 | |
| Full name | Newtown Pride Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Pride |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Ground | Newtown High School Sandy Hook, Connecticut |
| Founders | Michael and Matt Svanda |
| General Manager | Matt Svanda |
| Head Coach | Michael Svanda |
| League | Connecticut Soccer League |
| Website | Club website |
Newtown Pride FC is an amateur American soccer team based in the Sandy Hook, part of Newtown, Connecticut. The team plays in the Connecticut Soccer League.
The team was founded in 1998 by father and son Mike and Matt Svanda. [1]
In 2019, the team won the National Amateur Cup for the first time in its history, becoming the second team from Connecticut, & first since 1967, to win the Cup. [2] [3] The team beat New Jersey sides Jackson Lions and Cedar Stars Academy to reach the USASA Region I Final against Steel FC (Pennsylvania), which the team won 2–0. [4] [5] [6] [7] In the National Final, the Pride beat RWB Adria (Illinois) in the semifinal before beating Horizon FC (Texas), 4–0, and won both the trophy and $15,000. [8] [9]
The team became the second National Amateur Champion to directly qualify for the U.S. Open Cup after U.S. Soccer had started the practice with the 2018 Champions Milwaukee Bavarian SC. Newtown were due to enter the 2020 U.S. Open Cup in the first round alongside local qualifiers and teams from both the National Premier Soccer League and USL League Two. [10] [11] [12]
As National Amateur Cup Champions Newtown also secured a spot in the 2020 Hank Steinbrecher Cup. The team would compete against defending champion Flint City Bucks and the National Champions of both the NPSL and USL 2 (or the furthest advancing amateur team if the champion is a professional side) to determine the "USA National Amateur Champions". [13]
In August 2019, then-U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro announced that Newtown would also host the winners of the 2019 UEFA Regions' Cup, Dolny Śląsk, in the inaugural International Amateur Cup. [14] The game was originally set to take place on May 19, 2020, but was later postponed to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [15]
On June 4, 2023, Newtown won the inaugural The Soccer Tournament, a 7-a-side tournament held in Cary, North Carolina. They were the only fully amateur club in the tournament and competed against teams representing professional clubs or those that comprised current and former professional players. [16] Newtown clinched the tournament championship and its $1 million prize by defeating Canada's SLC FC 2–0 in the final. [17] A portion of the prize money was donated by the team to the Newtown Community Center. [18]
Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, the Pride began to dedicate their matches in honor of the victims and families of the tragedy. The team continues to work with Newtown Youth and Family Services and has played charity matches against larger teams such as the New York Cosmos (2013), New York Red Bulls II (2015), Reading United AC (2016), Kingston Stockade FC (2017), and Bethlehem Steel FC (2017). [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]
The United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) is a national organization for amateur soccer in the United States. It consists of 54 state associations in four regions, as well as national, regional, and state leagues. It compares to the United States Youth Soccer Association and its 54 affiliated State Associations - as it was once all one bodied structure.
Sonoma County Sol is an American soccer team based in Santa Rosa, California, United States. Founded in 2004, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the West Region, Golden Gate Conference.
Bavarian United SC is an American soccer team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Bavarian Majors of the Bavarian Soccer Club compete in the USL League 2. The team plays its home games in the athletic stadium at the Heartland Value Fund Stadium. The team's colors are blue and white. Bavarian has won six USASA National Amateur Cup titles as well as two National Open Cup championships and is a frequent qualifier for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The National Amateur Cup, also known as the USASA Amateur Cup, is an American soccer competition open to all amateur teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation through United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).
Philadelphia Lone Star Football Club is an American professional development soccer club based in Southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that competes in USL League Two and the National Premier Soccer League, both leagues which sit in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. Nicknamed "the Stars", the club was founded as Junior Lone Star Football Club in 2001, but changed its name to Philadelphia Lone Star F.C. in 2018.
West Chester United SC is an American soccer club based in West Chester, Pennsylvania that currently competes in both the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and USL League Two. The organization also fields a side in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania, a fully-amateur state league.
Christos FC is an American soccer team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that competes in the Maryland Major Soccer League, an affiliated league of United States Adult Soccer Association.
Lansdowne Yonkers FC is an American soccer club based in Yonkers, New York. Founded in 1997, the team plays in Region I of the United States Adult Soccer Association. The club, also known as the ‘Bhoys’, was formed by Irish American immigrants in 1997 and wears the same colours as Celtic FC. While including Irish players on its teams, there is a distinct multinational feel to the club as they have featured players from the US, New Zealand, Ivory Coast, Germany, Jamaica, and Gambia.
Hank Steinbrecher is an American former soccer executive, player, and coach. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
The 2018 Hank Steinbrecher Cup was the sixth edition of the United States Adult Soccer Association's (USASA) tournament whose winner is recognized with the title of U.S. National Amateur Champions.
The 2019 Hank Steinbrecher Cup was the seventh edition of the United States Adult Soccer Association's (USASA) tournament whose winner is recognized with the title of U.S. National Amateur Champions.
The 2020 Hank Steinbrecher Cup was planned to be the eighth edition of the United States Adult Soccer Association's (USASA) tournament whose winner is recognized with the title of U.S. National Amateur Champions. This edition was canceled in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
The 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was planned to be the 107th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout cup competition in American soccer. Atlanta United FC were the defending champions after defeating Minnesota United FC in the 2019 final. The competition was suspended on March 13, 2020, before the first round fixtures, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and later canceled on August 17. Despite the tournament's cancelation, the spot for the 2021 CONCACAF Champions League was awarded to the defending champions, Atlanta United FC.
The 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament proper featured teams from all five tiers of the men's American soccer pyramid.
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.
Denton Diablos FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Denton, Texas, which began play in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) in 2019. The club made it to their conference's playoffs in their 1st season of competition. Due to Covid in 2020 the entire season was cancelled. In their 2nd season they also made it out of the Conference Playoffs for the 1st time in 2021 and made it all the way to the NPSL National Championship.
The 2021 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament proper was to feature teams from all five tiers of the men's American soccer pyramid.
The 2019 National Amateur Cup was the 96th edition of the National Amateur Cup, a knockout cup competition open to amateur teams affiliated with the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). This was the second edition of the tournament to award a spot in the U.S. Open Cup to its champion.
The 2021 National Amateur Cup was the 97th edition of the National Amateur Cup, a knockout cup competition open to amateur teams affiliated with the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). This is the third edition of the tournament to award its champion a spot in the U.S. Open Cup.
The 2022 Hank Steinbrecher Cup was the eighth edition of the United States Adult Soccer Association's (USASA) tournament whose winner is recognized with the title of U.S. National Amateur Champions. The two previous editions where canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
The club was officially founded in 1998 By head Coach Michael Svanda & Son Matt Svanda.
Aside from a national title and bragging rights at stake, National Amateur Cup Champions earn a spot in the U.S Open Cup, as well as cash prizes listed below. Champion – $15,000 Runner Up – $10,000 Third Place – $7,500 Fourth Place – $5,000
Beyond the amateur teams in local qualifying, Newtown Pride FC (Newtown, Connecticut), by virtue of winning the 2019 U.S. Adult Soccer Association National Amateur Cup on Aug. 3, has been awarded a direct slot into the first round of next year's Open Cup and will not compete in local qualifying, the second year running where a first round berth has been reserved for the Amateur Cup champion.
The Steinbrecher is a competition between the reigning National Amateur Cup champion, the NPSL champion, the USL Two champion and the previous year's Steinbrecher champion... The three-peat of the USASA national championship ensures that the Bucks will represent again in the 2020 Hank Steinbrecher Cup, but also brought with it some more good news. Tournament Director Duncan Riddle and tournament namesake Hank Steinbrecher confirmed that the Bucks will host the 2020 tournament in Flint next May as the team goes for a record fourth title in a row.
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