is grit and determination with this side, not to mention experience in the playoffs. I’m picking Erie to repeat last weekend’s performance and defeat Cleveland.
Photo credit: Tyler Birschbach
No. 5 seed – Duluth FC
Last year’s North Conference Division champions fell short of going back to back this season, but still managed to put together a strong regular-season record, securing second place in the division and landing a No. 5 seed of the playoffs. Duluth FC went one and done last year in the postseason after getting routed by Detroit City FC in their first match of the playoffs. Another U.S. Open Cup second-round team, the “BlueGreens” will hope to ride the momentum from their win-or-go-home regular season finale against Med City in which they won 1-0 to clinch playoff qualification. They’ll hope to forget their painful 4-2 drubbing against eventual division winner Minneapolis City SC just a couple short weeks ago. Keep an eye on dynamic outside midfielder Dana Kowachek, who’s tied for the team lead for goals with four and will be an important figure for this team if they are to make a run in these playoffs.
No. 6 seed – Grand Rapids FC
Well, it wasn’t pretty and it involved relying on some other teams, but Grand Rapids FC was able to hang on and clinch a playoff berth thanks to Milwaukee’s surprising 1-0 win over red-hot FC Columbus last weekend. Grand Rapids had multiple chances to control its own destiny but failed to get results in their last two matches of the season, including a loss to Columbus and a tie against Detroit City, which forced them to play the waiting game until Columbus finished its regular season. I feel like regardless of the sport or league, having momentum going into the playoffs is something crucial for a team’s success, and I’m not sensing a whole lot of that out of the “Boys in Blue” right now. That being said, overall they had a great season and were a force to be reckoned with in a strong Great Lakes Division. Fan favorite Matt “Super Matty” Whelan is truly an exciting goalscorer to watch and leads the team in that category. GRFC even handed AFC Ann Arbor its one and only loss this season, proving the quality of this team.
Duluth FC vs. Grand Rapids FC prediction:
(July 14 at 7 p.m. CT, Public Schools Stadium)
I’m going with the home team Duluth FC winning this one. I think Duluth is the hotter team right now and Grand Rapids will potentially be rusty having not played a game since June 29.
Championship prediction: Minneapolis City SC vs. AFC Ann Arbor
Minneapolis City SC vs. AFC Ann Arbor prediction:
(July 21, time and location TBD)
Look, I know it’s easy to predict the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to go to the championship game, but these two teams are a cut above the rest of the competition in my opinion. Just look at their records, there is only a combined total of one loss between these two heavyweights. If this matchup comes to fruition it is going to be one of the best games of the whole NPSL season. Minneapolis, the leading goal-scoring team in the nation vs. Ann Arbor, the team with the fewest amount of goals conceded in the nation. In the end, I like Ann Arbor’s experience on this stage — as well as their determination from last year’s disappointment — to propel them to be the 2018 NPSL Midwest Region’s champion.
Update: An earlier version of this story contained an error identifying Mpls City as having gone to the second round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup and has been corrected.
Follow Jack on Twitter: @JackRenwick22.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.
As originally reported by Soc Takes contributor Kartik Krishnaiyer, this weekend, Jacksonville Armada owner Robert Palmer will meet with interested owners about launching an unsanctioned league.
Sunday @JaxArmadaFC owner Robert Palmer will convene a “Division Zero” Task Force meeting in Orlando. Among the topics to be discussed are how a non-FIFA sanctioned league can attract players (pay, benefits, etc) & how to attract officials to a league not under the USSF umbrella.
— Kartik Krishnaiyer (@kkfla737) February 7, 2018
Soc Takes has been provided with a copy of the three-page agenda by a source who is scheduled to be in attendance at the meeting.
Page 1 of Agenda
The document attempts to address key concerns about playing in an unsanctioned league – such as impact on players and coaches. On the agenda are plans for promotion-relegation as well as the possibility of “league funded, newly constructed soccer specific venues.”
Page 2
From a player perspective, the conversation does seem to recognize that improved compensation/benefits would be needed to entice players to join the league.
You can read the document in its entirety here:
There are many questions about how interested investors, owners, players, coaches and sponsors will be in this league. And certainly, this league is in its early stages of planning. We will have more answers after this weekend’s meetings, but, Palmer seems to at least be asking the right questions.
Page 3
Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.
Image credit: OKC Energy FC
Oklahoma City Energy FC announced Thursday that it mutually agreed to part with coach Jimmy Nielsen on Thursday.
It was a surprising move from a club that was a penalty shootout round away from making its first USL Cup earlier in November.
First, a few notes about what happened and Nielsen’s future:
· Neither side expected it to get to this point a week ago. Nielsen and the club had agreed to the basics within the contract, but negotiations broke down over salary for his three assistants.
· The Energy offered to increase the salary for the assistant coaches, but the proposed increase did not meet the coaches’ expectations.
· Ultimately the Energy made a reasonable offer within its standard budget, but Nielsen and his staff will likely find a new club willing to pay their expected salary. Neither side was necessarily cheap or “at fault” for the negotiation breaking down — just part of the business.
· Nielsen will be in demand with the number of high-profile open positions within United States lower-division soccer. Nielsen has no immediate plans lined up, given he expected to remain with the Energy as recent as the past week, and is open to any opportunity (including overseas).
· Nielsen’s lack of a required United States Soccer Federation coaching license for division two standards did not play a role in his departure. Nielsen, who is scheduled to take the coaching licensing classes this upcoming January, would have missed five matches if he had taken the classes this past summer. Both the Energy and United Soccer League supported this timeline, given the lack of flexibility the USSF offers with its certification process.
· Swope Park, the Major League Soccer B club for Sporting Kansas City, is a club that admires and respects Nielsen, who played his final four seasons with Sporting. Peter Vermes, Nielsen’s former manager, is the hiring person for that position.
· Nielsen was the longest-tenured coach in the USL this past season, which goes to show how rare this type of longevity (four years) is within the sport, much less a second division league. His tenure with the Energy was successful, building the club from scratch in its first season and making three playoff appearances in the following seasons, including two Western Conference finals.
· Nielsen: “I had four amazing years here. It was an incredible time, but it is also time for a new challenge. I respect the ownership tremendously. We couldn’t come to a new agreement, but I don’t envision that changing the relationship that we have moving forward.”
As for the Energy’s coaching search:
· Bob Funk Jr. and Tim McLaughlin (co-owners), Jeff Ewing (club president) and Jason Hawkins (executive director of community development) will lead the coaching search.
· The club is working on a list of potential candidates, and it plans to have its primary candidates identified as soon as next week. It would prefer to hire its next manager in December, but there is no concrete deadline.
· Energy FC has identified three points of emphasis for its search: winning, community engagement and culture, and integrating its pro club with technical development all the way down to its youth partners and academy aspirations.
· This is not the Energy’s first proper coaching search process. The club hired Nielsen in 2014 based on Sporting KC’s recommendation, given the Energy were Sporting’s USL affiliate at that time. However, Oklahoma City had already vetted multiple candidates, including an interview with current Indy Eleven manager Tim Hankinson, before hiring Nielsen.
· Notable lower-division coaches that are now available include Nikola Popovic (Swope Park), Alessandro Nesta (Miami FC) and Mark Dos Santos (San Francisco Deltas), though the later two may receive larger contract offers from big-spending North American Soccer League clubs. The Energy expects to be one of the premier USL openings, given its resources and above-average investment within the league.
· Speaking of spending, the Energy expects to have a similar player budget for 2018 as it did this past season. This was not an issue with Nielsen during negotiations.
· The club debriefed its players shortly after Nielsen’s departure. Despite the coaching change, the Energy has already received affirmation from multiple players to re-sign for 2018.
· Taft Stadium’s fast turf and narrow pitch will be considered in the coaching search, but it won’t be the deciding factor. Tulsa Roughnecks coach David Vaudreuil told me earlier this season that Nielsen did an excellent job bringing in players that excelled within the tight pitch constraints.
· Funk Jr.: “As an organization, we want to win. That’s a big priority. We want to be competitive, and we want to put a great team on the field of character, quality and can win games. That’s what we are going to be expecting out of the coach and staff — take our roster and complete those goals.”
· Funk Jr. (cont.): “It will always be a goal to go to the playoffs and win the USL Cup, but it also includes the community involvement, engagement and understanding the importance as an organization to be involved in the community and fit in our culture.”
Follow James on Twitter: @James_Poling.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.
Photo credit: Butler women’s soccer
INDIANAPOLIS — Both were selected to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. Both delivered huge tallies to lead No. 20 Butler to the conference championship game.
Freshman forward Caitlyn DiSarcina and first-year defender Julia Leonard scored the Bulldogs’ first and second goals, respectively, pacing Butler to a 3-0 home win over Providence on Thursday evening in the BIG EAST semifinals.
Butler didn’t wait long to open the scoring. A blast from outside the box by midfielder Paige Monaghan required a fingertip save from Providence goalkeeper Shelby Hogan, which then caromed off the woodwork and landed at the feet of forward Caitlyn DiSarcina. The freshman showed the poise of an upperclassman in calmly tapping the ball in to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Right place, right time for DiSarcina!@ButlerWSoccer takes a 1-0 lead in the #BIGEASTwsoc Semifinals pic.twitter.com/rg6zmgPt5u
— BIG EAST Champs (@BIGEASTchamps) November 2, 2017
The second goal also came on a tap in, but under different circumstances. A service from a corner kick created a scrum in the box, and Leonard flung her right foot out to flick the ball home just as multiple Friars attempted to recover.
The Bulldogs Take Control
Julia Leonard puts @ButlerWSoccer up 2-0 in the second half. #BIGEASTwsoc pic.twitter.com/meIbvUOVPF
— BIG EAST Champs (@BIGEASTchamps) November 3, 2017
The BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year provided the nail in the coffin. After nearly scoring on Butler’s first goal, Monaghan made sure of it with a late dagger that dashed any hopes Providence had of a comeback. The standout junior struck a low shot without much pace that somehow made its way through a couple Friars defenders and past Hogan.
Coming In Hot!
Paige Monaghan with a quick strike to put @ButlerWSoccer up 3-0.#BIGEASTwsoc pic.twitter.com/YzgHW0PeJ7
— BIG EAST Champs (@BIGEASTchamps) November 3, 2017
The Butler defense continued its dominance in the victory. Goalkeepers Hannah Luedtke and Leonie Doege combined with a back line rotation of Shannon McDevitt, Annika Schmidt, Leonard, Kyra Cooke and Amanda Kowalski for the clean sheet. Butler has only allowed a staggering four goals all season, tops in the country.
FULLTIME: @ButlerWSoccer 3, @PC_WomensSoccer 0
Goals from @cdisarcina10, @julesleonard3 and @PaigeeQuinn propel Butler to Sunday’s @BIGEAST title game Sunday vs. @HoyasWSoc. How even are the teams? Georgetown won 4-0 today and is ranked 20th. Butler 21st. Teams tied 0-0 last wk.
— Soc Takes (@SocTakes) November 3, 2017
Butler will now travel to Georgetown for the BIG EAST championship game Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The No. 19 Hoyas, the top seed in the conference tournament, demolished Marquette 4-0 on Thursday afternoon.
“It’ll be a great little rematch for us,” Butler co-head coach Tari St. John told ButlerSports.com‘s Chelsea Groves after the game. “It was 0-0 here and we’re looking forward to being able to play them again. Obviously they pose many challenges, but I think our team will be up for it.”
The conference title game will be shown live on FS1. With BIG EAST teams sporting low RPIs this season, it’s unclear how many at-large bids the conference will receive into the NCAA tournament.
Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.
The USAi Old Bhoys and Carpathia FC duke it out during a May match in Indianapolis. Photo credit: Kevin Johnston/Soc Takes
On July 6, I posted a Twitter poll asking which of four ideas I should write up next. The people answered, with “UPSL explained” getting 50 percent of the vote. So, let’s do this.
The United Premier Soccer League is one of the more interesting, and downright confusing, leagues below the organized U.S. Soccer pyramid. It’s also a league that has drawn a fair bit of mockery and derision — some of it deserved — for the personalities of its leadership, operating principles and ridiculously rapid expansion.
Let’s start at the beginning. The UPSL was founded in 2011 as a higher-level alternative for clubs in the Los Angeles area to play in something beyond their normal local leagues. The league initially played a fall-spring season with 10 teams, and gradually began to grow throughout Southern California. In 2015, the league had grown to 30 teams across three conferences, with teams in California, Nevada and Colorado. The season had also grown to run from May through October. 2016 marked the introduction of the split season format, with separate spring and fall seasons played annually. For that year, the spring season ran from January through May while the fall season ran from July to December. The league also reached 47 teams for the fall season across five conferences, including the new Nevada and North Conferences.
The next major development came in 2017 with the addition of promotion and relegation. That spring, the SoCal Division of the Western Conference split into two separate leagues, UPSL Premier Pro and UPSL Championship, with promotion and relegation between the two. This same structure was then brought to the Colorado Conference for the fall season.
And this brings us to 2018.
For the 2018 spring season, the UPSL fielded a record-high 171 teams. Yes, one-hundred, seventy-one teams. These were divided into eight conferences (Central, Colorado, Midwest, Mountain, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Western), and further split into 20 divisions. The 2018 fall season is set to feature even more expansion, with the UPSL currently listing a frankly ludicrous 222 clubs. Yes. More than 200 clubs. More clubs than members of the United Nations.
Anyway, let’s get back into how the league actually works.
Don’t think of the UPSL as a single league with hella teams, think of it as a collection of regional leagues under the same organizing body. Teams only play those within their respective division in any given season, save for the addition of friendlies against other opposition. While this is true for the NPSL and PDL as well, it’s done to a much greater degree within the UPSL.
In several discussions with UPSL owners, including the owners of Keene FC and OKC 1889 FC, the biggest draw for clubs is the lower cost of entry. UPSL is significantly cheaper for new clubs than either of the “fourth division” leagues, and for community-run or small town teams, that matters. UPSL is also much more focused on hyper-regional alignments, making travel times shorter and travel costs lower. Just looking at the Texas-area teams in the three leagues shows this: It’s 540 miles from Fort Worth to Brownsville for those NPSL teams, 600 miles from Oklahoma City to Corpus Christi for those PDL teams, but only 225 miles from Oklahoma City to Keene, Texas for those UPSL teams. That adds up, especially for players who have families and day jobs.
This, to me, is the biggest strength of the UPSL’s growing footprint. Having your longest road trip at maybe three and a half to four hours is much, much easier than having six- to eight-hour trips to games. Or, as is the case for WSA Winnipeg in the PDL, trips as far south as St. Louis. That’s at best a 16-hour drive each way.
I’ve made the case on several previous occasions for the creation of “state leagues” like they have in Brazil, and UPSL has implemented something I would argue is actually better.
And now to a primer on the UPSL’s promotion and relegation. For the 2018 spring season, promotion and relegation was in use in two divisions, SoCal and Colorado. Both divisions are split into two levels, with the highest designated as Pro Premier and the second as Championship. There are plans for a third tier, which will be designated League 1, in Colorado and Florida, with the Florida Central Division splitting into two tiers for the 2018 Fall Season. That Floridian second tier will actually be designated as a third tier under the Florida Central League 1 name, with the higher league designated as a second tier. Confusing as it may be, it actually has meaning within the UPSL’s regulations for clubs, and allows the league to spread pro/rel to other regions based on identical standards.
In my discussion with Keene FC’s co-owner Matt Kahla, he mentioned one of the best arguments for pro/rel that I’ve ever heard. Since implementing promotion and relegation in California and Colorado, the number of blowout wins has decreased. Teams that go out every week and lose 5-0, 8-0, even 11-0, can drop down to a level where they’re playing much closer competition, and teams that win those blowout games can move up to a tier better suited for their level of play. It really makes perfect sense at the amateur level where the resources available to different teams can vary dramatically. With the lower costs to enter the league comes with it wildly varying ownership, and it’s been the case for years in amateur soccer where some teams have what others simply don’t.
To wrap this up before reaching full #HipsterManifesto, here are a few additional points that don’t really fit in anywhere else:
The UPSL has much higher churn than other amateur leagues, namely the PDL and NPSL. But that’s honestly not surprising, nor is it that much of a problem. There are thousands of teams across the country that want to move into a national league, and when a league makes it as easy and affordable as possible to join, there will be teams who stretch their resources thin in doing so. But, failure in the UPSL is much, much cheaper than failure in the NPSL or PDL, and a team going under isn’t likely to cripple the club permanently. Many teams that leave the UPSL simply return to their local amateur leagues rather than fold outright. While I do personally find it amusing that the “Former Teams” section of the UPSL’s Wikipedia article vanished, it really doesn’t matter that much with the way the league operates. And that’s not to say that new teams aren’t being vetted by the league. They just have lower thresholds to meet than they do elsewhere.
The UPSL put a team in Alaska. That team, Alaska City FC, has actually been around in the Alaska Soccer system since 2011, and has now become the first member of the new Alaska Division in UPSL. Yes, they’re planning a full division of teams in Alaska. Because why wouldn’t they? As long as there’s enough interest, and it sure looks like there is, it’ll work. The biggest reason why there’s no Alaskan representation in NPSL or PDL is because of the lack of local opposition. Having an entire division within the state makes that easier. There are already a number of youth soccer clubs across the state (well, the inhabited parts) that this division will undoubtedly draw from.
Several UPSL conferences use only a handful of venues. The SoCal Championship division has 10 teams playing at the Lake Forest Sports Park in Lake Forest, Calif. while the Florida South division has nine of 12 teams based at Ives Estates Park in Miami. The most interesting of these, though, is the Atlanta Caribbean division, where every single game is played at Southeast Sports Complex in Livonia, Ga. Most, if not all, of the eight teams in the division have strong Caribbean roots, and many of these teams have been playing in Atlanta-area leagues for years. But it’s still amusing to see only one venue listed for the entire division on Wikipedia.
The UPSL is also building a women’s league as well as a youth league. The women’s league, known as the WUPSL, has seven teams confirmed in California and Colorado, but will likely continue to grow at the same ridiculous rate as the men’s league. The academy league currently has 10 teams confirmed, all at the U18 level.
OK, so that’s enough rambling for one day. I hope you learned something new about this slightly odd, probably misunderstood and undeniably unusual league.
Follow John on Twitter: @JohnMLTX.
Support Soc Takes on Patreon for access to exclusive content and supporter benefits. Click here to become a patron today.
Photo credit: Chris Aduama
EVERETT, Mass. — Boston City FC forward Isaac “Nana” Addai has been loaned to Associacao Ferroviaria de Esportes in Brazil, team sources said Wednesday.
Addai, 22, has scored 30 goals in 28 games in the last two NPSL seasons, playing for the Rhode Island Reds and Boston City. Addai has played for Liberia’s Under-23 national team, moving to the U.S. after living in a refugee camp and performing professionally in Ghana.
Boston City will earn 40 percent of a sell-on fee should Addai be transferred.
“He’s a different player, he has a lot of quality, he’s explosive and knows how to score goals,” Boston City coach Palhinha said of Addai. “It’s very difficult to score goals and he knows how to score. He has very good control of the ball and he’s super strong. He plays with the vision to make the right play for the team.”
Photo credit: Michael Preston
Palhinha, a former Brazil national team player, and investor Renato Valentim hope to finance Boston City FC partly by player transfers. Valentim also founded Boston City FC Brasil, which will compete in the Minas Gerais state league.
Addai had 12 goals and seven assists as Boston City (6W-3L-3D, 21 points) finished in second place in the Atlantic White Division this season, adding a goal in two U.S. Open Cup matches. Boston City has qualified for the NPSL playoffs in each of its two seasons.
“Boston City promised me an opportunity to play at a higher level and I am excited to continue to develop by taking this next step after an enjoyable season here,” Addai said in a team release. “My teammates made me feel very welcome and they played a huge part in my success. I am excited by the challenge that lies ahead in Brazil.”
Photo credit: Chris Aduama
Addai will be presented at Ferroviaria’s game against Noroeste in a Copa Paulista match at Estadio Fonte Luminosa in Araraquara on Saturday, July 22.
***
You can follow Frank on Twitter: @frankdellapa.
Soc Takes is on Patreon. Get access to patron-only Soc Takes Pod episodes, exclusive written content and tier rewards. Click here to become a patron today.