Chattanooga FC

Chattanooga Football Club had an amazing 2018. It took home the regular season conference championship in its tenth season in the Scenic City. After the season was over, it was announced that it would be going pro in 2019 as one of the teams competing in the Founders Cup. 2019 is set to be an even more historic year for the club. For starters, the club announced that it is selling shares in the club to fans. The shares give fans the opportunity to be partial owners in the club and gives them a vote on certain issues. So far, the sale of shares has netted nearly $560,000 from just over 2,000 investors. That’s sure to bring a surge of proud fans/owners to their matches.

This year will see the club look to win back-to-back regular season conference championships. In 2018, it lost to the Atlanta Silverbacks under controversial circumstances in the Conference Championship Game. Hopefully for CFC things will go differently. On top of the regular NPSL season, Chattanooga FC will compete in the Founders Cup following the end of the National Playoffs. This will be the first time we see the club competing as a professional team as it takes the field against other nationally (and internationally) recognizable names, such as the New York Cosmos, Miami FC, and Detroit City FC.

It’ll also be the first time that CFC will have to worry about in-city competition as USL League One’s Chattanooga Red Wolves SC will begin competing this coming season. The club has all of the pieces for a special season. Overall, it should be another successful season for “the club that Chattanooga built.”

Atlanta SC

Fresh off the back of a highly-publicized rebranding, Atlanta SC enters 2019 having conquered the Southeast in 2018. The club finished second, four points away below Chattanooga, but would eventually win the conference title in a conference playoff final against Chattanooga. The club would lose its chance to win its first regional title, however, after losing to Miami FC 2- the eventual national champions -in the regional semifinal.

Atlanta SC has become a common source of conference success in the NPSL, with the club finishing second on the table in every consecutive season since 2012, excluding a hiatus in 2013. The club, however, has only gone on to win its conference playoffs twice, leaving some serious room for improvement. All of this is a testament to the club’s long tenure in the NPSL which dates back to 2008, before the club was affiliated with the NASL’s Atlanta Silverbacks and long before it adopted the name for its own use.

The club’s 7-3-4 record is a good one, though the club did find itself conceding far more than the clubs around it with 21 conceded and a goal difference of plus eight. With Chattanooga FC conceding sixteen and New Orleans Jesters conceding eighteen, an improved goal concession rate could be a big statistical boost for the club’s 2019 squad and at the very least help it secure another second place finish. With the Jesters only finish one point behind them in 2018, any improvement will be a important for Atlanta.

Atlanta SC will be competing for the title with a Chattanooga FC side that is rocketing toward professional soccer, leaving Atlanta with a bigger hill to climb than ever before. With a new home stadium on the way, a new badge, and a new name, the former Silverbacks have a big year ahead of them. Success will leave supporters excited for the future, failure to live up to top table expectations could leave most thinking only of the past.

Inter Nashville FC

With a 6-2-6 record and a respectable fourth place finish to its name, Inter Nashville is a promising club in the Southeast, one that’s young age puts it on the other end of a spectrum filled with older clubs. Having joined the NPSL in 2016 after spending five years as a smaller scale youth and adult soccer program, INFC finds itself competing with clubs that have called the NPSL home for nearly a decade and the likes of New Orleans, which played in the PDL for nine years before joining the league.

The club isn’t just competing with long time titans through its presence- it’s managed to earn strong results, finish with twenty points (eight away from first place) and tying the Atlanta Silverbacks for second-most goals scored at 29. Inter Nashville conceded 26 goals, far too many to realistically climb any higher in the table, but a shift in that number would leave the Southeast with a club that could very well find itself above Atlanta SC or the New Orleans Jesters.

One notable detail of Nashville’s goals conceded count comes from conceding goals in otherwise strong victories. This includes its 3-2 win over Greenville FC, its 6-2 win against the Georgia Revolution, and its 5-3 win over Emerald Force SC. All three opponents finished below Inter Nashville with Greenville earning five fewer points and Emerald eight fewer. The seven goals in those games are the difference between a fantastic 19 goals conceded and its actual finish with 26.

Tightening up the defense in games against weaker sides while maintaining its offensive skill could put Inter in a powerful position when the 2019 season comes along, one that will pit it against a soon-to-be pro Chattanooga FC, a rebranded Atlanta SC, and an Emerald Soccer-less conference. Times of change are often the best for a sudden burst of quality. Keep an eye on Inter Nashville.

Asheville City SC

Asheville City is yet another young club playing in a league of veterans. Based in Asheville, North Carolina, the club played its first season in the Southeast in 2018, having spent the prior season in the Southeast East division while the Southeast was split into two sections by the NPSL. This left the club with three brand new opponents in New Orleans, Chattanooga, and Inter Nashville. With that in mind, the club ended the year in fifth place with a 5-3-6 record and largely represented the line between the clubs that did well and those that struggled in the Southeast.

Asheville City was slower in the final third than most of its competitors, only scoring eighteen goals, the least of any clubs in the conference. This was paired with a reasonable 22 goals allowed, leaving the club with a minus four goal difference. Three of the clubs above Asheville ended the season with at least ten more goals scored.

Asheville also suffered from a wildly inconsistent series of results, ranging from a 3-1 win over the Silverbacks to a 2-0 loss to last-placed Emerald Force. The club went as far as to lose 5-1 to Inter Nashville and then beat Inter 2-0 three days later. Consistency makes great squads, and it’ll be crucial for Asheville City to find it if it wants 2019 to be a different story from 2018. A top three finish seems out of the cards if Asheville City stays on its current path, but a slight improvement on fighting for wins and draws could see them rise to fourth or at the very least defend its fifth-place finish. As with Inter, Asheville is a younger project that may simply need the time Atlanta and Chattanooga have already had to develop into a stronger club. With that in mind, City is a club to watch for the long haul, regardless of whether or not it earns a top spot in 2019.

Georgia Revolution

The Revs are coming off of a sixth place finish in the NPSL Southeast last season. Despite finishing in a relatively low spot on the table, it was still a historic season for the team from McDonough, Georgia. For the first time since 2015, the club made the playoffs. That set up a match in Louisiana with the Jesters where the improbable happened. The Revolution upset the third seeded Jesters and picked up its first playoff win in club history. It would be knocked out in the next round, but that’s not the important part of this whole thing.

The Revs will be looking to continue improving after one of the best seasons in club history. Backed by his team’s supporters’ group, The Uprising, general manager Eric Morrison will be dealing with massive turnover as only about half of the 2018 roster will be returning for 2019. Those players include Ehjayson Henry, Toni Tiente, Rodrigo Goncalves, Aaron Whitten, and Jack Gurr. These guys contributed massively last year whether it was on the attack or back on the defensive side of things. The club has always focused on having players from the Atlanta area and this offseason, it’s looked to the same area to find more players. The overlap of the player pool causes the Silverbacks (now Atlanta SC) and the Revs to be feature as one of the biggest rivalries in the Southeast Conference.

Greenville FC

Coming to seventh place, we find Greenville FC, which finished three points behind the Georgia Revolution with a record of 4-3-7. The club won’t have Emerald Force to finish above next season and will indeed have to take inventory to find out how to finish above the final place in the conference.

The club scored a decent 20 goals but conceded 28 - the most in the conference apart from Emerald Force -and will need to work on both numbers to pass the Revolution and Asheville City and find a home in the middle of the table. Greenville is the youngest club in the conference, having laid its foundations in 2017 and playing in the NPSL for the first time in 2018.

The club’s most shocking results quickly show the roots of its table placement, as it lost twice to last-placed Emerald Force in two blowout losses, a 5-2 loss and a 4-1 loss. The combined nine goals are roughly a third of the team’s goals conceded and the six points lost would have left it in fifth place, well above Asheville and the Georgia Revolution. Keeping composure in otherwise “easy” matches and earning those key points is easily at the top of the list for what Greenville needs to work on for 2019. With that in mind, Greenville won’t have Emerald to play next season.

Led by NPSL Supporter of the Year, Leithan Allen, Mill Town Operatives are quickly becoming one of the loudest SGs in the NPSL.

While Greenville can afford to score more goals, its table position can be best changed by a slight change in consistency when it comes to playing the teams near it on the table. Its youth means it has every reason to believe progress is in the future, but it’s hard to see it catching up to Inter Nashville and Asheville City levels of young success in 2019 with its conference marching toward more professionalism and losing its weakest club.

Photos courtesy of club social media and Protagonist Soccer, unless otherwise mentioned. Custom art designed by Laura Mills. Previews written by Aarik Long and Dominic Bisogno with input from David Baker, Joshua Duder, and Dan Vaughn.

Demize NPSL

Originally established in 2003, Demize NPSL has made it a habit of finishing just out of the playoff picture the last three years. But with season results of two, three, and three wins, that might be expected. The club has shown signs of life, however, as they’ve improve their goal differential to a -6 from an abysmal -29 in 2016. What is needed is more depth and stability in the club’s roster. The club has struggled to find even footing without them. Simply finishing out of the bottom of the conference and making it into the conference playoffs would be a massive improvement for this side.

And the foundation to get to that goal is already beginning to take shape. Over half the players from last year are back for this season, including team co-captain Jaxn Rogers, an All-Conference selection last season. Joining Jaxn is returning co-captain Kyler Moore, who recently signed a professional contract to play in Australia, and Joao Machado, an attacking mid with all the skills necessary to be an offensive threat. If the club can add talent around these key players, hope springs eternal in Missouri!

FC Wichita

FC Wichita won the Heartland conference in 2018, narrowly beating out Little Rock Rangers by a single point. Unlike their second place competitor, Wichita had an impressive goal differential of +13, showing that when they won, they won by wider margins. The season began with a run of 7 straight wins before two losses by single goals to finish the season. The regular season conference title was a repeat performance for the Kansas club and set them up for a deep run in the playoffs. Sadly that was not to be. Little Rock Rangers got their revenge in the conference playoffs, beating FC Wichita on penalties, denying the double. For this season, club owner Blake Shumaker highlights their record of success, while focusing on pushing further - “Every year we set out to win the heartland conference regular season and gain hosting rights through the post season. Our goal is to get into the National Semi-Final.” The club has focused on the development of their players and it shows in their track record of players moving on to professional leagues. In the last four years, the club has had 30 players transition into professional leagues. The 2019 version of the club feature a large majority of returning players, which should translate into another great run by the club. The team will also return to Stryker Soccer Stadium this season after a year-long hiatus, while the stadium was remodeled and expanded.

Little Rock Rangers

You’d have to look at a lot of crests to find a better one than Little Rock Rangers signature roundel. The professionalism behind that logo is reflected by the club’s excellence on the field. Lead by founding President Jonathan Wardlaw, the Rangers finish in 2018 a surprise success last year. The club finished the regular season 7-3-0, just a single point from winning their conference. In the conference playoffs, their success would continue. Little Rock beat Tulsa Athletic and then the regular season champion, FC Wichita, without conceding a goal. With a Conference Championship in its back pocket, Rangers headed into the National Playoffs and took their first match against Laredo Heat SC. The run ended in the Regional Finals against eventual national champion, Miami FC. All that success last season certainly makes 2019 a year to look forward to for Rangers. The club plays their home matches in War Memorial Stadium, where their supporters groups, the Red Watch and the Red Order, have created a legitimate home field advantage. Last year, Little Rock only lost a single home match. This year’s roster will be almost unchanged, only losing a couple of players to higher leagues. Of primary importance, Captain Nick Doyle will return for his fourth season with the club, providing the backbone of their defensive backline.

Rangers has built a great squad and managed to keep it together. Combined with a solid backbone of die-hard supporters, Little Rock should be expected to finish in the national playoff picture this season.

Ozark FC

Formed in 2017, Ozark FC has had little box score success in its short history. After a two win first year, their sophomore run ended with only a single point. But the box score doesn’t tell the whole story. Last year, weeks before the season kicked off, new ownership took over the club led by Todd Carrigan and Oddvar Naustvik. Armed with little more than “a name, a logo, and an NPSL game schedule” it was a steep learning curve for the club and its new coach, Scott Marksberry. That learning curve was travelled without much offense, ending the season with four goals in ten matches. But the lessons learned were as much off the field as on it. The team lined up important sponsorships (primarily kit sponsor, Simmons Foods) and began building connections within the local community. The club even purposely played matches at multiple home venues in order to find the right part of town to put down roots.

18' - goal by @ozarkfc Barbosa curls it into the net. FCW down 2-0 pic.twitter.com/YtIraJ8yzZ
— FC Wichita 🏆 (@FCWichita) May 28, 2017

This year the goals are to continue strengthening those community ties, elevate the standard of play, and develop a fan-friendly home match experience. The roster will remain relatively stable, with local product, Jose “Lalo” Castro returning for his second season with the club. He’ll be joined by two former PDL players, Hazeley Pyle and Giovani Bejarano, with Championship experience. With a bolstered roster, focused front office leadership, and lessons learned from a challenging season last year, Ozark FC sees this season as a chance to set themselves apart from the rest of the Heartland Conference.

St Louis Club Atletico

While three teams seem to own this conference, there is a fourth playoff spot and St. Louis Club Atletico won that spot in 2018. Finishing just two points back from Tulsa, Atletico was just a single win from being equal with the third place finisher. The conference playoffs was a quick exit for the young club, losing to Wichita 4-0 in the opening match. Without a doubt, the club views their inaugural season as a success. What remains to be seen is if the club can build off its strong showing in 2018.

The club is owned and coached by members of the Garza family and is an extension of a club from South America (Bolivia). The Bluebirds made it a point to start mostly young, untested talent in their first year with the hope of developing a platform for young players from St. Louis. That mission will continue this year with the hope of moving further into conference standings. The club estimates that only 25% of the club roster will be returning for 2019, and that fact might make moving up in the standings difficult. Key returning players are Wil Linder and Eric Lopez, but last year’s team captain Josh Ward suffered a knee injury during the off-season and is doubtful for the 2019. Should he make a return, it would certainly boost the team’s morale and chances of success.

What is certainly clear about Club Atletico is that they have the desire to climb into the top three of the conference. What is unclear, however, is if they have the talent to overcome the front-runners. With only one season under their belts, that task may prove to be impossible.

Tulsa Athletic

This conference is dominated by three clubs - Little Rock, FC Wichita, and Tulsa Athletic. Both FC Wichita and Tulsa Athletic entered the NPSL in 2013. Tulsa’s success has been from day one in the league, having never finished lower than third in their conference over their first six years of existence. Owned by Sonny Dalesandro and Dr. Thomas Kern, the club takes that history of success seriously. Last season the club finishing third in the Heartland Conference, but Dalesandro focuses on the fact that the club only won six, yet led in nine of the club’s ten matches. That fact was described as “disappointing” by the club owner.

The 2019 NPSL season will see Athletic return to Veterans Park with a roster packed with players returning from last year. Joe Garcia, a two-time D2 All American, and Gustavo Vargas, who was third in the conference in goals, return to the roster for 2019. With a track record of excellence, Tulsa should be expected to return to their conference playoffs for the sixth time in seven years. Whether they can re-establish dominance over their conference foe, Little Rock Rangers, will be an interesting storyline to follow as the season progresses. They have a load of talent, it’s a matter of putting it all together and winning in the playoffs. Honestly, there’s a lot to love about this club from Oklahoma, but certainly a highlight that should be noted is their “undying love of unicorns, beer, and victory.”

Photos courtesy of club social media and Protagonist Soccer, unless otherwise mentioned. Custom art designed by Laura Mills. Previews written by Dan Vaughn with input from David Baker and Joshua Duder.