 | |||
| Founded | 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2022 | ||
| Stadium | Sportsplex at Matthews | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| League | National Independent Soccer Association | ||
| Fall 2021 | 8th Place | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
Stumptown AC, formerly Stumptown Athletic, was an American professional soccer team that played in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA). The club was based in Matthews, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte.
Following an initial bid in late 2017, the team was first announced by the National Independent Soccer Association on October 23, 2018 with plans to begin play in the inaugural 2019–20 season. [1] [2] Originally referred to in league press releases simply as "Charlotte", the name Stumptown Athletic was officially unveiled in June 2019. [3] The name came from an early nickname for Matthews derived from the fact that farmers cut down so many trees to clear land that the town was left full of tree stumps. [4]
The team was originally owned by Christopher Clarke of Atlanta, a lawyer specializing in wealth management, and Casey Carr, a former college soccer player with the DePaul Blue Demons and an entrepreneur based out of Mecklenburg County. [5] Carr also served as the club's president and GM in its firt season.
On July 21, 2019 the club appointed Mark Steffens as head coach. Steffens previously coached the Charlotte Eagles and served as an assistant for the Charlotte Lady Eagles. [6] In August, Stumptown announced former Jamaica national football team player Michael Binns and Jared Odenbeck as their first signings. [7]
During the Fall 2019 showcase, Stumptown competed within the East Coast Conference and finished second in their group. In the championship game the team fell to Miami FC, 3–0. [8] After two matches in the Spring 2020 season, NISA announced a suspension of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [9] Eventually, the entire Spring Season was cancelled outright. [10]
Following a hiatus during the Fall 2020 season, Clarke tried to sell the club. Unable to find a new buyer, the league itself took over ownership and operations of the team under a new logo and the revised name Stumptown AC on March 3, 2021. [11] [12] Soccer executive Fred Matthes and former Portland Timbers assistant coach Rod Underwood were announced as the new team president and head coach, respectively.
The Spring 2021 season was a difficult one for Stumptown. With league ownership requiring a shoestring budget, bills went unpaid during the season. The broadcast company went unpaid and nearly refused to air the team's final game. Player paychecks were frequently late, and on at least one occasion players were paid by the opposing team before a game. [13]
The league searched for a new owner throughout the 2021 season, and put the team on hiatus after the season ended. [14] Underwood left the club and on December 3, 2021 was named head coach of regional rival Chattanooga FC. [15] Following the league's failure to secure new ownership, the hiatus became permanent and Stumptown AC folded. [16]
The club's supporters' group was the QC Royals. [17] Founded in 2015 to support other minor league soccer clubs, the Royals moved on to support Charlotte FC after Stumptown folded. [16]
The team used both CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex in Pineville and the Sportsplex at Matthews as home venues in 2019-20, and played all of its home games in the Sportsplex at Matthews during the Spring 2021 season. [11]
| Season | League | Div. | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GS | GA | Pts. | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Top goalscorer | Manager | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | League | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–20 | NISA | Fall – East Coast [lower-alpha 1] | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 | 12 | Runner-up | Cancelled |  Michael Binns  Donald Benamna  Jalen Brown | 2 | Mark Steffens |
| Spring [lower-alpha 2] | 1st | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | Cancelled | ||||||
| 2020–21 | Fall | On hiatus | Cancelled | Alex McGrath | 3 |  Rod Underwood | |||||||||
| Spring | 3rd | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 15 | Did not qualify | ||||||
Rod Underwood is an American former soccer player and currently head coach and sporting director for Chattanooga FC in the MLS Next Pro.
The 2019–20 NISA season was the inaugural season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition. The regular season was split into two halves, fall and spring, with playoffs at the end. The fall season, named "NISA Showcase", featured seven teams, with the East and West champions earning berths into the 2020 playoffs. The spring season featured eight teams, and switches to a single table format, the top 3 teams joining California United Strikers in the playoffs.
The 2019–20 season was Detroit City FC's first professional season since the club was established in 2012 and their first in the National Independent Soccer Association.
The 2019–20 Oakland Roots SC season was the club's first ever and its first in the newly created National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), a newly established third division soccer league in the United States.
The 2019–20 Atlanta SC season was the club's first season playing professionally and its first in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), a newly established third division soccer league in the United States.
The 2019–20 Chattanooga 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 since being established in 2009.
The 2019–20 Stumptown Athletic season was the club's inaugural season in the National Independent Soccer Association, a newly established third division soccer league in the United States.
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.
The 2020–21 NISA season was the second season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition. The regular season was split into two halves, Fall and Spring, with playoffs at the end of each, and a Championship Match that had the Fall champion host the Spring champion. This season also saw the introduction of a new cup competition, the NISA Independent Cup, that features independent clubs from various professional and semi-professional leagues across the United States.
The 2020–21 season was Detroit City FC's second professional season since the club was established in 2012 and their first full season in the National Independent Soccer Association.
The 2020–21 Chattanooga FC season was the club's second professional season playing in the National Independent Soccer Association, its first full season in NISA, and 13th overall since being established in 2009.
The 2020–21 Michigan Stars FC season was the club's second season playing in the third division National Independent Soccer Association and first full professional season.
The 2020–21 California United Strikers FC season was the club's second in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) and second as a professional team overall.
The 2020–21 New Amsterdam FC season was the club's first professional season and its first in the National Independent Soccer Association.
The 2020–21 Los Angeles Force season was the club's second in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) and second overall.
The 2020–21 San Diego 1904 FC season was the club's second in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) and second overall.
The 2020–21 Maryland Bobcats FC season was the club's first in the National Independent Soccer Association and first as a professional team.
The 2020–21 Stumptown AC season was the club's second in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), second overall, and first under this name and management.
The Fall 2021 NISA season was the third season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition. The season took place only during the Fall in order to realign the league's seasons with the calendar year. The league also organized the second edition of its pre-season cup competition, the NISA Independent Cup.
The Fall 2021 Chattanooga FC season was the club's third professional season playing in the National Independent Soccer Association and 14th overall since being established in 2009.
