 | |
| Founded | November 21, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Stadium | TBD |
| Capacity | TBD |
| Owners | Michael Murphy Nolan Gallagher |
| League | MLS Next Pro |
| Website | Club website |
Cleveland Pro Soccer is the ownership group co-founded by Michael Murphy and Nolan Gallagher, based in Cleveland, Ohio. The group owns an independent men's professional soccer team that plans to participate in MLS NEXT Pro. The group is also presenting a bid in 2024 for the 16th expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
Michael Murphy and Nolan Gallagher co-founded Cleveland Professional Soccer in 2022. Murphy serves as CEO, and Gallagher serves as president of the sports team ownership group.
On March 31, 2023, Gallagher stepped down as Gravitas CEO to focus on the soccer team. [1] [2]
In an interview with Front Office Sports, Gallagher said the idea of bringing professional outdoor soccer to Cleveland came up in 2021, when he and Murphy recognized that Cleveland was the only top-20 market without professional outdoor soccer teams. [3]
On November 21, 2022, MLS Next Pro announced that a new independent club, Cleveland Pro Soccer, in Cleveland would join the league as early as 2025. [4] [5] [6] [7] In April 2024, Cleveland Scene's Vince Grzegorek reported that the MLS Next Pro team's debut would likely be delayed (from 2025) as the ownership group finalized plans for a soccer-specific stadium in Cleveland. [8]
The team's name, colors and crest will be revealed at a later date. A stadium announcement, including location and seating capacity, is expected in 2024. [9]
Cleveland Pro Soccer presented a bid for the 15th NWSL expansion team. [10] Cleveland was among four finalist teams, including Boston, San Francisco and Tampa. [11] The expansion team was eventually granted to NWSL Boston in December 2022. [12]
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman announced in November 2023 that the league would add a 16th team by 2026. [13]
In October 2023, Cleveland Pro Soccer announced the group was preparing to present a bid for the 16th NWSL expansion team. The team would be the first and only professional women's soccer team in the state of Ohio. As of April 2024, the prospective team had received more than 12,000 ticket pledges from fans. [14]
In an interview with Front Office Sports, co-founders Nolan Gallagher and Michael Murphy said a stadium plan would be important for attracting an NWSL team to the city. [15] In February 2024, the Ohio House of Representatives earmarked funding for "Cleveland Women's Soccer Stadium". [16] The stadium will seat up to 13,000 fans and cost more than $120 million. [17]
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