The soccer landscape in the state of Michigan is seemingly set to change quite a bit from just last season to this one. Lansing United is now seemingly a city council vote away, set to take place this month according to Graham Couch, from becoming a USL League One side. They will ditch the 'Lansing United' name, don a new name, potentially 'Lansing Ignite', and seemingly lose the supporter of their supporters' guard. Owned partially by the Lansing Lugnuts, playing in the Lugnuts' stadium, and with the USL undergoing its own rebranding, things are suddenly growing quickly for the second, third, and now fourth-tiers of American soccer.
Of course, there is also the NPSL and the story of Detroit City FC who seem to be an official announcement away from joining the NPSL's own professional league, NPSL Pro. This is a long time coming for DCFC who was once set to join the NASL before lawsuits with the USSF have it currently in 'wait and see' mode, but it seems far more likely to be defunct than reviving with the current push behind the USL. Detroit moving upwards to this pro league with more games and a longer season would seem to make sense for the model they have set for their club. It is also interesting to note that in this NPSL Pro meeting, according to Front Row Soccer, Milwaukee Torrent sent representatives to the league meeting, but were not one of the eight teams reported to have signed on to have a professional team ready by this upcoming season.
I spoke with Dominic Jose Bisogno, staff writer for NPSL's Duluth FC and writer for Protagonist Soccer, about the changing nature of soccer in the state. When discussing the movement of Lansing, he brings up an interesting point, saying, "The idea of LU going pro in itself would be a good thing to me because it means the lower league basis that formed that club is getting to the next level."
This is unquestionably true. Lansing United spent plenty of time in the NPSL, which has turned out plenty of professional players. The poster child of 2018 success stories is AFC Ann Arbor's Joseph Stanley Okumu. The former, after just a season in Ann Arbor, has now featured for Real Monarchs of the USL and been called up twice for AFCON qualifiers this season. It's a testament to the quality of the players within the NPSL. Of course, spotlight also has to be given to the PDL, now being known as USL League Two, who have developed a reputation as a top-tier collegiate player developmental league. DeJuan Jones of Michigan State, Anthony Mwembia of Bowling Green, and Kosti Moni of Western Michigan are just three of the players that featured heavily for both Lansing and their current collegiate programs.
Now, though, we turn towards a question we have on our hands deals with a seemingly smaller matter than the professional stakes we have talked about, but one with just as much importance: what are we to make of the NPSL Great Lakes Conference? Without Detroit, the conference stands at six teams. As a fan, though, of any team and especially one still in the league, you would always like to see stability in the league. That, however, in such a large semi-pro league, is bound to happen. Even the MLS is still dabbling in expansion and hotly talked about relocation. This is natural in the realm of a budding-in-popularity sport in the fragile ecosystem of a semi-pro soccer league in the United States.
I have previously talked about the future of this conference and even brought up expansion cities and the possibilities of losing Detroit City to the professional level. With news of Lansing now turning their attention to a professional side in the 2019 season, certainly the obvious thought for some, myself included, is that the NPSL could look towards Lansing in the future. Bisogno concurs. Despite this being somewhat a tumultuous time, with unhappy fans, there could surely be positive for this, particularly for those who follow the NPSL in the region. Bisogno told me, "I'd expect a new NPSL or PDL club to show up sooner or later. Which maybe is the silver lining, maybe Lansing will return to the NPSL Great Lakes through this."
It is certainly an interesting thought. Lansing is a top tier market in the state, being the capital of Michigan, of course. I dug a little further into this and reached out to the NPSL regarding the potential expansion in the city. NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera was able to answer some of my questions regarding the search for a new side or two in the Great Lakes. I reached out to see how active the league was in finding new teams for the Great Lakes this season, and Spera responded:
"We have had interest in Lansing and in other areas of Michigan and Ohio. The deadline for the NPSL applications was October 1, so we are targeting several expansion announcements in October and leading up to the NPSL Annual Owners Meeting (AOM) in December."
The annual meeting this season is set for Minneapolis over the dates of December 7th-9th. Before then, though, the hope is that NPSL fans will receive information about new teams entering the league. The target of this month of October is surely that much more exciting for fans within the Michigan/Ohio region. Both states being mentioned, as well as Lansing itself, seem to imply that there is indeed a possibility, if not a probability, of at least one new NPSL Great Lakes side joining the likes of AFC Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids FC.
Asking more pointedly about the city of Lansing, as well as the states of Ohio and Michigan, Spera noted, "Currently we have several applications submitted for several groups from Ohio and Michigan. Lansing is a fantastic market and we are interested in having a team there, along with several other markets in the surrounding areas."
A similar quote was provided when asked about the city of Akron in Ohio. Spera said, about Akron, "We hope to have a team there as soon as we find a strong management group who wants to invest and build in that area." In terms of Lansing, though, the interest is not yet confirmed to be mutual, but with the size and hunger of the city, as well as the market potential, I would be shocked to see more than one season go without an NPSL side in Lansing. The branching out into surrounding areas, as well as the state of Ohio, would make a lot of sense. With the conference focusing on the Great Lakes, the North centered heavily around Minnesota, and the East more based in the great Pennsylvania/Upstate-NY area (plus Cleveland), it would make plenty of sense for the clubs and league alike to foster a conference identity in the Great Lakes region. It is working very well with the North and Minnesota, and Milwaukee's owners' presence at the NPSL Pro meeting would imply that they too have their sights set on bigger stages even if not in the immediate future. Michigan still has multiple markets untapped by soccer as a whole, let alone at the semi-pro level, and Lansing is just added to this list. Likewise, the addition of FC Columbus added a major market in Ohio into the NPSL, but cities like Toledo and Akron will field semi-pro teams in 2019, but not at the NPSL level. Tapping into either of those cities would help expand things and give a more clear definition in the division as to what sort of travel teams and players can expect.
Why does all this matter now, and what's the time frame of events happening? Marketing for the upcoming season never stops. Especially as the off-season of soccer in the United States fast approaches, it is important to get names and excitement out there as soon as possible before the doors close on the season. The final of the MLS Cup playoffs will take place on December 8th, right in the heart of the AOM. It's perfect timing for a league like the NPSL to have the soccer media in this country paying attention.
As Spera mentioned, we also have a timeframe on when to expect more team announcements for this upcoming season as they could occur potentially as early as this month. This timing is key too. We sit about six months out of the start of next season's NPSL campaign. Waiting until promptly before the season is generally a bad call. Too late in the season and you don't have nearly enough support built up for an expansion season campaign. You also do not want to release expansion team announcements in the sort of 'dead season' that will come in the month of February (post-MLS Draft, still too far out from the league season to make waves). Announcements before the AOM would surely allow the league to address expansion teams and allow owners plenty of time to come up with ideas for how to boost their side during their initial campaign.
Times are changing here in the NPSL. With soccer in the country at large at a crucial moment of development, the league seem comfortable growing at their current rate with a professional league on the horizon. Still months out from the AOM, let alone the season itself, and still in the heart of the MLS season, it may seem premature to discuss the NPSL season as well as next season for the USL/PDL. With intriguing things set to come, though, there certainly is reason to talk about the state of the sport.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty of in-season coverage of AFC Ann Arbor as well as Michigan basketball and Liverpool FC, as well as Michigan soccer @michsoccernow.
Of course, there is also the NPSL and the story of Detroit City FC who seem to be an official announcement away from joining the NPSL's own professional league, NPSL Pro. This is a long time coming for DCFC who was once set to join the NASL before lawsuits with the USSF have it currently in 'wait and see' mode, but it seems far more likely to be defunct than reviving with the current push behind the USL. Detroit moving upwards to this pro league with more games and a longer season would seem to make sense for the model they have set for their club. It is also interesting to note that in this NPSL Pro meeting, according to Front Row Soccer, Milwaukee Torrent sent representatives to the league meeting, but were not one of the eight teams reported to have signed on to have a professional team ready by this upcoming season.
I spoke with Dominic Jose Bisogno, staff writer for NPSL's Duluth FC and writer for Protagonist Soccer, about the changing nature of soccer in the state. When discussing the movement of Lansing, he brings up an interesting point, saying, "The idea of LU going pro in itself would be a good thing to me because it means the lower league basis that formed that club is getting to the next level."
This is unquestionably true. Lansing United spent plenty of time in the NPSL, which has turned out plenty of professional players. The poster child of 2018 success stories is AFC Ann Arbor's Joseph Stanley Okumu. The former, after just a season in Ann Arbor, has now featured for Real Monarchs of the USL and been called up twice for AFCON qualifiers this season. It's a testament to the quality of the players within the NPSL. Of course, spotlight also has to be given to the PDL, now being known as USL League Two, who have developed a reputation as a top-tier collegiate player developmental league. DeJuan Jones of Michigan State, Anthony Mwembia of Bowling Green, and Kosti Moni of Western Michigan are just three of the players that featured heavily for both Lansing and their current collegiate programs.
Now, though, we turn towards a question we have on our hands deals with a seemingly smaller matter than the professional stakes we have talked about, but one with just as much importance: what are we to make of the NPSL Great Lakes Conference? Without Detroit, the conference stands at six teams. As a fan, though, of any team and especially one still in the league, you would always like to see stability in the league. That, however, in such a large semi-pro league, is bound to happen. Even the MLS is still dabbling in expansion and hotly talked about relocation. This is natural in the realm of a budding-in-popularity sport in the fragile ecosystem of a semi-pro soccer league in the United States.
I have previously talked about the future of this conference and even brought up expansion cities and the possibilities of losing Detroit City to the professional level. With news of Lansing now turning their attention to a professional side in the 2019 season, certainly the obvious thought for some, myself included, is that the NPSL could look towards Lansing in the future. Bisogno concurs. Despite this being somewhat a tumultuous time, with unhappy fans, there could surely be positive for this, particularly for those who follow the NPSL in the region. Bisogno told me, "I'd expect a new NPSL or PDL club to show up sooner or later. Which maybe is the silver lining, maybe Lansing will return to the NPSL Great Lakes through this."
It is certainly an interesting thought. Lansing is a top tier market in the state, being the capital of Michigan, of course. I dug a little further into this and reached out to the NPSL regarding the potential expansion in the city. NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera was able to answer some of my questions regarding the search for a new side or two in the Great Lakes. I reached out to see how active the league was in finding new teams for the Great Lakes this season, and Spera responded:
"We have had interest in Lansing and in other areas of Michigan and Ohio. The deadline for the NPSL applications was October 1, so we are targeting several expansion announcements in October and leading up to the NPSL Annual Owners Meeting (AOM) in December."
The annual meeting this season is set for Minneapolis over the dates of December 7th-9th. Before then, though, the hope is that NPSL fans will receive information about new teams entering the league. The target of this month of October is surely that much more exciting for fans within the Michigan/Ohio region. Both states being mentioned, as well as Lansing itself, seem to imply that there is indeed a possibility, if not a probability, of at least one new NPSL Great Lakes side joining the likes of AFC Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids FC.
Asking more pointedly about the city of Lansing, as well as the states of Ohio and Michigan, Spera noted, "Currently we have several applications submitted for several groups from Ohio and Michigan. Lansing is a fantastic market and we are interested in having a team there, along with several other markets in the surrounding areas."
A similar quote was provided when asked about the city of Akron in Ohio. Spera said, about Akron, "We hope to have a team there as soon as we find a strong management group who wants to invest and build in that area." In terms of Lansing, though, the interest is not yet confirmed to be mutual, but with the size and hunger of the city, as well as the market potential, I would be shocked to see more than one season go without an NPSL side in Lansing. The branching out into surrounding areas, as well as the state of Ohio, would make a lot of sense. With the conference focusing on the Great Lakes, the North centered heavily around Minnesota, and the East more based in the great Pennsylvania/Upstate-NY area (plus Cleveland), it would make plenty of sense for the clubs and league alike to foster a conference identity in the Great Lakes region. It is working very well with the North and Minnesota, and Milwaukee's owners' presence at the NPSL Pro meeting would imply that they too have their sights set on bigger stages even if not in the immediate future. Michigan still has multiple markets untapped by soccer as a whole, let alone at the semi-pro level, and Lansing is just added to this list. Likewise, the addition of FC Columbus added a major market in Ohio into the NPSL, but cities like Toledo and Akron will field semi-pro teams in 2019, but not at the NPSL level. Tapping into either of those cities would help expand things and give a more clear definition in the division as to what sort of travel teams and players can expect.
Why does all this matter now, and what's the time frame of events happening? Marketing for the upcoming season never stops. Especially as the off-season of soccer in the United States fast approaches, it is important to get names and excitement out there as soon as possible before the doors close on the season. The final of the MLS Cup playoffs will take place on December 8th, right in the heart of the AOM. It's perfect timing for a league like the NPSL to have the soccer media in this country paying attention.
As Spera mentioned, we also have a timeframe on when to expect more team announcements for this upcoming season as they could occur potentially as early as this month. This timing is key too. We sit about six months out of the start of next season's NPSL campaign. Waiting until promptly before the season is generally a bad call. Too late in the season and you don't have nearly enough support built up for an expansion season campaign. You also do not want to release expansion team announcements in the sort of 'dead season' that will come in the month of February (post-MLS Draft, still too far out from the league season to make waves). Announcements before the AOM would surely allow the league to address expansion teams and allow owners plenty of time to come up with ideas for how to boost their side during their initial campaign.
Times are changing here in the NPSL. With soccer in the country at large at a crucial moment of development, the league seem comfortable growing at their current rate with a professional league on the horizon. Still months out from the AOM, let alone the season itself, and still in the heart of the MLS season, it may seem premature to discuss the NPSL season as well as next season for the USL/PDL. With intriguing things set to come, though, there certainly is reason to talk about the state of the sport.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for plenty of in-season coverage of AFC Ann Arbor as well as Michigan basketball and Liverpool FC, as well as Michigan soccer @michsoccernow.
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