NISA 2024 preview

The National Independent Soccer Association was announced in June 2017, with plans for an 8- to 12-team league to begin play the next year. Their initial plans called for a promotion and relegation system once the league's membership reached 24 teams, and to act as a feeder league for the second North American Soccer League. The NASL subsequently lost its Division II status and went out of business, and NISA was dealt a further blow when one of its founders - Jack Cummins - died suddenly in February 2018, with co-founder Peter Wilt quitting in May 2018 to start a USL League One club in Madison, Wisconsin.

NISA eventually secured Division III status from US Soccer in February 2019 and aimed for an August 2019 start, although several of its member clubs declared they would not be ready until Summer 2020. The eight teams that kicked off in August 2019 were Atlanta SC, Orange County-based California United Strikers, Los Angeles Force, The Miami FC, Oakland Roots, Philadelphia Fury, San Diego 1904, and Stumptown Athletic from Matthews, North Carolina, but Philadelphia folded before playing a game. The 2019-20 season was split into halves but the second half went unfinished as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak in Spring 2020.

Atlanta SC went out of business before the 2020-21 season, Miami and Oakland joined the USL Championship, and both San Diego and Stumptown opted out of the Fall Championship, which welcomed five new clubs - Chattanooga FC, Detroit City, Michigan Stars (from suburban Detroit), New Amsterdam FC (Hempstead, NY), and New York Cosmos - into the league. San Diego and Stumptown returned for the Spring season, alongside new arrivals Maryland Bobcats, based in Boyds, west of Baltimore. Unfortunately, the Cosmos did not and so nine teams competed for the Spring Championship which was won, like the Fall title, by Detroit City.

The Fall 2021 season was staged as a standalone as part of a process of aligning NISA with the Summer calendar used by MLS and the USL, and the nine clubs that finished the Spring 2021 season were joined by new arrivals Chicago House AC, founded by Peter Wilt. Once again, Detroit City carried off the honours. Ahead of the 2022 season, Detroit joined Miami and Oakland in the USL Championship, Chicago House dropped down to the Midwest Premier League, and both New Amsterdam and Stumptown went out of business. Their places were taken by Bay Cities FC (from Redwood, CA), Rochester's Flower City Union, Syracuse Pulse, and Phoenix-based Valley United. Additionally, San Diego 1904 rebranded as Albion San Diego, and the first title without Detroit in the running went to their local rivals Michigan Stars, who beat California United Strikers in the play-off final.

There was further churn ahead of the 2023 season, with California United Strikers opting out, and Flower City absorbing Syracuse. Officially, when they played games in Syracuse, they were to be known as Salt City Union but this was quickly forgotten. More new clubs arrived in the shape of Club de Lyon (from Daytona Beach, FL), a second Detroit outfit in Gold Star FC, and Savannah Clovers. Chattanooga FC were runaway leaders during the regular season but it was Flower City who captured the title, beating Michigan Stars in the play-off final.

The 2023 season was beset with problems as games were awarded as walkovers or played at the away side's stadium, and the Professional Referee Organization complained to US Soccer about money owed. In the close season, Chattanooga FC jumped to MLS Next Pro, while Albion San Diego and Gold Star dropped out of the league. Worse still, champions Flower City announced they would be dropping down to the fourth-tier NPSL, leaving just five teams from 2023 committed to the 2024 season. Luckily, four new clubs have agreed to take their places and so the 2024 NISA line-up will again consist of nine teams.

Arizona Monsoon are one of the four new arrivals in the league and are a brand new club who will play at Matt O Hanhila Field in Glendale, ten miles northwest of Phoenix. Glendale Community College's Carlos Padilla was named interim Head Coach and he's recruited a young side of mostly local college players, but also signing striker Alex Tejera (formerly of USL-1's Chattanooga Red Wolves), defenders Noe Jimenez and Alex Vedamanikam (both with NISA experience with Savannah Clovers and LA Force, respectively), and ex-Barca Academy midfielder Yahir Gonzalez. There's also a handful of players from the UPSL's FC Arizona whov'e made the jump up, including Jesus Ruiz and former Real Salt Lake man Ricardo Velazco. Monsoon played their first ever game in the US Open Cup First Round, losing to Lubbock Matadors of the NPSL.

Another of the new sides, Capistrano FC (popularly known as Capo FC), were formed in 2006 primarily as a youth soccer organisation, with their senior side joining the fifth-tier UPSL in 2021. In 2022, they moved laterally to the NISA Nation leagues, and played 2023 in USL League Two. They will play their home games at JSerra Catholic High School Stadium in San Juan Capistrano in southern Orange County, and club president Peter Carey will also act as head coach for their inaugural professional season. They've chosen to go with a squad mostly made up of last year's USL-2 side but augmented with some college recruits, veteran defender Cameron Vickers and former Albion San Diego midfielder Brandon Zambrano. They lost their US Open Cup First Round match-up to Des Moines Menace from USL-2 on penalties.

Having won the Florida division of NISA Nation in 2022, Club de Lyon moved up into NISA proper last year but endured a torrid season which not only saw them miss the play-offs but also have to play games away from their home stadium when the high school team that owns it pulled rank. In 2024, they will play at Showalter Field in the Winter Park suburb of Orlando and have made wholesale changes to their squad, recruiting mostly from local amateur and semi-professional sides, although Argentine veteran Juan Manuel Martinez and Portuguese goalkeeper Rafa Santos will add some experience. In the US Open Cup First Round, they defeated 2023 UPSL national champions AS Frenzi, but were well beaten by another UPSL side, Miami United, in Wednesday's Second Round.

The Georgia FC story is a mess before a ball has even been kicked this season, with the expansion side moving their base of operations from the Atlanta suburb of Conyers to Dalton, up near the border with Tennessee, amid talk of unpaid rent. A plan to begin the season with a round of games in Georgia was abandoned and they forfeited their US Open Cup First Round match two weeks ago. News broke yesterday that the side formerly known as Georgia Lions are now under new ownership - before they've even kicked a ball - and will be known as Georgia FC, with Silverbacks Park Stadium in Atlanta as their named venue. Their opening game against Maryland Bobcats has been postponed, however.

Irvine Zeta brand themselves as the first Chinese-owned US soccer club, for whatever that's worth, and step into the professional ranks after a successful first season as an amateur club. They will play their games at the Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, CA, which is already home to USL Championship side Orange County. They started their new era with a US Open Cup First Round win over 2023 US Amateur Cup champions SC Mesoamerica, and their reward was a tie at Dignity Health Park against Ventura County FC, formerly LA Galaxy II, which they won 3-0. Head coach Daniel Gonzalez has brought in plenty of third-tier experience for their debut campaign, including former Loudoun United and Albion San Diego man Shin'ya Kadono, ex-LA Force men Alex Culwell and Israel Espinoza, and two LA Galaxy II alumni in Oscar Cervantes and Jonathan Estrada. Goalkeeper Mitch North - at Central Valley Fuegos in USL League One - will be key to organising their back line and they'll look to veteran Venezuelan striker Cristian "Fecula" Fernandes and UC Irvine graduate Rafael Espinoza for goals.

The sole-surviving founding member club, Los Angeles Force have upped sticks and left Irvine for Long Beach this season, playing at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Long Beach Community College. Former Israeli international Dekel Keinan has stepped up from player to player-coach this year and has recruited well, bringing in goalkeeper Seth Torman and striker Joel Quist from USL Championship clubs Birmingham Legion and Hartford Atheltic, the former Michigan Stars pair of Garrett Hogbin and Ahmed Shaibu Jr, Josue Cartagena from 2023 NISA champions Flower City Union, and centre-back Aydan Bowers from Chattanooga FC. They started their 2024 season with a US Open Cup First Round win over USL League Two side Redlands FC, but fell at the next hurdle, 1-0 at USL-1 expansion club Spokane Velocity.

Formed in 2016 as World Class Premier, Maryland Bobcats started life playing both the Washington Premier League and Maryland Major Soccer League, joining the fifth-tier UPSL in 2019. In 2020, they changed their name to their current moniker and were accepted into the fourth-tier NPSL, only for the Covid-19 epidemic to wipe out that year's soccer at that level. Later that year, they joined NISA but sat out the Fall championship, beginning play in Spring 2021, and they've finished in fifth place three times out of four seasons. They play at the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyds, Maryland, an hour west of Baltimore and 45 minutes north of Washington DC, a facility they share with Major League Rugby club Old Glory DC. The bulk of last year's squad is still around including centre-back Abdul Kooistra, midfielders Josselin Possian and Manny Gonzalez, and top scorer Darwin Espinal, and head coach Alex Kao has also signed half a dozen new players, mostly with NISA experience but also including former South Georgia Tormenta winger Elijah Amo. They eased through the US Open Cup First Round last month, beating West Chester United of the NPSL, but were defeated 5-2 by USL-1 side Richmond Kickers in round two, with Possian sent off for good measure.

Michigan Stars owner George Juncaj bought the club in 2018 to ensure his sons - Robert and Steven - had somewhere to play. Steven has since moved HNK Rijeka in Croatia (although he will be available for some early season games) but Robert is still around, ensuring his father's investment is not wasted. Playing in Washington, 25 miles north of Detroit, Stars won the NISA Championship in 2022 and were losing play-off finalists last year, and have started the 2024 season with two US Open Cup wins, over NPSL outfit Steel City FC and Minnesota United 2 of MLS Next Pro. Head coach Enis Dokovic has gone for continuity in keeping many of last year's runners-up, including former Zimbabwean international goalkeeper Tatenda Mkuruva, midfielders Andre Chalbaud and Hunter Olson, and top scorer Leon Maric, but has also brought in veteran Iraqi international Justin Meram and the ex-Chattanooga FC pair of Sebastian Capozucchi and Colin Stripling.

Missing out on the play-offs in their first season last year, Savannah Clovers have brought in half a dozen players to bolster their chances this time around, mostly from Gold Star FC, who are sitting out NISA this year. Defender Leonel Palma, midfielders Jedidiah McCloud and Vladimir Jokic, and striker Roddy Green all made their Clovers debuts in the US Open Cup First Round win over Brave SC of USL-2, along with fellow new arrivals Kyle Nelson (from 2023 NISA champions Flower City Union) and former Albion San Diego man Corey Lundeen. Of last year's squad, English goalkeeper Jack Crichton has stuck around, as have a clutch of other regulars, and head coach David Porter will be hoping for more out of his side this time around. There has been talk recently that Savannah's financial position isn't the most stable and news broke yesterday that NISA will be financially supporting the side this year and picked up the tab for their Open Cup games, the second of which they lost 4-0 to state rivals South Georgia Tormenta of USL-1.