Battle Born FC (Northern Nevada) – inaugural champions of the NISA Nation Pacific Region, the club came up short in the final USOC qualification game, but is more prepared for 2023

Capo FC (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) – the club that ripped its way to the fall NISA Nation Southwest Region title, enters the qualification rounds after debuting last year

SC Union Maricopa (Gilbert, Ariz.) – another member of the NISA Nation Southwest Region, this will be the first appearance for the club formerly known as Valley FC Raiders

Club de Lyon (Orlando, Fla.) – established this year, and inaugural champions of NISA Nation’s Florida Region, this will be the club’s first appearance

Deportivo Lake Mary FC (Lake Mary, Fla.) – another inaugural member of NISA Nation’s Florida Region, the club has participated in four consecutive years of qualifying rounds for the USOC and is determined to make the second round this year

“A huge congratulations to all of the NISA Nation clubs taking part in the 2023 US Open Cup qualifiers,” says NISA Nation Managing Director Jonathan Rednour. “Every one of these clubs is strong and will represent NISA Nation very well. This is very exciting and a great opportunity for our clubs to continue growing their brands on and off the pitch.” All NISA professional sides will be announced at a later date.

CHICAGO (May 2, 2022) – The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announces the return of the NISA Independent Cup (NIC), to be played among 36 clubs spread across nine regions this June and July. Each region features one NISA professional club, as well as NISA Nation and NISA affiliate clubs. Additionally, guest independent amateur clubs will participate.

“NISA is in its first, end-to-end full season, and NISA Nation is still in its infancy,” says NIC Tournament Director Matt Morse. “This new format allows the professional, NISA Nation, clubs from NISA affiliates, and a few guest clubs to get acclimated to a regional cup. Over the long term, the NIC will develop sustainably into a full, national tournament.”

The tournament is formatted as a round robin tournament between the three amateur clubs in each region using a 10-point system. The winner of that round-robin earns $3,000 and a spot playing the NISA professional club for the regional championship. The winner of each region earns $4,000.

The NIC was originally created to allow clubs to play during COVID, allowing professional and amateur clubs to return to the pitch safely and get meaningful matches played when most competitions had halted.

The tournament kickoff date is June 25 and will stream on Eleven Sports.

“Our role is to help clubs identify every aspect of running a successful club at this level,” said Managing Director Jonathan Rednour. “There has been heavy emphasis from a lot of clubs on what will be accomplished on the field with little to no knowledge on how to be sustainable off of it first. It is imperative we hold ourselves accountable and be a resource for our members as they transition into a business first approach.”

In less than a year’s time, NISA Nation has built a sustainable platform for clubs whose aspirations are to succeed on and off the field. Newly rebranded club, New York Braveheart SC, faced adversity early, forcing them to readjust their organizational structure and overall image. NISA Nation provided the proper resources and guidance to assist their needs.

“We were put in an unfortunate situation after having a very successful season in the fall,” mentioned New York Braveheart President, Bob Chacko. “The NISA Nation staff were very motivated and accommodating to our needs as we shifted things under the Braveheart organization.”

New York Braveheart SC first signings.

Under the guidance of Jonathan Rednour, NISA Nation has begun revamping and initiating a new approach to its vetting and onboarding process for new owners and clubs. Director of Expansion and Outreach, Brent Housteau, recently came aboard to spearhead this initiative. His focus is working with clubs interested in NISA Nation to make sure they have the information they need to determine whether NISA Nation is the right fit for their club, while ensuring interested clubs align with NISA Nation’s values.

Ben Rode, formerly the Midwest regional director, has shifted into a new role as the Director of Strategic Initiatives. A main portion of his duties will now oversee the process of accepting new clubs and walking them through the onboarding stages. This allows NISA Nation to work closely with its new members, identifying the roadblocks early, and executing any plans needed to allow our clubs a successful start to their season.

“It was important to establish a vetting process after our fall season,” said Rode. “We were attracting the right clubs, but we weren’t doing our due diligence in ensuring they understood what they were signing up for. We had to improve in this area and that’s why we shifted our approach to this process. We have done a lot of great work bringing this up to par.”

Yuval Cohen with Las Vegas Legends advances towards goal in their contest vs. Valley Raiders FC on 3/19/22. (Photo credit: LBShots)

In addition to these changes, starting fall 2022, NISA Nation will adjust its league format, moving to a year-round, nine-month, season supporting an 18-22 match contest. That format will vary depending on the number of clubs participating in each region. Regions will follow the fall-to-spring calendar where weather permits. Certain areas in the country will need to operate during a more weather-friendly period.

Each region has been properly vetted and is set within a 500-mile radius from the two furthest clubs. This allows a cap to the amount of quality clubs participating. The number may vary depending on the availability of clubs that meet NISA Nation standards in each region, with the set amount falling anywhere between 8 and 12.

“Our objective is a longer, more consistent format that allows clubs to provide some routine for its supporters, players, staff, etc…,” added Rednour. “There are quality leagues at the amateur level that only operate a few months out of the year. Conference alignments are an annual waiting game. Then there’s the multiple-month gap before their club returns to the field. NISA Nation is looking to offer a more uniformed approach for all who are invested in the club throughout a nine-month period.”

With these changes also came a realignment and improved efforts to grow NISA’s affiliate partnerships. Director of Competitions and Affiliates, Matt Morse, has been assigned to mapping out the most efficient and productive system that supports all entities involved. Creating synergy that allows movement between each level while maintaining our affiliates’ strength and growth.

“Each NISA Nation region is aligned to better serve our affiliate leagues that are the foundation to our growth throughout the NISA system,” Morse said. “There is no pyramid to any structure without the base, and our affiliates provide the groundwork at the grassroots level.”

“What has been put in motion within NISA Nation are efforts to continue refining the process,” Rednour said. “Implementing mechanisms and protocols that offer maximum support for all of our members.”

NISA Nation strives to be the critical link in a club’s development from amateur to pro.

“The referee coordinator is designed to oversee all game assignments, disciplinary reviews and referee development,” says NISA Nation Managing Director Jonathan Rednour. “Kenneth checked off all of those boxes for us in our fall season and has shown incredible drive and intuition to strengthen our relationship with the referee community.”

Kenneth Henriques joins NISA Nation with more than 25 years of experience in the game having played, officiated and more – recently taking on an administrative role.

“I’ve been incredibly excited to be a part of NISA Nation from its inception,” says Henriques. “I look forward to assisting in referee development, and any additional competitions that can develop clubs, players and referees.”

The referee coordinator duties include working within each region, identifying a strong network of local assignors and referees who share the same vision of providing the highest level of officiated matches possible, while utilizing NISA Nation’s platform to offer development in the referee ranks across the country.

“It takes a unique individual to referee,” adds Henriques. “You have to understand not only the laws of the game, but also how those laws should be applied, and what that particular game expects in the application of those laws. Being able to possess that trait, coupled with the ability to manage varying personalities, takes dedication to your craft. NISA Nation games will offer these challenges and our job is to provide guidance on how to identify and apply these attributes.”

NISA Nation has kicked off in the Southwest region this past weekend with the Northeast, Florida and Pacific regions set to follow shortly. Stay tuned for more schedule announcements.

“This is a big deal for everyone, for every club, involved in NISA Nation,” says NISA Nation Managing Director Ron Patel. “This designation helps us tell the open system story to independent, amateur clubs looking to grow to the professional level. In the end, it’s about building the league the right way.”

A major benefit of the designation is the league would be allowed automatic spots in the US Open Cup tournament for 2024.

NISA Nation officially took to the pitch for the first time this fall with 10 clubs in two regions (the Northeast & Southwest). In the Spring, the league will see growth to more than 25 clubs across four regions, adding the Pacific and the Florida regions.

USASA – the primary governing body serving amateur, adult soccer throughout the country – is the only level of amateur soccer officially recognized by the U.S. Soccer Federation. Per its web site, “while (USASA) is relatively young in comparison to US Soccer, its origin and those of its member state associations go back to the start of the Federation in 1913 and prior.”

You Can’t Spell Challenge without Change, and change is what makes us human!

As deportivo lake mary finished the 2021 spring season in the florida central division of the UPSL after 4 strong years, the time has come to take on a new challenge that sets up the team for the next stage in their playing careers.

Since the club’s inception in 2017 the founder and President Mr Alfredo Forero has always tried to provide the best possible opportunity for the up and coming talent to turn fully pro. And in the same pursuit the club has taken on this exciting new opportunity to play in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA Nation) from the 2022 season onwards.

But What is NISA?

National Independent Soccer Association is a rapidly growing men’s soccer league in the US that became fully active in 2019 and has been a hub for the brightest talent from remote parts of the US. The league currently comes under the third tier of American soccer, with 14 teams fighting for silverware every single season.

Why NISA Nation?

The motto of NISA matches our own, which is to give mature and semi pro players a proper platform to transform their careers and reach that next level. And to further this objective the association commenced an independent cup competition in 2020 where league teams will face better professional sides  from upper tiers of American soccer based in their regions.

Not just that but they are constantly landing better affiliations as well with similar leagues within the US. The likes of GCPL (Gulf Coast Premier League), MPL ( Midwest Premier League) and EPSL ( Eastern Premier Soccer League) are all already onboard pulling in the same direction and trying to present a solid playing environment for the talent within US soccer.

How does NISA Nation work?

The functioning of a regular NISA Nation season is a lot similar to the UPSL, and since you have followed along for the past 4 years it should be easy to understand. The season is divided into two halves ie; Spring and Fall with 10 matches in each half totalling to 20 matches over the course of a year.

There are also playoffs towards the end of each half and an ultimate Championship Final where the winner of Spring season meets the winner of the fall season.

How does the team feel about this?

There is absolutely no denying the fact that we have a bunch of warriors within the lake mary FC. And they are more excited than ever for a new challenge and of course the opportunity it brings along, fully aware of the sacrifice it will demand from their side too.

But we are more than sure of their levels of commitment and professionalism which has brought them this far and will surely take them a long way forward. And lets not forget at the helm of things the President Alfredo Forero is not just a leader but a good friend too who will give them the best advice for their respective playing careers.

Speaking about the new challenge he said “Well it will just open another path for our players to be scouted by their pro teams from NISA. We already have different partnerships we are working on with clubs in Europe to try out our players. But Our main objective as a club is to provide a legit opportunity to our players to reach the pro level, that is why our roster is young. Everything that we do is for that reason” making it clear that the new league will directly impact the player’s career growth.

Where can I watch all the matches?

NiSA and NISA Nation has partnered up with Eleven sports and bein sports to exclusively telecast all their matches for the upcoming Spring season 2022. So make sure to stay up to date with the schedule and not miss out on the crucial action.

This very match will be taking place at Lake Mary High School, which stands as the home ground for Deportivo Lake Mary FC.

Deportivo Lake Mary FC – Overview

The 2021 fall season has come to an end for Deportivo lake mary FC, as they play their last match of the season against Sportsparadize SA in the southeast conference of the Florida central premier division.

The season has nowhere been ideal for the players or the fans. As the team ends up in the lower bracket of 3 teams yet again. Finishing 8th on the points table.

The last match was especially a big blow to the hopes of finishing mid-table, after playing all 10 games. As the team took a beating of 2-8 at home against Nona Academy FC adding to their 3 games losing streak.

Lake mary did manage to register shots on target and create from wider areas but it was all too little as the opposition kept coming back to score. The defensive transitions and over-dependence on Jean Mickenson have cost them all 3 points again which has been a consistent theme throughout the season.

Deportivo Lake mary will go up against Sportsparadize SA who find themselves in a similar spot as their last win came about 3 months ago. After which they’ve been on a losing streak too.

But unlike Lake marry they do have 4 games in hand and a chance to push for a mid-table finish also. Whereas lake marry have only 1 game left meaning they might slip up even further.

A win here against sportsparadize SA would mean that Lake marry might be able to solidify the 8th spot, a slight upgrade from last season’s 9th. And head coach Alfredo Forero will do everything in his power to make sure it happens. Because once this season is over there are plenty of questions left concerning restructuring the defense and perhaps even starting from scratch in that area.

Sports Paradize SA Overview

Six games played and just one draw from it, Sportsparadize have been a little too far from the taste of a winning cocktail for the majority of the 2021 Fall season. Their playstyle has not been clear from the start itself, and it shows in the results too.

The team has been playing a mix of passive defensive and low intensity attacking football in all their games so far. It seems they either don’t trust the coach’s instructions or immediately change the entire approach after a slight slip up in the match.

This could be seen in the practice in their last game against Gainseville city where it seemed like the players had no idea how to stretch the pitch while attacking or press during the defensive transitions.

Deportivo lake marry have been the better of the two sides here. Because the team trusts in the tactical philosophy of their head coach. However, they’ve had problems translating it onto the pitch as well but at least they have a system they stick to.

A win against Lake mary would of course see the morale lifted and a much needed 3 points that could almost rejuvenate their season.

Deportivo Lake Marry vs Sports Paradize SA

Both teams have not been able to tap into their best versions this season. And unfortunately, the morals are down at both camps. While Sportsparadize has a chance to rejuvenate enthusiasm with a win here, I’d say Lake mary would need it more because of what’s at stake for them

In terms of the playstyles and tactical superiorities, lake mary have a good chance to outplay their opponents and finish the season on a positive note. Whatever happens, after the game is not in their control but, what happens out there most definitely is.

As usual, we will tune in via Facebook live to give our full support to the lake mary boys. Make sure you do the same and don’t miss out on what is perhaps the most important fixture of the season for this team.

This match preview will be aimed at the game taking place during the UPSL 2021 Fall Season between Deportivo Lake Mary FC and Nona Soccer Academy on the 13th of November.

This very match will be taking place at Lake Mary High School, which stands as the home ground for Deportivo Lake Mary FC.

Deportivo Lake Mary FC – Overview

The 2021 fall season has brought with it a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, the team is performing well on the pitch and the plays seem a lot more intense and motivated. But the results will tell you a different story. Players are well aware of it which is why it’s super important for them to not just show a promising display but seal all 3 points this Saturday.

Lake mary come into this game off the back of a not so impressive run. Over the last 3 games, they’ve lost twice and drawn once, on a similar scoreline of 3-2 and 3-3. Especially the last game which seemed like a really good opportunity to grab a win against a top side like Brevard fire FC. But the lack of defensive solidity made us vulnerable at the back yet again.

Resulting in lost points and dropped position. The tactical changes made by coach Alfredo are clearly working as players are finding more spaces in behind and scoring goals too. But perhaps the players should demand more from themselves at this make or break point of the season.

A few solid performances in the last 2 games could see Lake Marry potentially rise to a 5th spot. This can be a big step up from last seasons finish in 9th position. Failing to do so would have a negative impact for sure.

Nona Soccer Academy Overview

Our opposition coming into the second last game of the season are a well versed and hardworking side in Nona Soccer Academy. They currently find themselves amongst the top 4 teams with 13 points on the table. They are of course closely followed by CFL Gosa Spurs who are yet to play 2 more games and are expected to catch up soon.

The playstyle as I just mentioned is really simple work-work and work some more, which makes them a difficult side break down at times. The Nona Soccer academy players don’t care about playing the fancy style of football or sleek trickery, they just know how to get over the line by scoring goals. Which has so far worked in their favour. Winning 2 out of their last 3 matches while scoring 8+ goals combined, only to be stopped by the brilliant OC Academy in their last match.

Deportivo Lake Mary vs Nona Soccer Academy FC

It’s a very crucial fixture for both teams – An equal opportunity to either advance or solidify their respective positions on the table with a win. And in order to do so, our very own lake mary boys will have to match the work ethic of Nona Soccer Academy by giving them an equally tough challenge as their last match against Ocean way FC.

Playing at your home ground is always a plus, but we mustn’t get too comfortable with our play style and home advantage. Definitely scoring first would give each side a big boost in confidence and sometimes thats all you need for such a tight fixture.

Our wishes are with Lake mary boys as always and we are sure of their work ethic and winning mentality. Make sure to tune in via Facebook live at 7:00 PM ET.

This match preview will be aimed at the game taking place during the UPSL 2021Fall Season between Deportivo Lake Mary FC and CFL Gosa Spurs on the 30th of October.

This specific match will be taking place at Lake Mary High School, which stands as the home ground for Deportivo Lake Mary FC.

Deportivo Lake Mary FC – Overview

The boys at Lake Mary have not been pulling their punches (or kicks, rather) in this 2021 Fall Season of the UPSL. While the team has been performing better than they usually have, there certainly is room for improvement and better performance on the field, which will reflect in their rankings.

And speaking of which, Lake Mary has ended up defending their rank 6 spot for a decent amount of time as of now. As you can tell, securing the 6th rank at this point in the Fall season is nothing to scoff at, but there is a lot left to desire from the team as well. Lake Mary needs to accelerate things in their direction to have a better finish to the season.

Lake Mary FC already held the number 6 rank in the standings even before their match with Gainesville on the 16th of October. After the highly-anticipated match, which, however, ended up in a draw, Lake Mary saw themselves simply keeping their position intact for another day.

The win that made the team rise to rank 6 was the match against Jacksonville which took place on the 26th of September, winning 2-1 and making everybody at home proud. The clean sweep loss before that against OFC Barca was, on the other hand, not the best of their matches, which shows the hot-and-cold performance that Lake Mary has been displaying throughout the season.

That being said, I don’t think there are many teams that show the kind of improvement and never-give-up attitude that Lake Mary does, and that leaves us with a lot to hope for in the upcoming matches for this 2021 Fall season.

Deportivo Lake Mary v/s CFL Gosa Spurs

Deportivo Lake Mary FC are certainly going into this next match with Gosa Spurs with a level-headed mindset; having tied with Gainesville in the last match, the boys at Lake Mary surely have the determination to put on a game-winning performance, and are humbled enough to not let any overconfidence get to their heads.

For this upcoming match against CFL Gosa Spurs taking place on the 30th of October, Deportivo Lake Mary FC cannot afford to make sloppy plays. Gosa Spurs have had a strong performance throughout the season and have taken the rank 4 spot on the standings due to it.

What Lake Mary needs is a solid blueprint of the kind of playstyle that they need to adopt to take on the likes of Gosa Spurs. With the kind of aggression that the boys at Lake Mary have been showing recently, it should not be too difficult for them to break through Gosa Spurs’ defense and find the right time to strike.

What gives us faith in the winning capabilities of Lake Mary is the big man at the helm of it all, Alfredo Forero. The team’s coach is highly-skilled and has guided the team to success before, and we have no doubt that he will be able to identify the weaknesses in the Gosa Spurs, share the attacking responsibilities through our team equally, and make sure every player is coached to their maximum potential.

Aren’t you excited? Because we sure are! So you better mark your calendars and tune in for the match of a lifetime between Deportivo Lake Mary FC and CFL Gosa Spurs on October 30th!

Do not forget to come out and support the team.  

This match preview will be aimed at the game taking place during the UPSL 2021 Fall Season between Deportivo Lake Mary FC and Gainesville FC on the 16th of October.

This very match will be taking place at Lake Mary High School, which stands as the home ground for Deportivo Lake Mary FC.

Deportivo Lake Mary FC – Overview

The 2021 Fall Season has not been an easy ride for the boys at Deportivo Lake Mary. The team has seen their fair share of losses as well as ties and wins, and while this is certainly not a bad performance from them this season, it is also not their best.

The 3 matches Lake Mary played last month are a good indicator of where things are in terms of their standings. The team took 2 losses again Oceanway FC and OFC Barca, but then came out strong with a 2-1 win against  Jacksonville FC in their most recent match

Even the losses that the team went through this season weren’t taken without a strong fight, and we need to commend the boys at Lake Mary for that. They show that even against a tough lineup and overpowering offense, they know how to push through and hold their ground.

Their latest win against Jacksonville FC showed their skilful offensive prowess and teamwork. They played like a well-oiled machine and managed to take the win from a formidable club like Jacksonville themselves. Of course, a large part of the credit to their success is attributed to the sound training and tactics provided by the head coach : Alfredo forero

This win has put Deportivo Lake Mary FC at rank 6 in the standings as of now, which is exactly in the middle of the 11 placed ranks that the teams hold currently. The team is performing decently, but needs to pick up speed to avoid being left behind.

Deportivo Lake Mary FC v/s Gainesville FC

Deportivo Lake Mary has been doing well this season, but there is no point in not getting a better rank than where they are now; they certainly don’t want to be stuck at just an average run through the season.

The boys at Lake Mary are going up against Gainesville FC for their next match on the 16th of October, and we are expecting a positive outcome from Lake Mary. Gainesville has not had the best run this season, having only one win among their 4 latest matches, now standing at rank 9, which gives us a positive matchup, at least when it comes to statistics.

Every player needs to put their best foot forward, literally, and pick up more goals by adopting a more offensive playstyle, something that Lake Mary can use more of. Their defensive play can certainly improve solely by simply focusing on their offense, not giving their opposing team a chance to strike.

Lake Mary, more often than not, tends to tunnel all their attacking responsibilities into one player, which turns detrimental. As long as the team remembers to share their offensive pressure to break through Gainesville’s defense, we should be seeing Lake Mary take home the win.

With this hope in our hearts, let us enjoy the adrenaline-fuelled match that is taking place on the 16th of October between Deportivo Lake Mary FC and Gainesville FC and cheer our boys on to victory!

Make sure to tune in via Eleven Sports live to catch the action live at 7PM ET.