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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.

Minnesota United FC Announces Reserve Team

Minnesota United FC today announced the club has a new reserve team joining the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2014. The club will be named Minnesota United Reserves and will play at East Ridge High School in Woodbury, Minnesota.

“We want to continue to grow the vision of what the club can be,” said United Head Coach Manny Lagos. “Having a Reserve team is a big piece of developing potential local players but also keep the first team competitive. When you have something like this it can grow into a lot of different areas but it’s really about building this club the right way so we can be strong and have a great culture for the future.”

The NPSL is the successor to the Men’s Premier Soccer League (MPSL), which was formed in 2002. Since 2005 the league has expanded nationally, adding the Midwest region, Northeastern region and Southeastern region. The league is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), the governing body of soccer in the United States, and operates in the 4th Division. The Minnesota United Reserves will play in the Central Conference of the Midwest Region.

“We’re excited to add Minnesota United to the NPSL’s Central Conference of the Midwest Region,” said NPSL Commissioner Michael Hitchcock. “Under new ownership, Minnesota United have taken major steps to establishing their brand and growing the game, on and off the field. We’re honored that Minnesota United has selected NPSL as the league for their Reserve team to play which is an important part of their business model to develop players for the NASL team.”

Games will run from May until August and the team will consist of amateur and professional players. Ticket information and 2014 schedule have not been released. East Ridge High School is on the same campus as the newly renovated Bielenberg Sports Center, which will become the official training facility of Minnesota United FC when the complex opens next spring. All team information will be available online at MNUnitedFC.com.

Minnesota United FC is now accepting $50 deposits for 2014 season tickets. On October 5 the club announced it is dropping prices in over half the stadium. The plan includes a new seating map of the National Sports Center in Blaine and season ticket holder benefits. For more information, fans can visit MNUnitedFC.com/seasontickets.

 

NPSL Today – June 19, 2013

Photo Credit: Pam Moody/ISNSoccer.com

The National Premier Soccer League is proud to announce its tenth National Player of the Week for the 2013 regular season.

The winner, for the week ending June 9th, is Zanesville Athletic defender/midfielder Smart Osadolor.

Osadolor has been one of Zanesville Athletic’s most consistent performers this season. Last weekend Osadolor was moved from his usual left back spot to left midfielder.

Photo Credit: Pam Moody/ISNSoccer.com

He responded with two goals and an assist for the weekend, helping Zanesville to its first-ever point in a 2-2 draw with FC Sparta Michigan on June 9th.

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Osadolor comes to ZAFC from Tiffin University, where he will be a sophomore in the fall.

The award, voted on by media from across the country, is part of the league’s commitment to honoring players, coaches, and staff for their exemplary work. The announcement is made on Saturdays during the regular season exclusively on NPSL social media.

The Battle for Ohio Begins with a Bang

Photo Credit: Pam Moody/ISNSoccer.com

The Battle for Ohio is usually reserved for the Indians and the Reds or the Browns and the Bengals.  But this weekend the Battle for Ohio was all about the NPSL as AFC Cleveland hit the road to face newcomer Zanesville Athletic FC in a weekend of firsts.

It was the first home match for ZAFC, the first meeting between Zanesville and Cleveland, and the first-ever Presidential Cup match.  What’s the Presidential Cup? The teams’ faithful are excited about this new rivalry series that pits the two Ohio clubs against each other in what looks to be a great derby for years to come.

Cleveland got an early lead in the cup competition, defeating ZAFC 3-2 on Sunday.

“The boys finished well,” AFC Cleveland head coach Andy Hoggarth stated. “We took our goals well.  It was a good win and we are happy with it.”

Both Cleveland and Zanesville started their attacks early, trading chances in the first moments of the match.

Cleveland striker Tom Beck was the first to go on the board, scoring a goal in the 5th minute on a breakaway run.  The Royals would add to that lead in the 31st as Vinny Bell turned an Andre Learned cross into a goal.

Zanesville was awarded a dangerous free kick just outside the box minutes before halftime, but the home side was unable to convert the chance.

The 2-0 lead by Cleveland didn’t last long as Cedric Bruce-Kotey and Smart Osadolor teamed up for a goal in the 49th minute, cutting the visitors’ lead in half.

ZAFC continued to make attempts at the Cleveland goal, including a quick sequence where the ball bounced off multiple players before keeper Ben Yabrow was able to fall on it.

But everything changed in the 68th minute as Osadolor was handed a red card for an aggressive tackle on Cleveland’s David Murrow.

Photo Credit: Pam Moody/ISNSoccer.com

A man down, Zanesville surrendered a third goal 10 minutes later as Bell scored his second of the night and third of the weekend.

Both sides continued to trade chances, but it was the home team that struck in stoppage time as Zanesville’s Tim Findall collected a cross from Ryan McClay to end things at 3-2.

The physicality of the match was never in question.

“It was a tough game,” ZAFC midfielder Michael McLaughlin stated. “It was a tough loss.  I think the team has done well and will do well in the future.”

The result gives AFC Cleveland their first win of the season, while Zanesville remains winless despite two strong showings.

Subside Sports Man of the Match: F Vinny Bell, AFC Cleveland

Match Photos

Match Audio – Vinny Buzzetta Interview