2018 Protagonist Soccer Club of the Year

When we made the list for Club of the Year, we all used our own logic to choose our nominee. Each club had merit in their own right and each writer had specific reasons for choosing each club. Those reasons were given here, but for some online they weren’t good enough. Some felt it was a beauty contest, lacking substance. Some pointed to records, conveniently ignoring the off-the-field material. Some complained that the process was flawed, that there should have been a write-in candidate slot. Well, I’m happy to report that the voting is done and winner has accomplished plenty off and on the field to earn that vote.

Inocentes FC

My first exposure to Inocentes was two years ago working on a different soccer project. I met Mario Alcalá, the club president, and was struck by the level of sincerity and focus he exuded in our interview. We discussed his club’s history, which I wrote about for our site here, the generational connection between the modern club and the club that was formed by immigrant relatives 70 years before. There was something incredible hearing a club official talking about layers of history going back into the ‘50s and ‘60s - especially in a country that seems to be unaware of its soccer history. Inocentes is a family heirloom that is cherished by Mario and his brother, Luis, who coaches the club. They know and value this club and its history because their grandfather, father, and uncles did before them.

UPSL Spring Season

2018 was a big year for Inocentes FC as it moved into the North Division of the UPSL Central from Fort Worth local leagues. From the start the club showed its mettle in the face of tough competition. With a club full of first-time UPSL competitors, Inocentes went undefeated its first season, qualifying for the UPSL Central Playoffs. It won its first match and proceeded into the Conference Final against fellow North Division opponent, Dallas Elite FC. Inocentes emerged victorious, 3-2, taking the Conference Championship and earning a trip to Colorado for the National Playoffs - in its first season in the UPSL.

What happened next is not unique to Inocentes FC, but it contributes to a bigger picture of the club and its connection to the community. With a trip across several states looming, the club put out a call to its local supporters to help raise funds. Pictures of parents, cousins, friends, lining up to purchase plates of food to support the club filled social media. Those were soon followed by photos of players and coaches getting onto buses, partially paid for by the generous outpouring of community support. This is what local soccer is about; tying the club to the community. Inocentes is supported because generations of players have worn the name and familial roots have grown deep into local neighborhoods. The club represents the community - in the past, of course, but now in a new league with new challenges - and the community continues to give its support to its sons, nephews, and cousins.

Inocentes’ run in the 2018 Spring National Playoffs was over quickly. The first match was against Southeast Conference Champions Florida Soccer Soldiers. Florida jumped out to a quick lead and held on to win 2-0. After the match, Alcalá’s quote revealed his character: “I thought we deserved a better result, but unfortunately this game isn’t about deserving.” Of course he was disappointed and heartbroken at the quick exit, it was the club’s first loss of the season, but he wouldn’t complain about hypotheticals - the game isn’t about deserving.

How did the early exit affect the club? “The loss motivated the guys to work even harder. We have a confident group who feel they can compete with anyone so it wasn’t hard in that respect.” So the Alcalá brothers went back and rather than dwelling on the loss, they highlighted the success of their first season. They went undefeated in league play, won their conference playoff, and even won their consolation match against Boise Cutthroats. This wasn’t a season to complain about, but something to celebrate. And off the field, the success had sparked community interest. Players’ families, unable to make the trip to Colorado, had put together viewing parties and streamed the match. That connection to the community had actually grown stronger, regardless of the loss.

UPSL Fall Season

While some clubs decided to take the UPSL Fall Season off, Inocentes came back with a furious effort in an expanded Central Division. Bouncing back from the National Playoff defeat, the club began the season without a loss in the first nine weeks. That run included two absolute drubbings of conference opponents, winning back-to-back matches 8-0 and 10-0. Conference powerhouse Dallas Elite FC would win their matchup in week ten, 2-0, giving Inocentes FC its first regular season UPSL loss. Two weeks later, Dallas Elite FC took the second matchup of the clubs 2-0 and gained a stranglehold on the North Division headed into the Conference Playoffs.

Inocentes FC took on South Division winner Atletico Katy in the first round of the playoffs. That match would go into penalties before Inocentes eventually won 4-2. The second round of the Conference Playoffs would match it against South Division runner-up Houston FC. That match was less tenuous, ending in a 4-1 win for the Fort Worth club. After two tough matches, the club would face its divisional rival, Dallas Elite FC, which had beat it twice already in the regular season.

I can only imagine the mindset of the players going into a match with a club that has proven it can beat you (twice!). Yet, the players of Inocentes FC were undaunted. This time, the score would again be 2-0, but this time it was Inocentes that was the winner and the Conference Champion for the second time in as many seasons. A berth to the National Playoffs had again been earned, this time into the Semifinal (due to the new playoff format).

Moving Forward

Of course, I don’t know how this year’s playoff run will end for Inocentes FC this year. Certainly it could end much the same way as last year. But for Mario Alcalá, this season has already been a win. When asked what was the biggest accomplishment of this year, he responded, “The consistency to win back-to-back conference championships and detaching ourselves from the ‘Sunday league team’ title. A lot of people within our community first learned of us in our local Sunday league, so being able to prove that we can take the club to the next level is huge.” Inocentes is far from being a Sunday league team, but prove that talent can win at all levels, especially with the backing of the community that surrounds it.

Congratulations to Inocentes FC, our 2018 Protagonist Soccer Club of the Year.

- Dan Vaughn

Favorite Article of the Year

We’ve only existed for 4 months, but, in that time, we’ve generated some great coverage of lower league clubs, players, and events. We asked our staff to pick their favorite articles from the year, not necessarily by them. The result was a list of articles as diverse as the subject matter we’ve covered so far - it does not disappoint. If you’re new to our site or maybe you missed one of these, check out our staff favorites from this year!

Dan - The Ghosts of Fall River

Before this site ever existed, there was a conversation in a chat with 6 or 7 lower tier soccer guys: four podcasters, several SG founders, even a front office guy from a UPSL side. We’d talk about lower league stuff all the time, literally. I’d have to turn my phone off in the night so the notifications wouldn’t wake me up. In the process of that conversation, I learned about the history of soccer in this country. Specifically Fall River Marksmen. That seed grew into this website and when we did our “dead club” features, it was a no brainer for me. I wrote about a club I love, regardless of their long-ago demise. I think that the average American soccer fan doesn’t know the sport’s history. We need to change that.

Steven - Cracking the Crypt Series

It’s hard to pick just one article, but this series inspired all of our writers to consider our past and what local soccer truly means. Everyone pitched in and we created a week’s worth of unique content. I learned about so many historic clubs and had fun researching Los Angeles’ soccer history. This series also inspired our first #VitalVintage jersey, Vampire Association FC. Evolution as an organization is inevitable and I believe this series was a turning point for Protagonist Soccer.

Shawn-All the articles

I’ll be honest I couldn’t choose just one article.  Each article gave us different perspectives and looks into all of the clubs we’ve covered thus far.  Each of us here at Protagonist has a distinct writing style and it can be seen clearly in the writing.  At the same time, seeing the amount of conversations started because of some of our articles and seeing clubs gain more followers has been amazing to see.  

Phil - Divergence: The Death of the Kitsap Pumas

This is bittersweet for me because I wish I’d never had to have written this story. Kitsap Pumas were a fantastic club with lots of history and ambition, so writing about their demise was difficult. This story quickly revealed itself to be incredibly important though. No club in the US is immune to problems. Your local club needs you. There are so many good people involved with these clubs, make sure you do your part to ensure they still have the opportunity to make a difference with that club by never taking it for granted.

Dominic - We Are a People, We Are Alive

I really enjoy everyone’s work on the site but having more insight into the creation of my own articles than others, I’d say that I most enjoyed the work around my article on Croatian-Inspired clubs called We Are A People, We Are Alive. The article involved talking to two great clubs and got a really positive response from the soccer community, which was great to see, but what made me feel the most positive about the article was that it got positive responses from Croatian Americans in and outside of the beautiful game.

Josh – The Spotlight Series

One of my favorite aspects of learning about all of these amazing clubs, is hearing about it in their own words. What their badges mean to them, where they draw their inspiration from and what they love about their city or neighborhoods. Learning all about a new club from Central Florida is as exciting as learning about the long tradition of an amateur soccer organization in my home town of Portland, Oregon. I am really looking forward to future Spotlight pieces as well as the Uniformity pieces, which deep-dives into the design and meaning of the truly fantastic shirts of all the teams we support.

Brian - Being as Cleveland as Possible

This is not my favorite because of the content, but because it solidified my love affair with these clubs. Researching the end of AFC Cleveland, followed immediately by the rise of Cleveland SC, exposed me to the will these clubs have to have to survive and thrive in this local-based soccer world. Getting the buy-in from the community and understanding Cleveland’s passion for this sport was gratifying. So many people took time out of their busy schedules to grant my interview requests and they were great about the extended timetable for the story process. Plus, they have their own beer and the whole discussion started in a Chipotle parking lot, where many great ideas originate.

The Worst of 2018

While making a “best of the year” is fun, looking for the dark parts of this year is also a worthwhile practice. As Socrates said “The unexamined life isn’t worth living.” We must examine where we have been to find solutions for our shortcomings and to plan for progress next year. So while 2018 offered many highlights, let’s now look back on where 2018 was less than awesome.

Dan - UPSL Spring Playoff Hiccup

We had just started as a site, fired up and ready to roll. The UPSL Spring Season had just wrapped and the playoffs kicked off in Colorado. And then...all hell broke loose. Clubs were filing protests, calling bullshit on refereeing, league officials were arguing. It was epic! And the worst part was the information was just trickling out and the feeds had been cut. It was so hard to know what was going on. Big shout out to a couple of club guys who kept us posted, but the whole thing was a black eye for the league, when they should have been golden. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to next month’s National Final to see if lessons have been learned. As long as we grow, the failure isn’t a total loss.

Steven - Seeing players trying to fight

We all have seen or heard about the GAM United incident during the playoffs. There was also another incident during the Inland Empire FC v. Warriors FC promotion match that could have led to another fight. This is just unacceptable. It seems since the Copa Libertadores Final, I have seen an increase in players or fans becoming violent. That is not passion, it is pure stupidity. We are all supposed to be fans of this game and should be mature enough to understand that it’s not worth fighting over.

Shawn - The mismanagement and utter disregard shown by UPSL

With the rapid expansion of UPSL across the country, things like this were bound to happen. However, the disrespect and disregard shown toward Lowcountry United during the Spring playoffs was astounding. After that ordeal, I contacted the league commissioner and asked him what happened with that. He feigned ignorance and acted like it was more of a bother than taking it as a legitimate concern. Hopefully, things like this will be handled appropriately and will be ironed out, but if recent events are any barometer, I highly doubt it.

Phil - US Open Cup

I’m going to continue to scream about the Open Cup into the void until I’m heard. The “Open” Cup has not been open for several years. Rules apply to local qualifiers that don’t apply to pro teams. Professional teams get byes into later rounds. Professional teams field weak teams and stage the matches at other grounds when having the privilege of hosting a lower division team who’s fought and striven to make it to that matchup. The Cup, in its current format, is not “Open” and is not even serving its purpose as the USSF’s Cup. It is a MLS League Cup that other teams get invited to. It needs to change immediately.

Dominic - Social Media Skirmishes

Soccer twitter has long been known for its toxic side and 2018 certainly wasn’t immune to this trend. While I certainly don’t see myself as an angel on the topic and learned a few lessons this year, I can honestly say that I tried while others still seem lost in the enraged fog. I hope to see things improve in 2019 but with all the new leagues, topics, and controversies that are surely on the way, I’m staying realistic.

Josh – Duking It Out for Notoriety

As wonderful as it is to discover hundreds of non-MLS teams from coast-to-coast, and as amazing as these organizations can be from team-to-team; the organization of soccer in the United States is a hot mess. From an Open Cup who still may or may not allow brand-new monied teams to flex already qualified amateur sides right out of the tournament to an ever-expanding top-tier who provides no point of entry for successful clubs just a division below. As a matter of fact, there is no unification between any of the alleged tiers in US soccer, and no incentive for a club to pursue success other than bragging rights. US Soccer seems rudderless and it has resulted in a caustic relationship between those who are happy to just support their nearby MLS or USL club, and those who demand change and accountability. The mud-slinging has wrangled some clubs and websites to side against others despite the fact that, below the top-tier, largely, our goals are all very similar. Let’s end the vitriol, talk to each other and explain our perspectives without anger and assumptions—I’m sure we all want the same thing.

Brian – Hearing So Many People Say This is the Worst Time Ever for US Soccer

I hate being the “you don’t know how bad we had it back in the day” guy, but I am tired of everyone talking about how bad US Soccer is right now. If you grew up in the 1980s, as I did, the World Cup wasn’t even a consideration. Watching the 1986 World Cup -- you would never know that the US was even a country. Yes, we are coming off a massive disappointment; yes, the entire system is cumbersome at best (try being the parent of a 12-year-old that has to navigate the ridiculous number of travel and academy teams out there while also covering the inconsistency of the system itself at the same time), but DAMN!, I am tired of hearing everyone’s bitching on a daily basis. Get out on the field yourself and do something to help move US Soccer forward. Get your coaching license, write more about all levels of soccer, play regularly, support a local club or even multiple clubs. Spotlight clubs, people, organizations that are getting it right, as we do. But, most importantly, stop acting as if it is a birthright in this country to dominate a sport because of our supposed resources. Much greater soccer countries than ours have never won the World Cup, or have had recent disappointments (Brazil, Germany, Italy, etc.). Go back to the drawing board and figure it out.