AFC Ann Arbor's Surprising Move to USL League Two

The news took everyone a little off-guard, but, in retrospect, considering the way this year has been, maybe we should have seen it coming. AFC Ann Arbor, formerly of the NPSL, is headed to USL League 2 in 2020. The club, originally founded in 2015, began its existence in the Great Lakes Premier League. In 2016, AFCAA jumped the NPSL and has been a fixture in the Great Lakes Division, finishing either first or second in the division every season. We reached out to club chairperson, Bilal Saeed, to discuss the move and his responses were surprising and insightful.

For Bilal, the move shouldn’t be seen as surprising because grassroots soccer in a constant state of flux. “One thing I always tell people who aren’t familiar with lower league soccer, whatever you’re thinking about one season can change next season. It’s so fluid. It’s ever-evolving at a rapid rate. You’ve got to stay on top of it and we were looking for whatever the best option is for our club and it’s something we’ve always looked at, because of what the USL has to offer in terms of opportunity for pushing players on. We’ve become a player centric club who likes to create opportunities for our guys. We started exploring it a couple years ago, but the timing was right now. And it just all came together... In general, we’re always trying to make sure our club is in the best position to be around as long as possible, to have a sustainable platform.”

But why the USL over the other options for the club. The decision was all about the players. “It comes down to opportunity for the players. The USL has quite a reputation as being a path for players to push on and open some doors. It’s going to open even more doors for our players and we’ve been attracting the kind of players who have the ability to step up and actually have an opportunity to step into their next gig which is hopefully a professional contract.” While that contract and being a pro is what every player wants, Saeed doesn’t feel his club is ready for that move as an organization. “We’re not in a position yet where we could explore being a professional club, we’re still trying to operate in the same time frame, and in that regard there’s not a lot of change, timing of the season, resources to run a club.”

But Ann Arbor’s exit, synced with so many other exits by other big name clubs in the division sparks the idea that there must be a root problem for the NPSL or the Great Lakes Division specifically. That view isn’t correct, at least from Saeed’s perspective. “I don’t think it all happened completely in one off-season. I mean, Grand Rapids is still around. Lansing made a move previously, two years ago. There was a time we had even more teams. Like I said, it changes every year, I think the only thing that’s becoming very apparent this year, with this new division three, with NISA, that’s obviously a platform that Detroit had been looking for for a long time and it seems to fit their model. I think Stars are the surprising one, for sure. But I think Michigan is an interesting state, we’ve got so many clubs that are not only active, but have different DNA and different goals, but still do a lot on a bigger scale. So it’s pretty impressive to see what our state has going on as a whole. All the clubs are just trying to find the best platform for their identity. I think with the way things are going it was more like coincidence, just because of timing. What’s not a coincidence, every year, call it a off-season, things are changing rapidly, things are so fluid. To me, having been in the lower league landscape for quite a while now, it’s not surprising.”

And while some might point to last season’s strange exit from the playoffs (the coin flip match) as sparking this move, DCFC’s exit from the league, or the general changes in the NPSL, Bilal is quick to point out that that isn’t the case. Joining a big entity like the USL takes time and effort, so maybe just chalk the timing up to serendipity? “I think the NPSL has been looking for a change in their identity, and it’s been interesting to see how that’s all unfolded. Quite honestly, we weren’t really reacting to that, we had begun working on these changes way before that. But I do think, regardless, whatever they are offering with their extended season, it’s not something that would fit our club. So I think we’ve actually ended up in the right scenario here.”

- Dan Vaughn

Could Wynalda's Next Title Be Expat?

When the Las Vegas Lights signed Eric Wynalda, it was seen as a bold move for a club looking to make a big splash in the USL Championship. At the time, Lights FC owner, Brett Lashbrook, praised the move as the next step in their growth. “Lights FC has big aspirations. And today’s announcement further signifies our commitment to create a professional soccer club that aspires to both make Las Vegas proud while becoming the next great American soccer success story...our expectations in year two must be raised higher. Eric joining Lights FC is a testament to the type of club we’ve built in year one.” Now less than a year after the hiring, the bloom may be off the rose in Las Vegas. 

A source close to the situation has confirmed to Protagonist Soccer that multiple clubs in the German second division are considering Wynalda for a leadership position. Potential roles in 2. Bundesliga include head coach, technical director, or another front office role. That same source mentioned that Wynalda may be prone to consider these offers, because Light FC’s ownership has failed to live up to commitments made to Wynalda concerning his role and the treatment of the club’s players. 

The 50-year-old Wynalda has had mixed success in Las Vegas, bringing a tremendous level of energy and the type of attention his high-profile name can harness; however the club has struggled to produce results. After a disappointing first season under head coach Isidro Sanchez, Las Vegas made the National Soccer Hall of Famer the second head coach at Lights FC. However, the less than stellar run of form has continued under Wynalda and the club sits in 14th position in the conference with a record of 7-9-5.

While the signing of Wynalda was a headline-grabbing move, the leadership at Lights FC needs to act quick to hold on to their big name manager. It is clear that other leagues across the world also see value in the former USMNT star and Lights FC must tend to their high profile coach and his concern for the players he manages or he may take one of these German clubs up on their offer and move on.

- Dan Vaughn

This is a developing story and will be updated to reflect any feedback or new information we receive from interested parties.

Player Profile: Christo Michaelson

I ran into Christopher Michaelson the other night on my way out of a Portland Timbers match, the former Jesuit High School and Gonzaga University soccer standout was there as a fan – because he loves soccer as much as the rest of us do. However, there are many of us who recognize his mane of blond fury from his time on the pitch while playing for… well, you name it. The first time I saw Christo play, it was for the USL League-2 two side, Timbers Under 23s, who play in Salem, Oregon. However, you might have seen him playing for the EPLWA’s Vancouver Victory, or UPSL’s Des Moines Menace. Most recently, I caught him on ESPN+ playing for FCM Portland of the NPSL in their round one USOC match then a week later, back in the Timbers U23s 18 for their friendly match hosting PDX FC. I asked if he could take a few minutes to answer some questions and he obliged.

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Back-to-back OSAA State Player of the Year, lettered at Jesuit High School in Portland, All WCC Second Team, All Far West Region Third Team, Honorable Mention, All-WCC in 2016... the list goes on—you play like a man on fire, what drives you? When did you start playing soccer and have you always given 200%?

I honestly think my “drive” in soccer comes from an absolute pure hatred of losing. Growing up the only think I ever wanted to do was play soccer. It was my favorite thing in the world. I also have to give my dad a ton of credit for shaping me into the hardworking soccer player that I am today. My dad is incredibly supportive and cares about me and wants me to succeed, but from a very young age I was expected to compete and be the hardest worker. I have a specific memory of when I was playing youth soccer, I was probably around 10 years old. It was a random league game where my team won 3-0. I scored 2 goals and really felt like I played well. After the game my dad took me to a random field by our house and told me we were going to run. He told me that “just because you can score 2 goals against a bad team doesn’t mean that you can have a bad attitude and not be hardest worker.” He ran my ass off. I did sprints over and over again at that field. I think that moment changed who I was as a person. It made me recognize in order to succeed you can never take a game or play off. From that moment on I pride myself on being the hardest working player on whatever field I step on. I take each individual battle super personal and I always make sure nobody out works me. Overall my drive comes from an intense hatred of losing and a pure love for the sport.

Christo brought his fire from Portland’s Jesuit High School to Gonzaga University.

You've played in High School as well as in ODP and West Side Timbers, how do you balance regular life, academic responsibilities and a budding athletic career? Was it any different when you got to Gonzaga?

To be completely honest I don’t really view my life any different than what a regular everyday life is. I guess that’s probably because my whole life has been soccer and it’s my favorite hobby. Regular to me is getting up every day in the morning to train and play and do it again the next day. However, when I got to college, I did struggle a bit academically at the beginning of my career. I have really bad ADHD and have always struggled paying attention in school, but was able to get by in high school. In college I was dealing with an injury and I carried it over into my everyday life which made school very difficult. By my sophomore year I had it all figured out and school got easier but I really did have to adjust to be a collegiate student athlete.

Des Moines Menace, Vancouver Victory, Reno 1868, Timbers U23s, and FC Mulhouse... where else have you played? Are there noticeable differences in the level of play from NPSL to EPLWA and USL League 2 and up to USL Championship?

I really haven’t played any place else notable besides many Mexican leagues and the OPSL here in Portland. I really haven’t played any matches at the NPSL level I was only with Mulhouse for the open cup so I can’t really touch on the NPSL too much. However, that Mulhouse team has some really talented players that have played at high levels which makes me think that the NPSL is probably pretty quality. The EPLWA is very hit or miss in my opinion. I think it really depends on the team and year. My two years spent with Vancouver Victory was a ton of fun and actually was very competitive. However, I do think that it’s a step below the USL League 2 but is a great level for young college players who are trying to develop. USL League 2 is a really fun league for many reasons. I love how diverse each team is and you have all these great players from top level D1 schools around the country. I think it really it is the highest level of soccer you can play before reaching the pro level. Games are always fun and you never get those weak teams that you can guarantee 3 points from.

The biggest jump in level I ever made was from the USL league 2 to the USL championship. I really wasn’t expecting it to be nearly as difficult as it was. I kind of had a big wakeup call in Reno and I probably wasn’t ready mentally. It’s a funny feeling playing the game like it’s an actual job. There are pressures and expectations that I was never aware of before. For a lot people it’s a dream to play pro, but in reality, it’s much more challenging than it may seem. Everybody is good and everybody is focused, you can’t afford to take any plays off.

A bit of a local hero, Michaelson has laced up his boots for several Portland area teams at all levels of play.

As a player, how important is atmosphere? Drums, chants, fans... does it make a difference? Even at the grassroots level? Maybe without saying who is "the best," which supporters stand out has being the loudest or showing up most consistently?

Atmosphere is incredibly important. I don’t think soccer is really soccer without a quality atmosphere, it adds so much to the game. Not only for fans, but for players as well. The amount of energy and passion a good atmosphere can bring to a game is beautiful. I would say the best atmosphere I have either played in front of was down in Salem with the U23’s or in front of the BBB (Battle Born Brigade in Reno).

What do you listen to pre-match? What fires you up? Lastly, it's been a contentious conversation around here, but Chewy Chips Ahoy or Classic?

I honestly don’t really listen to music before games. Whatever is playing in the locker room is what I listen to. Most of my motivation comes from proper mental preparation and reflection.

PS: CHEWY FOR SURE.

Christo has ventured out to Des Moines and Reno 1868 and always gets stuck in.

- Joshua Duder

Soccer Warz 2019

It appears that Soccer Warz 2019 has begun.

United Soccer Leagues LLC, the entity that controls the USL leagues and their related intellectual properties, filed suit last Wednesday against United Premier Soccer League Inc., the corporation that runs the UPSL leagues. Filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California as civil case #19-913, the lawsuit alleges that the UPSL broke federal trademark law (the Lanham Act and federal trademark common law) by its "unauthorized use of the USL Marks, or confusingly similar marks." The lawsuit requests a jury trial, damages for trademark infringement, attorneys' fees and costs, and an injunction to stop UPSL from using any "colorable imitation of the USL Marks in any manner likely to cause confusion, to cause mistake or to deceive" or "committing any acts likely to cause consumers to believe that [UPSL]'s soccer leagues... are...sponsored by USL," or "otherwise competing unfairly with USL."

From the filing, it appears that the USL's main beef is that, "in or around 2017 [UPSL] began efforts to push UPSL into professional soccer play on a national level." Before that time, "the UPSL was comprised of a handful of recreational, non-professional adult men's soccer teams that played against one another in regional matches in the greater Los Angeles area. As such, UPSL did not compete with USL in any meaningful way." But that changed, according to the USL, when "in a short period of time, [UPSL] saturated the market with teams dubbed 'professional' soccer teams." Much of the complaint is aimed at blasting UPSL for daring to refer to itself or its teams as professional, pointing out that "the UPSL has not been sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a professional league, whereas USL Championship League and USL League One are both sanctioned." It also takes shots at the difference in quality of online streams, stating that "USL has partnered with ESPN to broadcast these matches using state of the art technology... On information and belief, games streamed by [UPSL] often feature an amateur, grainy display and poor audio quality."

USL also claim to have sent a letter to UPSL on January 18, 2019 demanding that UPSL "cease and desist from its unlawful use of the names United Premier Soccer League and UPSL, and other marks confusingly similar to the USL Marks," but that UPSL refused to do so. Grainy display and poor audio quality aside, UPSL's "purport[ing] to have over 150 soccer teams in two divisions across 17 conferences in the United States, competing at the national level" clearly has USL worried, and they have taken to the courts as a result. The case has been assigned to a judge who participates in CACD's Court-Directed ADR (alternative dispute resolution) Program, so there is still a chance that the leagues will figure this dispute out amongst themselves.

What kind of chance does USL have of winning this case - hard to tell at this point. But what is clear is that the league has decided to go after a smaller fish in the pond. It is hard to not see this type of thing as a result of the hands-off approach taken by US Soccer when it comes to leagues and designating tiers. When it’s nothing but individual corporations fighting for pieces of the pie, without an organized structure or a governing body in control, why wouldn’t these anarchic battles spring up?

We will be monitoring this case, which was filed last week (extremely quietly, it must be pointed out) in California. Both parties in the suit were contacted by Protagonist Soccer - UPSL declined to comment on the situation, while USL has so far not responded to our attempt (should they respond, we’ll be happy to add their response or non response).

- Stephen Packer, Dan Vaughn

Life After Club

When Eric approached me about his club, it was first to see if our site had any information about his club, Derby City Rovers. I reached out to media figures, other clubs, the league (who were incredibly unhelpful), SG social media accounts - I did what I could, but sadly, I couldn’t deliver any information Eric didn’t have already. The club was silent on every account and site connected to it - Derby City was apparently dead. Eric decided to write about his experience as a supporter of a now defunct club and I very much hope he continues to write with us. His passion and voice shouldn’t be snuffed out by the collapse of a club, no matter how dear it is to him.

- Dan Vaughn

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One of the biggest things I’ll ever say, is that no matter how much I may loathe a club, or its support, I would never wish for that club to fold. No one deserves to deal with the loss of their club. But, unfortunately, it is something I’m in the process of dealing with.

My club, Derby City Rovers (DCR), had previously competed in the PDL since 2011. Prior to the 2015 season, DCR were the only club operating at a level above collegiate, in Louisville. That situation changed with the relocation of Orlando City FC to Louisville, to become Louisville City FC. The ripples this move created set the course for what ultimately spelled DCR’s demise.

With the arrival of Louisville City, there was a paradigm shift in the soccer culture in Louisville. Everyone and their brother lined up to hitch their wagons to the new club. As all of the youth clubs, and other junior clubs in Louisville wanted a piece of the sweet sweet professional soccer pie. DCR, however, was not amongst those groups. The club chose to retain its independence and to continue its vision of player development from youth to professional. While I was not privy to what went on behind closed doors, I’ve ascertained that there were attempts made to align the two clubs into one singular vision, but those attempts were rebuffed by the DCR board. This move may have set the stage for issues that were to follow, later.

The story of my involvement with DCR is quite heavily entangled with the story of how Louisville City came to be. I was introduced to DCR via the Louisville Coopers, the supporters group who were the driving force behind Orlando City choosing Louisville as their place to relocate. I was involved heavily in those efforts, helping out where I could. Going to events. Spreading the word. Doing whatever I could to bring awareness to the efforts of the Coopers, and the long-term goal associated with them. Once the spring of 2014 rolled around, everything changed. I was introduced to DCR because of a Coopers event. And gradually from that moment, I drifted away from those roots.

Image from Kick It! blog.

DCR, by its very design, could not compete with Louisville City. It’s like comparing apples to Mick Jagger. As stated previously, DCR fiercely maintained an emphasis on player development. Thus, at times, it would lead to the club having seasons which, by most standards, were mediocre. But, in the five years that I lead the supporters group for the club, four of them were spent in the most competitive division in the PDL. Out of that division, DCR regularly faced three former PDL national championship winners. Those clubs being Michigan Bucks, KW United, and FC London. Unfortunately, now, DCR is not registered for the coming season for the USL League 2, as the PDL has been rebranded. So the future for the club is up in the air.

Supporting a club like DCR was a challenge. There is no glamour in soccer that exists to bridge the collegiate with the professional. The soccer isn’t always the most aesthetically pleasing. And the players aren’t the polished gems that a lot of [televised] collegiate sports would have you believe they are. Add to this, there was a competition for attention. DCR, from the moment Louisville City was announced, had to compete for whatever attention it could get, through whatever means it could find. Which meant that, in a lot of ways, my voice became the way the club was perceived by those who were outside. Using any, and every, medium I could; I would regularly push for awareness of the club. I would regularly advertise for the club. I would share anything and everything I could to bring any attention to the club. Anything really. And somehow, through the most unlikely of events, DCR got coverage from FourFourTwo magazine in 2017. Yet, none of that could boost the number of bodies who lined the fence. Or the voices creating the din. But this was a problem that that club had had, going back to its old River City Rovers days. The club couldn’t afford to advertise. So that made it hard to get word of mouth out.

Even despite all of the frustrations, the politics, the hurt, the anger, the absolute hostility I felt; I still went out and gave that club my all. Even when they were the absolute dregs of the league, doing their based to hold up the weight at the top of the table, from the bottom. It was an experience which taught me a lot. And it was an experience that I was lucky enough to get my children involved in. For that reason alone, all of that was worth it.

Author’s Twitter Profile

Where do I go now? I’m not sure. One of my closest friends and I came up with the idea of a “Supporter for Hire” concept, borrowing heavily from our group name, The Boarding Crew. Take the pirate motif of transience and apply that to how we support clubs. The idea being, that we pick a club wherever we are, and we support them for as long as we are there. Bringing the passion and culture we know, to a club who may not have any.

Something else I’ve found myself involved in, albeit from the fringe, is helping out with the establishment of new clubs. Either through talking about them on the medium of social networking, or throwing around ideas with their founders to try to create a profile for the club that will draw. I remain very active in the soccer culture in the US, working in the lower echelons, trying to help out the clubs I can.

In the time since I learned of DCR not being registered for this coming season, I have found myself being more active, in other means. Through Subbuteo. Through writing for multiple soccer blogs. And through doing my best to help out wherever I can. This is definitely a strange time, being without a club. But I’m still involved. And still putting my energy toward the betterment of the culture in the US, and to a lesser extent abroad. And I’m applying the lessons I’ve learned, in guiding and aiding however I can. There is life after losing your club, it just takes a bit of work to continue.

- Eric Major

Forward Thinking: How Forward Madison FC Decided Their Newly Beloved Crest

It’s rare to see the majority of the soccer world all in favor of a new crest. A crest that captures the personality of the city, colors brought by the eclectic residents, and one that stands out more than others. Forward Madison FC went to the community to get help for what is now one of the most beloved crests in the soccer community. And while the background story about the plastic flamingo and why it was chosen has made its way throughout the press, this is the story about how the crest was chosen and how it almost wasn’t the one that set the internet ablaze.

For those still unaware, USL League One’s new team Forward Madison FC, caught the eyes of many when it revealed its crest as a plastic pink flamingo- the city’s official bird after UW-Madison students put 1,008 plastic pink flamingo lawn ornaments across the university’s front lawn as a prank back in 1979, leading to the official adoption of the bird in 2009. This was the type of quirkiness and “Madison-ness” that Managing Director Peter Wilt wanted represented with the new crest and team in Madison.

“I think we wanted to reflect the spirit of the community. And Madison is a progressive community that doesn’t always follow the mainstream of the United States. As a community, they kind of forge their own path and they’re not always serious. That story of the flamingos is a representation of that culture that has been built in Madison, largely because it’s a university town and it has a progressive, indeed liberal, history that doesn’t always take itself so seriously.”

It wasn’t luck or going with a backstory that ultimately decided the crest. After Peter and his team- including Kuba Krzyzostaniak, Director of Fan Engagement and Digital Media -held focus groups, surveys, and input from the community, they knew they were on the right path of representing their community in a way that would make the town proud. Kuba spoke about the authenticity, saying:

“I think for us, it’s kind of a lot about being authentic and so with the uniqueness of the crest that being true to our community, true to Madison, and how people here view the city and view themselves as kind of being fun, quirky, and different. I think we’re just being really authentic and unique to what our community is about..”

However, the process was a long one and at times sailing wasn’t smooth. In fact, the crest we now love almost didn’t happen, as Peter Wilt explains:

“Forward was the ultimate decision on the name because it was the most popular voted name, we recognize that that name cannot really have a tangible icon that will help fans connect with. So, we started thinking about how we could get an icon incorporated into it. The one that was obvious to us was the Lady Forward statue and we did go down the road quite a bit with that,  to the point that we had several logo designs made with her in it and then a fan, who is also a friend of mine, a former season ticket holder with Chicago Fire, told me how disappointed she was that Flamingos didn’t make the final cut. I told her that after Forward, I think we had more submissions for Flamingos than any other name and I’ve always loved the flamingo story with Bascom Hill. So, I pushed it to our ownership and I was pleased that they embraced it. I think at first they may have been a little hesitant to go divert a little bit from tradition and have essentially inanimate pink plastic flamingo is a bit unusual but they quickly embraced it.”

Peter continued speaking about once the decision was made on the flamingos:

“So, once we had bought in internally, then it was a matter of getting the actual image of what it would look like, and that was a process that took longer than I think any of us wanted. We were busy trying to market the team and connect with the community and once we have a logo and a name, it’s easier to do. But we also recognize that you only get one chance to do this and we wanted to make sure it’s done right.”

And “right” they did. Moving forward, no pun intended, the club hopes to continue to build on its marketing and overall success by doing what’s worked: using the community’s voice. Kuba closed our interview thinking about the future.

“I think that’s kind of what it comes back to for us, is just building from the ground up and making sure we’re getting in front of everybody in our community as much as possible and telling them about our club and getting them excited. From the grassroots all the way up.”

- Jason Weintraub