Organizing body | NISA |
---|---|
Founded | September 17, 2020 |
First season | 2021 |
Country | United States |
Confederation | CONCACAF (North American Football Union) |
Divisions | 4 |
Number of clubs | 22 |
Domestic cup(s) | U.S. Open Cup |
League cup(s) | NISA Independent Cup |
International cup(s) | CONCACAF Champions League (via U.S. Open Cup) |
Current champion(s) | New York Greek American (1st title) |
Most championships | NoVa FC New York Greek American (1 title each) |
TV partners | Eleven Sports |
Website | nisanation |
Current: 2024 NISA Nation season |
NISA Nation is a semi-professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is below the professional leagues in the United States soccer league system and began play in 2021. NISA Nation is affiliated with the third tier professional league National Independent Soccer Association. [1] [2]
On August 25, 2021, Atlantic City FC was announced as the first club of the newly formed league. [3] Two weeks later, NISA Nation announced they had six teams for their inaugural season and they would play a 10-game schedule in the Northeast Region. This inaugural region included the leagues first promoted team, Steel Pulse FC from the Eastern Premier Soccer League. [4] In October 2021, NISA Nation announced the start of a second region. The Southwest Region was started with four teams, each team playing six games in a round robin format. [5] New Jersey Alliance FC beat New Amsterdam FC II 4–0 to secure the first regional championship for the Northeast Region. [6] In early January 2022, FC Golden State Force claimed the first Southwest Region championship. [7]
On January 6, 2022, it was announced that NISA Nation earned from the United States Adult Soccer Association the USASA provisional national league license, a license that gave recognition to the league and that opens the way to U.S. Open Cup spots directly from the league. [8] The Florida Region was announced in the Spring of 2022, with five teams facing each other three times in the Orlando area. [9] In addition to the Florida Region, NISA Nation announced that the Northeast Region's spring season would consist of eight clubs playing 10 games a piece. The defending champions New Jersey Alliance FC, returned to defend their title during the spring season. [10] In May 2022, the Pacific Region was announced with four teams, playing a 12-game schedule. [11] This brought the league to 23 teams for the Spring of 2022. [12] Each region crowned a champion for the 2022 NISA Nation season. The four champions were Club De Lyon (Florida Region), New Jersey Alliance FC (Northeast Region), Battleborn FC (Pacific Region), and Capo FC (Southwest Region). [13]
NISA Nation announced in early 2023 that the Southwest region would return for play in the spring with six clubs, including three previous clubs and three new clubs: AS Los Angeles, SC Union Maricopa, and Olympiacos CA. [14] In early 2023, NISA Nation announced the addition of the Pacific Division for the spring, with five teams committed and ten teams planned. [15] In July 2023, NISA Nation announced the formation of the Texas Region for fall 2023. [16] For the fall of 2023, NISA Nation ran three regional leagues; Pacific, Southwest, and Texas Regions. [17]
In October 2023, NISA Nation announced that they would hold their inaugural National Championship, which would have three rounds to determine the national champions. Eligible to participate were the champions of the NISA Nation regions, as well as the champions of its affiliate leagues. [18] The two finalists, Northern Virginia FC and Las Vegas Legends, were both invited to promote to the third-tier NISA. The inaugural Championship represented the first opportunity for merit-based promotion to the professional level in the United States soccer league system. [19]
Teams from NISA Nation participated in the 36 team NISA Independent Cup in 2022. [20]
Clubs in NISA Nation can qualify for the U.S. Open Cup through the local qualifying route. Capo FC and Club de Lyon are the only two teams to qualify for the tournament proper, which they both did in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup. [21]
U.S. Open Cup Participation | |||
---|---|---|---|
Year | Participating Team | Final Round | Ref. |
2023 | Battleborn FC | Fourth qualifying round | [22] |
Capo FC | Second round | [23] | |
SC Union Maricopa | Second qualifying round | [22] | |
Club de Lyon | First round | [24] | |
Deportivo Lake Mary | First qualifying round | [22] | |
2024 | Battleborn FC | First qualifying round | [25] |
Bay Area United FC | Second qualifying round | [25] | |
Capo FC | Second qualifying round | [25] | |
JASA RWC | First qualifying round | [25] | |
Temecula FC | Fourth qualifying round | [26] | |
2025 | Las Vegas Legends | Fourth qualifying round | [27] |
Modesto City FC | Second qualifying round | [28] | |
Roc City Boom | Second qualifying round | [28] | |
Soccer Academy Nevada | Second qualifying round | [28] |
NISA Nation is affiliated and plans to begin a pro-rel system with 6 leagues all over the country: the Cascadia Premier League [29] in Washington and Oregon, the Eastern Premier Soccer League [30] in the north east, the Mountain Premier League in the Rocky Mountains region, and the Southwest Premier League in the southwestern United States, the Gulf Coast Premier League in the deep south, the Pioneer Premier League in Tennessee and Kentucky, the Midwest Premier League [31] in the states of Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and Missouri. In 2023 reaffirmed their association with Cascadia Premier League, Eastern Premier Soccer League, Mountain Premier League, and Southwest Premier League. This aligned all four leagues top division aside NISA Nation. This will continue to provide these leagues with slots in the NISA Independent Cup and began a new initiative that provided a national championship to be competed between NISA Nation Regional champions and league winners. [32] In August 2023, NISA Nation announced the association with Florida Gold Coast League. [33] In October 2023, NISA Nation announced their affiliation with Metroplex Premier League, an amateur league from North Texas. [34] In February 2024, NISA Nation announced the Upstate New York Region as the fourth region for the 2024 Spring season. [35]
Level | League(s)/division(s) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 | National Independent Soccer Association 9 clubs | ||||||
4 | NISA Nation Upstate New York Region 4 clubs | NISA Nation Texas Region 1 club | NISA Nation Pacific Region 8 clubs | NISA Nation Southwest Region 8 clubs | |||
5 | Cascadia Premier League | Eastern Premier Soccer League | Florida Gold Coast League | Metroplex Premier League | Mountain Premier League | Southwest Premier League |
Level | League(s)/division(s) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Cascadia Premier League Premier 1 Men's Premier League 1 - Baker Division 5 clubs | Cascadia Premier League Premier 1 Men's Premier League 1 - Columbia Division 4 clubs | Cascadia Premier League Premier 1 Men's Premier League 1 - Rainier Division 5 clubs | ||
6 | Cascadia Premier League 2 Men's Premier 2 - Cascade Division 5 clubs | Cascadia Premier League 2 Men's Premier 2 - Pacific Division 6 clubs |
Level | League(s)/division(s) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Eastern Premier Soccer League Delaware River Conference 8 clubs | Eastern Premier Soccer League Metropolitan Conference 12 clubs | Eastern Premier Soccer League Mid-Atlantic Conference 8 clubs | Eastern Premier Soccer League Northeast Conference 5 clubs | ||||
6 | Casa Soccer League Select Liga 1 5 clubs | Cosmopolitan Soccer League Division 1 11 clubs | Garden State Soccer League Super Division 10 clubs | Long Island Soccer Football League Premier Division 7 clubs | Maryland Major Soccer League 10 clubs | |||
7 | Cosmopolitan Soccer League Division 2 - East 9 clubs | Cosmopolitan Soccer League Division 2 - West 9 clubs | Garden State Soccer League A Division - Central 11 clubs | Garden State Soccer League A Division - North 11 clubs | Long Island Soccer Football League Division 1 7 clubs | |||
8 | Cosmopolitan Soccer League Division 3 - East 7 clubs | Cosmopolitan Soccer League Division 3 - West 7 clubs | Garden State Soccer League B Division - Central 11 clubs | Garden State Soccer League B Division - North 9 clubs | Long Island Soccer Football League Division 2 7 clubs | |||
9 | Cosmopolitan Soccer League Division 4 10 clubs | |||||||
Level | League(s)/division(s) | |
---|---|---|
5 | Florida Gold Coast League North Division 4 clubs | Florida Gold Coast League South Division 4 clubs |
Level | League(s)/division(s) | |
---|---|---|
5 | Metroplex Premier League 8 clubs | |
6 | Metroplex Premier League 2 West Division 5 clubs | Metroplex Premier League 2 East Division 5 clubs |
Level | League(s)/division(s) | |
---|---|---|
5 | Mountain Premier League Eastern Division 6 clubs | Mountain Premier League Western Division 2 clubs |
Level | League(s)/division(s) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 | Arizona Premier League Men's Open Arizona | Baja CA San Diego Premier League Men's Open San Diego | Enhancement Premier League Men's Open | Nevada Premier League Men's Open Nevada | Pacific Premier League Men's Open Pacific | SoCal Premier League Men's Open SoCal |
6 | SoCal Premier League Second Division | |||||
7 |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | First season |
---|---|---|---|---|
Capo FC [36] | San Juan Capistrano, California | JSerra Catholic High School | 2006 | 2022 |
FC Golden State Force [5] | Pomona, California | Rio Hondo College | 2015 | 2021 |
Irvine Zeta FC | Irvine, California | 2022 | 2024 | |
Olympiacos CA [37] | Huntington Beach, California | Al Barbour Field | 2012 | 2023 |
Temecula FC [38] | Temecula, California | Chaparral High School | 2013 | 2023 |
Worldwide Problems FC [39] | Orange County, California | Chaparral High School | 2018 | 2024 |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | First season |
---|---|---|---|---|
Club Tepa | San Francisco, California | South San Francisco High School | 1994 | 2024 |
Elk Grove Blues [40] | Elk Grove, California | Sheldon High School | 2018 | 2024 |
Modesto Ciy FC [41] | Modesto, California | Central Catholic High School | 2019 | 2023 |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | First season |
---|---|---|---|---|
Las Vegas Legends [42] | Las Vegas, Nevada | Christo Rey St. Viator High School | 2012 | 2021 |
Soccer Academy Nevada [43] | Las Vegas, Nevada | Cimarron-Memorial High School | 2024 | |
STG Premier Pro [44] | St. George, Utah | Pine View High School | 2024 |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | First season |
---|---|---|---|---|
FC Brownsville [45] | Brownsville, Texas | Brownsville Sports Park | 2018 | 2023 |
Team | City | Stadium | Founded | First season |
---|---|---|---|---|
Binghamton FC [35] | Binghamton, New York | 2012 | 2024 | |
Gaffer City FC [46] | Corning, New York | 2023 | 2024 | |
Roc City Boom [35] | Rochester, New York | 2019 | 2024 | |
Sahara Gunners FC [47] | Buffalo, New York | 2021 | 2024 | |
United Elite Krajisnick FC [48] | Utica, New York | 1977 | 2024 | |
FC Dutchmen Independence [49] | Utica, New York | 2021 | 2024 |
Season | Champion | Runner-up |
---|---|---|
2023 | Northern Virginia FC [50] (EPSL) | Las Vegas Legends |
2024 | New York Greek American [51] (EPSL) | Worldwide Problems FC |
Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third | Fourth |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fall 2023 | Las Vegas Legends [52] | FC Golden State Force | FC Brownsville | Peak XI FC (MPL) |
Fall 2024 | Worldwide Problems FC [53] | Las Vegas Legends | Peak XI FC (MPL) | Chula Vista FC (SWPL) |
Region | Champion | Runner-up | Third place |
---|---|---|---|
Spring 2021 | |||
Northeast | New Jersey Alliance FC [6] | New Amsterdam FC II | Steel Pulse FC |
Fall 2021 | |||
Southwest | FC Golden State Force [7] | Las Vegas Legends | Chula Vista FC |
Spring 2022 | |||
Florida | Club de Lyon [13] | Atletico Orlando | Deportivo Lake Mary |
Northest | New Jersey Alliance FC [13] | Union SC | New York Braveheart |
Pacific | Battleborn FC [13] | AFC South Bay | San Francisco Elite Metro FC |
Southwest | Capo FC [13] | FC Golden State Force | Las Vegas Legends |
Spring 2023 | |||
Pacific | Battleborn FC [54] | JASA RWC | Windmill City FC |
Southwest | FC Golden State Force [55] | Temecula FC | Capo FC |
Fall 2023 | |||
Pacific | Battleborn FC [56] | JASA RWC | Windmill City FC |
Southwest | FC Golden State Force | Temecula FC | Capo FC |
Texas | FC Brownsville | Matias Almeyda FC | AC Houston Sur |
Spring 2024 | |||
Pacific | Silicon Valley Rush [57] | Bay Area United | Afghan Premier |
Southwest | Las Vegas Legends [58] | FC Golden State Force | Capo FC |
Western NY | Roc City Boom [59] | Binghamton FC | United Elite Krajisnik FC |
Fall 2024 | |||
Coast | Worldwide Problems FC [60] | Las Vegas Legends | FC Golden State Force |
Pacific | Silicon Valley Rush [61] | Club Tepa | Afghan Premier |
Name | Years | Title | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
John Prutch | 2022– | Commissioner | [62] |
Matt Morse | 2022– | Managing Director, Independent Cup, & Affiliates | [63] |
Kenneth Henriques | 2022– | Referee Coordinator | [64] |
Carlos Budyszewick | 2023– | Director of Expansion and Outreach | [12] |
Northern Virginia FC is an American soccer club from Leesburg, Virginia competing in USL League Two, USL W League, Eastern Premier Soccer League and Major Arena Soccer League 3.
Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.
Detroit City FC (DCFC) men’s team is an American professional soccer club based in Detroit, Michigan, that competes in the USL Championship. The club played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2012 to 2019 and the National Independent Soccer Association in 2020 and 2021. Detroit City plays its home matches at Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, an enclave of Detroit.
Chula Vista Futbol Club is an American soccer club based in Chula Vista, California. The club's first team competes in NISA Nation.
The Gulf Coast Premier League (GCPL) is a United States Adult Soccer Association affiliated Amateur Elite League that includes teams from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The regular season of the GCPL runs May through July. On August 13, 2020, it was announced that the GCPL would be the first "amateur league affiliation" of the National Independent Soccer Association after Gaffa FC and Louisiana Krewe FC competed in the NISA 2020 Independent Cup.
The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a winter break but have switched to spring-to-fall which is more common in the United States.
Maryland Bobcats FC, formerly World Class Premier Elite (WCPE), are an American soccer team and academy based in Montgomery County, Maryland, which was founded in 2016. The organization's professional team competes within the National Independent Soccer Association in the third division of U.S. Soccer. The Bobcats also field teams in both the Maryland Super Soccer League and Eastern Premier Soccer League.
Louisiana Krewe FC is an American soccer team based in Lafayette, Louisiana and competes within USL League Two. As members of the Gulf Coast Premier League, the team earned national attention when it qualified for the 2020 U.S. Open Cup in its first season of eligibility prior to the tournament's cancelation.
The 2019–20 Michigan Stars FC season was the club's first season playing in the National Independent Soccer Association, a newly established third division soccer league in the United States, and first professional season.
New Amsterdam Football Club was an American professional soccer club based in Hempstead, New York, that previously played in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), the third tier of American soccer. New Amsterdam FC was established on April 20, 2020, and began play in July 2020. They were expelled from the league in January 2022 and folded.
Chicago House Athletic Club is an American semi-professional men's soccer club owned by Laurence Girard and led by CEO Peter Wilt. The club is based in Chicago, Illinois. They began play in August 2021 as a professional club, competing in the third-tier National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). After being expelled from the league in January 2021, the club currently plays in the semi-professional Midwest Premier League.
FC Brownsville (FCB) is an American soccer team based in Brownsville, Texas, United States. Founded in 2015, FC Brownsville plays in the Lone Star Conference within the National Premier Soccer League and the Texas Central Conference within the United Premier Soccer League. The team uses the Brownsville Sports Park as their home field.
The 2021 NISA Nation season has been the first season of NISA Nation. It was the inaugural season for the National Independent Soccer Association 4th tier league.
New Jersey Alliance FC is an American soccer team based out of Lyndhurst, NJ. The team was founded in 2012 and plays in the NISA Nation, in the Northeast Region. NJAFC's colors are yellow, white and blue are the official colors.
Steel Pulse FC is an American semiprofessional soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The team, which was founded in 2019, currently plays in 4th tier league NISA Nation and plays its home games in the Marriotts Ridge High School.
Valley United FC was an American professional soccer club based in Phoenix, Arizona that played in the National Independent Soccer Association, in the 3rd tier of the US soccer pyramid, from 2022.
Capo FC, also known as Capistrano FC is an American soccer club based in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Syracuse Pulse, initially AC Syracuse Pulse, was an American professional soccer club based in Syracuse, New York. The Pulse fielded a men's team in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), the third tier of the US soccer pyramid, during the 2022 season before merging with the Flower City Union.
The 2022 NISA Nation season was the second season of NISA Nation, the National Independent Soccer Association's amateur league.
The 2024 NISA Nation season was the fourth season of NISA Nation, a semi-professional 4th tier league in the United States soccer league system, and a feeder league to 3rd tier NISA.