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Category Archives: NPSL

Spartans FC Joins the NPSL

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that
Spartans Futbol Club has joined the league as an expansion team. They will
begin play in the new Northwest Conference of the West Region in 2014.

Spartans FC will play matches in Portland, OR with a home office in
Vancouver, WA, drawing players from both areas.

“We are excited to announce our second Oregon team to join the NPSL as we welcome the Spartans Futbol Club as a charter club of the Northwest Conference,” NPSL Commissioner Michael Hitchcock stated. “With the incredible success of the Portland Timbers, the Portland area is a booming soccer market and the Spartans will be a great addition to the U.S. Soccer
landscape and will provide opportunities for local players to develop in the fastest growing national league.”

Spartans FC is led by Owner Gary Allen, First Team Head Coach Victor
Usher-Garcette, Reserve Team Head Coach Tommy Nuzum, and Assistant Coach Javier Caceres.

Allen is a seasoned business professional and competitive cyclist, while
Usher-Garcette brings decades of playing and coaching experience to the
expansion side. Usher-Garcette possesses a national “C” coaching license
and is best known for his time as a player at Club Olympia, a 1st Division
club in Paraguay.

Nuzum, a former player for the OPSL’s Canarios, has been coaching advanced
soccer for over 12 years. Caceres is yet another experienced coach, who
started his career as a player in the Peruvian 1st Division.

“Spartans FC is a high energy, fast-paced possession team with a fantastic
youth program to help support our community,” Allen remarked.

The team will play their home matches at Portland’s Concordia University.
The facility features an artificial playing surface and seating for over
1,700 spectators.

“We are really excited to be moving up in the realm of professional soccer
both regionally and nationally,” Allen concluded. “We look forward to the
future with the NPSL. We hope to establish ourselves as one of the premier
teams in the Northwest Conference while providing a positive environment
for our youth program.”

More information about the club can be found at www.spartansfutbolclub.com. They can also be found on Twitter @SpartansFC2012, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SpartansSFC, or on Instagram @spartansfc.

Spartans FC joins SO Samba FC (Hood River, OR), FC Carolina Discoveries
(Rock Hill, SC), BCS United Clash (Bryan-College Station, TX), Minnesota
United FC Reserves (Blaine, MN), Greater Lowell Football Club (Lowell,
MA), Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves (Atlanta, GA), NPSL Virginia Beach
(Virginia Beach, VA), FC Bordo Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO), PA West Soccer
(Pittsburgh, PA),Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), Nashville Atlas FC
(Nashville, TN), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg, VA), Cincinnati Saints
(Cincinnati, OH), Flower Mound FC (Flower Mound, TX), Temecula FC
(Temecula, CA), Storm FC (Broward County, FL), and Lansing United
(Lansing, MI) as expansion clubs for the 2014 season.

The NPSL is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the
U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S.
Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF)
and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the
fastest-growing national soccer league in the U.S., operating in 70+
markets across the country. Two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, D.C.
United and the New York Red Bulls, operate U-23 squads in the NPSL.

SO Samba FC Joins the NPSL

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that SO Samba FC has joined the league as an expansion team. They will begin play in the new Northwest Conference of the West Region in 2014.

“The launch of the Northwest Conference is an important milestone for the NPSL which would not have been possible without the vision and leadership of SO Samba FC,” NPSL Commissioner Michael Hitchcock added. “Samba is not only bringing NPSL soccer to Hood River, Oregon but the club led the way to help bring the NPSL to the soccer hotbed of the Pacific Northwest.”

SO Samba is a Brazilian-style soccer team led by Thiago Samba, Head Coach and Technical Director of SO Samba Futebol Club and SO Samba Academy. Coach Samba is a Brazilian native who started his soccer career with the Corinthians Junior Academy in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He’s been playing and coaching soccer in the U.S. and Brazil for more than two decades.

Melissa Brandao is General Manager of SO Samba FC and SO Samba Academy. Brandao oversees the day-to-day operations of the club and the SO Samba Youth Academy and The Samba School, SO Samba’s Player Incubator program,
which provides training and career development courses for their soccer players. An entrepreneur and business executive, she sees soccer as a transformative force in the lives of players and their community.

“SO Samba is so pleased to be a founding member of the new Northwest Conference,” Brandao stated. “We are exceptionally proud of our region and our new team. The Northwest is fertile ground for soccer; both the players
and the fans are crazy about the game.”

The club has ambitious plans to retain local talent, raise the level of play in Oregon, and eventually build a Soccer Center for Excellence in their community.

“We have a unique format for training, player development, and game strategy,” Coach Samba said. “The Brazilian style is very new here in the Northwest. Teams will underestimate us because we’re rural, but we fully embrace our Brazilian and Latino influences, which have created a very unique playing style that can win games. At the end of the day exciting soccer is what our fans want to see!”

SO Samba will play their home matches at Hood River High School. Hood River itself is in the middle of a National Scenic Area, one of the most beautiful regions in the United States.

The club is hosting tryouts for the 2014 NPSL season on January 25 and 26 in Hood River. More information can be found at www.sosambafc.com, on Facebook at facebook.com/sosambafc, or follow them on Twitter and Instagram @sosambafc.

SO Samba FC joins FC Carolina Discoveries (Rock Hill, SC), BCS Clash (Bryan-College Station, TX), Minnesota United FC Reserves (Blaine, MN), Greater Lowell United Football Club (Lowell, MA), Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves (Atlanta, GA), NPSL Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach, VA), FC Bordo Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO), PA West Soccer (Pittsburgh, PA), Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), Nashville Atlas FC (Nashville, TN), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg, VA), Cincinnati Saints (Cincinnati, OH), Flower Mound FC (Flower Mound, TX), Temecula FC (Temecula, CA), Storm FC (Broward County, FL), and Lansing United (Lansing, MI) as expansion clubs for the 2014 season.

The NPSL is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the fastest-growing national soccer league in the U.S., operating in 70+ markets across the country. Two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, operate U-23 squads in the NPSL.

The NPSL Comes to Rock Hill, SC

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that FC Carolina Discoveries (Rock Hill, SC) has joined the league as an expansion team. They will begin play in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the South Region in 2014.

“NPSL welcomes FC Carolina Discoveries to the NPSL South Region where we are continuing to see impressive growth,” NPSL Commissioner Michael Hitchcock stated. “The world’s most popular game is coming to Rock Hill, South Carolina in a major way through Carolina Discoveries, who are bringing a great networking of international relationships to their NPSL team which will benefit the NPSL, the Discoveries Soccer Club, and soccer players throughout the Rock Hill area.”

The Mid-Atlantic Conference already includes NPSL Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach, VA), Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), CASL Elite (Raleigh, NC), Chesterfield United FC (Chesterfield, VA), D.C. United U-23 NPSL (Fairfax, VA), Myrtle Beach Mutiny (Myrtle Beach, SC), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg, VA), and defending NPSL National Champion RVA Football Club (Richmond, VA).

Supported by Swedish company Trig.com and with administrative support provided by Global Premier Soccer, FC Carolina Discoveries has the correct blend to compete and prosper at the national level. The club is led by the pairing of Dave Carton and Magnus Hedman.

Carton, who is Executive Director for Discoveries Soccer Club, will be general manager and head coach for the first team. Former Celtic and Chelsea goalkeeper Magnus Hedman, who made 58 international appearances for Sweden, will serve on the board of directors.

“We are thrilled to see this project finally be realized,” Carton remarked. “It has been a long-term goal of mine to take soccer in York County to the next level and this project will now provide all players and soccer lovers in our community with a top-level organization that will represent the values and ideals of Discoveries Soccer Club.”

The team will play their home matches at Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex, which hosted the USYSA National Championships in 2012. This facility features eight fields and two stadiums, complete with floodlights. This facility is widely regarded as the premier soccer-specific facility in the Southeast.

The club boasts a plethora of relationships in the international game, including a formal partnership with Spanish side UE Cornellà.

“We are extremely excited and proud to be involved in this league,” Carton declared. “The rate of expansion has been meteoric and we are thrilled to be a part of it. It has been a long-term goal of Discoveries Soccer Club to add an adult team that can reflect the hard work that has been put in over the years with our youth academy, and we are now looking forward to continuing our footballing emphasis and philosophy into the adult game.”

FC Carolina Discoveries joins BCS Clash (Bryan-College Station, TX), Minnesota
United FC Reserves (Blaine, MN), Greater Lowell United Football Club (Lowell, MA), Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves (Atlanta, GA), NPSL Virginia Beach (Virginia Beach, VA), FC Bordo Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO), PA West Soccer (Pittsburgh, PA), Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), Nashville Atlas FC (Nashville, TN), Virginia Legacy (Williamsburg, VA), Cincinnati Saints (Cincinnati, OH), Flower Mound FC (Flower Mound, TX), Temecula FC (Temecula, CA), Storm FC (Broward County, FL), and Lansing United (Lansing, MI) as expansion clubs for the 2014 season.

Further information about FC Carolina Discoveries can be found on the web at
www.discoveriessoccerclub.org or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/discoveriessoccerclub.

The NPSL is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the fastest-growing national soccer league in the U.S., operating in 70+ markets across the country. Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, operate U-23 squads in the NPSL.

Nashville Atlas FC Announces Head Coach and Director of Football

Nashville Atlas FC has hired Giles Cheevers as Head Coach and Andy Poklad as Director of Football for their inaugural 2014 campaign.

Cheevers is currently Head Coach at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, TN, and also coaches the U-15 boys at Tennessee Soccer Club, one of the leading youth clubs in the state of Tennessee.  Cheevers has been with TSC for 7 years.  Poklad serves as the Executive Director of Tennessee United Soccer Club in Hendersonville, TN, and also serves on the Tennessee State Soccer Association staff as a certified coaching instructor.

The club will benefit substantially from the depth of experience and professionalism that both Cheevers and Poklad bring to the organization.  The duo will provide a solid foundation for Atlas as it builds its first team for competition in the Southeast Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in the summer of 2014.

Cheevers holds a UEFA “A” coaching license and spent time playing and coaching with various professional clubs in his home country of Ireland, including Waterford United and Kilkenny.  Cheevers also possesses a Goalkeeping “B” license from the Football Association of Ireland, having worked for the FAI in various capacities.

“I am delighted with this opportunity to coach Nashville Atlas in the NPSL and I am very excited for the challenge that lies ahead,” said Cheevers.  “Our aim will be to put a competitive team with a winning mentality on the field each week. To achieve this we will have to be fit, hard-working, organized, and technically solid and disciplined on the field in training and game time.”

Cheevers will be responsible for all personnel decisions, and will be setting the playing philosophy and tactics of the squad.

“We will emphasize possession by passing, moving and supporting each other off the ball. When the opposition have the ball, our focus will be to apply pressure and win it back quickly, always considering the various factors like quality of our opponents and weather that may impact the tactics,” Cheevers explained.

Photo Credit: Barbara Wolff

Poklad holds a USSF “A” coaching license and has been involved in soccer in Nashville since 1997.  He has experience managing semi-professional clubs, having spent four years with the Nashville Metros before taking on his role as Director of Coaching with Tennessee United Soccer Club.

“I hope to bring successful ideas from previous experiences at a similar level to the Atlas organization,” Poklad commented.  “I am excited to be working with Coach Cheevers and am looking forward to a close partnership and working relationship with him where I can aid in the success of the team on the field. I also look to continue to develop relationships with people both inside and outside of Atlas in the wider soccer community in my new capacity.”

Poklad will be oversee the technical operations, ensuring the overall quality of the football program and acting as a liaison between the coaching staff and the ownership group.

“We are thrilled to announce these two fine individuals as the bedrock of our NPSL squad.  We want to ensure that we are creating an environment that will breed success on the field, and we feel with these two at the helm, we will be guaranteed that our program will be of the highest caliber,” Atlas CEO Nolan Pittman concluded.  “Furthermore, we know that these two have earned the respect of the entire Nashville community through their tireless commitment to their craft and the impact they have had on the sport in our region.  We could not be more proud to welcome these two into the Nashville Atlas FC family.”

Nashville Atlas FC joined the NPSL in October 2013, and will play in the Southeastern Conference of the South Region. Atlas will begin its inaugural league campaign in May 2014.

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the fastest-growing national soccer league in the U.S., operating in 70+ markets across the country. Two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, operate U-23 squads in the NPSL.

NPSL Announces Chairman, Board Members

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that a new chairman and board were elected by the NPSL membership during their recent AGM in Atlanta.

Joe Barone from Brooklyn Italians SC was voted Chairman of the Board of Directors after serving as Secretary for the past two years.  Barone was a four-year letterwinner on the St. Francis College men’s soccer team, a squad guided by legendary coach Carlo Tramantozzi.  An active member of the Brooklyn Italians’ leadership, Barone has served as the Director of the PUMA Christopher Columbus Cup, a youth soccer tournament help every October in Brooklyn, New York.  He also started the New York City Indoor Classic, a futsal tournament held at Pratt Institute in downtown Brooklyn.

Barone started coaching Brooklyn Italians youth teams at the age of just 24, while he continued to play in the local amateur leagues of New York.  Just five years later, he coached the Brooklyn Italians Men’s first team that included soccer stars like Carlos Llamosa, Giovanni Savarese, Juan Carlos Osorio, Richie Williams, and Shalrie Joseph.

In 2010 Barone convinced the board at the Brooklyn Italians to join the NPSL. Later that year he coached the team to a 10-1-1 record in their inaugural season. Two years later Barone was voted as Secretary on the Executive Board of the NPSL.

Cindy Spera from New York Athletic Club was retained as Treasurer, while Barry Dixon from Jacksonville United was voted into the role of Secretary on the NPSL’s Executive Board.

Spera’s playing career began at Cornell University, where she was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year (1988) and All-Ivy League First Team (1991).  She went on to play for the Long Island Rough Riders from 1994 through 2001, claiming two national championships in 1995 and 1997.  Spera would gather two more national championships with New York Athletic Club in 2007 and 2010.  She currently serves as the Chairman of Soccer Programs for New York Athletic Club.

Dixon, a graduate of Florida State University, is the current CEO of True House Inc, a company he has been with for 25 years.  He is also the founder of Jacksonville United FC, a club that has experienced great success at the state, regional, and national levels.
JUFC youth sides have won three U.S. Club state championships and two USYSA state championships.  Jacksonville United also won the 2011 NPSL National Championship before advancing to the 2nd round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2012 and securing the Sunshine Conference Championship in 2013.

The regional board members now include Kenny Farrell (New Orleans Jesters), Sean McDaniel (Chattanooga FC), Terry Lawriw (AFC Cleveland), Cristian Brei (Madison 56ers), Clent Alexander (San Diego Flash), William Forte (San Francisco Stompers FC), Kabba Joof (Rhode Island Reds FC), and Matt McTish (FC LVU Sonic).

The NPSL is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the fastest-growing national soccer league in the U.S., operating in 65+ markets across the country.  Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, operate U-23 squads in the NPSL.