Stegman's Soccer Club: MASL & MRSL

Soccer in Minneapolis is a big, big deal… and one of the biggest organizations, which is the literal embodiment of a soccer club, is Stegman’s SC. For those from outside of the “Mini Apple,” you may be more familiar with their soccer love-child MPLS City, but if you’re a regular down at the National Sports Center or Lincoln Ground down on Penn Ave., you are very familiar with The Blues. To get more information about Stegman’s we reached out to Dan Warner, who said to just call him Warner to avoid confusion with the other Dan richly involved in the club, Dan Hoedeman.   Warner tells us he moved to Minneapolis in 2011 and was fortunate to discover Stegman’s Old Boys right away – he’s been affiliated with the club ever since. In 2018 he took the reigns of the entire Stegman’s operation so that Hoedeman and Jon Bisswurm could focus on developing MPLS City. While each affiliate Stegman’s team has its own manager, Warner oversees the whole club and still pulls all the strings for Stegman’s Old Boys. Insofar as we can determine, we hit paydirt and found the right guy to answer our questions about a good club doing great things in the beautiful “Mill City.”

Stegman's Soccer Club; Stegman's 1977, Stegman's Old Boys, Stegman's Athletic, Stegman's Blues, and Stegman's United... Stegman seems to be the common thread - which club came first and how has so many teams been born from one club?

The Old Boys are the flagship team starting in 2010. The things we did outside of game-day made us what we are and other people started taking notice. In 2011 we needed a couple of players to fill out our roster but there was so much interest we decided to form a second team under the Stegman’s Old Boys umbrella. We eventually grew to four teams across two leagues, the Minnesota Amateur Soccer League and the Minnesota Recreational Soccer League, both men’s summer amateur leagues. And of course, we played indoor and small-sided fall leagues as well. 

In 2015, FC Internationals, a storied amateur club in the MASL that had been affiliated with us, ran into some financial and organizational difficulties. We were already affiliated with them so it made sense for us to help out. We did, the two clubs merged, and the Internationals rebranded as Stegman’s 1977 won the MASL Division 1 championship in 2016 and 2017.

Challenging for the ball down at the Lincoln Ground (photo: Stegman’s SC Facebook)

Tell us a little bit about the MASL - is there a pro/rel model in place and can multiple Stegman-based clubs compete in the same division?

The MASL is a 4-division league with proper 2 up 2 down pro/rel. It also allows teams in different divisions to affiliate and share players with a few simple restrictions. We have 3 teams in the MASL (Athletic in D3, Old Boys in D2 and 1977s in D1.) We do our best to keep our teams in different divisions to utilize the affiliations but there have been a few epic battles with Old Boys and Athletic in D3 over the last 5 years. 

Stegman’s actually got started in the other Twin Cities league - the MRSL and have retained a presence with one or two teams in that league ever since. The MRSL has a similar setup - 6 divisions on Sunday nights and 6 on Monday nights with promotion/relegation but they’re a little more lax on who must go up and who must go down, nor do they have the affiliation or player-sharing system. Blues are currently in Sunday D5 (after winning D6 going undefeated in 2019) and United in Monday D3.

Founded just 4 years ago, MPLS City seems to have become a well-known sibling of the Stegman's teams - how did that come about and why wasn't it given the Stegman's surname?

Stegman’s has always been anti-.......lots of things, which is part of our, shall we say, charm. That charm works at the local, and even quasi-regional level, but not necessarily at the national level. With MPLS City joining the national soccer pyramid we took the opportunity to have a refresh and create MPLS City in the Stegman’s image but take it to another level with broader appeal. The first name when we joined the PLA was technically SSC Minneapolis City to make the connection to Stegman’s but we quickly dropped the SSC because it’s more than a mouthful and didn’t allow us quite the separation from Stegman’s we were looking for. 

Who knows if it was the right or wrong decision, but it is hard enough to make things work in the lower divisions. We were worried an esoteric, if awesome, name like Stegman’s Old Boys might be a barrier.

With so many squads in competition, do players ever move in-between the squads? Do players perceive the NPSL side as something to aspire to?

NS - Since Stegman’s is the recreational arm of the club as a whole there’s always going to be roster shake-ups; people stop playing, move for family/work, etc. The goal is to make sure everyone is playing at the best level for themselves and the club and having 5 different teams within the club makes that much easier for us. Especially when players come along but the higher-level squads don’t have any room - we are able to offer a spot within the club with potential to move up. We then see what they’re like both on and off the field and understand how the club operates - e.g. squads are built on both skill and chemistry, our ‘no assholes rule’, amongst other things. Typically, we try to get these new players folded into the club / squads during a fall or winter small-sided league to work through these things during our off-season.

Some of the players who get involved with Stegman’s 1977 & Old Boys (our D1 & D2 MASL squad) do have aspirations to play with the NPSL side and we’re more than happy to provide them with those opportunities. More often than not, players on the MPLS City and MPLS City 2 come down to the Stegman’s levels to get some additional reps and game time.

Slicing through Fargo FC at the National Sports Center (photo: Stegman’s SC Facebook)

There are various ways that clubs can set up; LLC, S-Corp, non-profit with a board and even 100% supporter owned; how is Stegman's built, what informed that decision, what are the strengths and what are the weaknesses?

We are an LLC, owned by our own players. It’s a tax nightmare, to be honest, and we’ve had to slightly adjust the structure over time, but the intent is to build a club with staying power. Part of that is the financial piece. This gives us a broad base of guys who literally feel ownership in the success of the club. The other part is player engagement and guys willing to put in the time to organize and make things happen. We’ve been lucky in that respect, and are already well into the second generation of leaders and still going strong.

Aside from providing a ton of opportunity for players of any level to participate in soccer - Stegman's is well-known for contributing to charitable causes; what has made that a part of the mission of the club and what are some of your favorite causes? 

We originally started out as a rec team that would do things the best way, the right way, and not be the boners who show up with mismatched shorts & socks…. though Club Legend, The Gray Wolf, never showed up to a game wearing the proper shorts. Anyways, the first Stegman’s squad wanted to be more than just 20 guys that show up to play on Sundays so we did some training during the week to build our chemistry. 

As we moved into year 2 and year 3 of the club we started looking into other ways to live up to that mantra of ‘being more than guys that just show up on game day’ and this naturally led us towards giving back and some outreach to those less fortunate than we are. Two of the three founders are good friends with the founder of The Free Beer Movement so we decided it would be really cool to bring some of that energy to a men’s recreational soccer match. We got some items to raffle off, a bunch of beer, and invited friends & family for the first annual Stegman’s Free Beer Night, played against an unsuspecting MRSL squad. As the years went on we decided to do some new things with it, expanding our reach and philanthropy by playing a squad from The Sanneh Foundation at MN United’s training field. As the club grew bigger, and field availability in the Twin Cities became a bigger issue, it became harder to get this scheduled so it’s been on hiatus for the last couple of years but we’re always looking to bring it back as well as new ways to give back through soccer.

Stegman’s SC is more than just a team, it’s a family (photo: Stegman’s SC Facebook)

With such dynamic soccer-minds at the helm of Stegman's, what's the next evolution? What should we be looking forward to when soccer comes back to normal?

I think the most important thing for us is to double-down on what made Stegman’s the kind of rec club that has attracted over hundreds of guys over the years - our traditions, camaraderie, beer, etc. Oh, and to keep winning and adding more championship ‘staches above our club crest. 

To Find out more about the club: http://stegmanssc.com/

Muskegon Risers (NPSL & UWS)

A little over a year ago we introduced you to Matt Schmitt and his club, Muskegon Risers READ HERE and we thought there was no time like the present to catch up with them; see what they’ve been up to and what we might have missed the first time round.  

For some of our brand-new readers, can you take a second to explain the origins of Muskegon Risers?

The Muskegon Risers organization was established in January of 2014 to help facilitate positive social and economic change along the Muskegon Lakeshore through the game of soccer. A Riser is someone who understands our community’s potential and who pushes themselves and others to realize that potential. Our ‘Risers’ name was inspired by the ‘Muskegon, Together Rising’ sculpture that stands in the heart of downtown Muskegon. Risers are not limited to an era, industry or ethnicity. The Muskegon Risers to represent the spirit of our area’s people in past, present and future tense.

MKG fields a men’s outdoor team (National Premier Soccer League), men’s arena team (Major Arena Soccer League II), women’s outdoor team (United Women’s Soccer), women’s arena team (Independent) and eSports team (eNPSL/VPG). The Risers play all home outdoor games at historic Monsignor Kehren Stadium, and all arena games in downtown Muskegon’s Mercy Health Arena.

It looks like you've updated your badge since last we spoke; can you walk us through it? What are the elements and what do they mean?

“Muskegon” originates from the word “mashkig” of the area’s indigenous Ojibwe tribe, and our arrow-shaped crest recognizes this history. Geographically, the City is positioned on Lake Michigan and has the only deep-water port, Muskegon Lake, on Michigan’s west coast. As a Port City, shipping, boating and beach-going help shape Muskegon’s modern industry and culture. The crest’s blue and green colors are a reflection of Muskegon’s natural beauty as a lakeside community, particularly during the spring, summer and fall seasons. During the Muskegon Risers winter arena season, our crest colors change to black and white as Muskegon Lake freezes and lake effect snow blankets the community. The unique symbol located at the crest’s top – layered over iconic sun and waves – is derived from the sculpture at the heart of Downtown Muskegon named “Muskegon, Together Rising”.

Indoors, Outdoors... and even on ice. It looks like your club is willing to play soccer anywhere; why is that and do the players from the NPSL and UWS players participate in all levels of competition or do you have recreation and co-ed squads?

Our purpose is centered around creating a positive impact on the Muskegon Lakeshore through soccer. As such, we're able to adapt with different variations in which the game is played and will compete if we feel confident in our ability to deliver a quality experience for everyone involved. We focus on elite performance and do not delve into the realm of recreational soccer through the Risers brand.

As mentioned, you have teams in both a men's and women's league, why is it important to provide a similar opportunity to the women of your community? Do they have a totally separate set of coaches? Budget?

Every decision we make is derived from our core mission of creating a positive impact on the Muskegon Lakeshore through soccer, and the addition of a women's team effectively doubles the force with which we are able to serve that purpose. The women's outdoor team does operate within its own business model, as does our women's arena team. Our relentless commitment to a clear organizational purpose has allowed us to create opportunities for men's and women's outdoor and indoor players, and most recently eSports players.

With the NPSL cancelling the season, are you still holding out hope for local competitions and regional cups or have you decided to just put the whole men's team on hold for 2020? What about the UWS and the women's squad - what's the word?

In late March, the NPSL cancelled its season on a national level and we completely understood the decision. Locally, we continued to evaluate our landscape until early April when it was clear that moving forward with a men's and women's outdoor season in 2020 was not in the organization's best interest. We've embraced the mantra "The Obstacle is the Way" and are using this opportunity to build an eSports program, which just started its inaugural eNPSL season last week https://virtualprogaming.com/league/enpsl

What do we have to look forward to in the Fall / Winter? Rec leagues? More indoor? What do you have up your sleeve?

Assuming the public health data and local policies are favorable, we plan to re-activate our men's and women's arena teams who would start competition in January of 2021. The question for all of our teams is when, not if, they will return to full competition which is a position we are very grateful to be in.

To keep up with Muskegon Risers: https://muskegonrisers.com/

Savannah Spirit (WPSL)

While we were gearing up for a massive WPSL season preview, we reached out to several clubs, ongoing and brand new, to get a feel for the direction the 2020 season was going to go. Chris Davidovicz head coach of Savannah Spirit, was happy to respond at the first time of asking and provided a few answers for the piece. Unfortunately, a lot has changed since that first contact. However, Chris was kind enough to answer a few more questions when we decided to just make the whole piece a good old-fashioned Spotlight – so now we shed the light on the apparitions and ghosts of the WPSL’s South Regions, Carolina’s Conference, South Division.

Why did you choose to join the WPSL - has your club existed at a lower level or is this the organization's debut into the soccer world?

This is a brand-new club.  The WPSL team is our debut into the soccer world.  There were several elements that influenced the team's entry into the WPSL.  Both owners (DJ Spisso & Josh McIntosh) have children that play youth soccer. DJ has 3 daughters, one of which plays at a pretty good level in our area.  Josh has run a club (Savannah SC) in the area for a couple of years.  They have a passion for youth soccer and love the city of Savannah.  Their vision is to bring a first-class sports organization to Savannah that can engage the community.  They want the team to be a pathway to help young women turn into positive influential leaders.  With DJ having a daughter he wanted to provide an option for her down the road to continue playing the game if she has that as one of her goals.  There was a huge gap in the market in our area when it comes to women's soccer and we want to fill that. 

After doing the research it was evident that the WPSL was the perfect league to join.  The leadership has a great vision for the league and they have shown over the last 3 years their commitment to putting together a first-class league and grow the women's game.  With a strong presence in the south it allows us to create rivalries while helping to keep travel costs low.  

Are there any teams in particular that you're looking forward to playing this season?

Our south division of the Carolinas conference is filled with a great group of teams.  For sure playing last year's division winner, the Charlotte Eagles, is a team we are excited to play.  They set the standard last year and we want to find out how we stack up so we know where we need to go to reach our goals.  Of course, the local derbies with Beaufort FC are going to be matches that we have marked on the calendar.  We are only 30 minutes apart and we have several players that come from the Hilton Head, Bluffton and Beaufort area.

Newcomers Savannah Spirit are looking forward to taking on conference powerhouse Charlotte Eagles (photo: Charlotte Eagles Facebook)

What will success look like in 2020? (Now 2021)

We will measure success several different ways.  Top priority for us is that our players have a great experience, that our team chemistry and culture is strong, and that our players feel prepared for their fall seasons.  We want to be a positive influence in Savannah through multiple community engagement projects.  We want to get to July and have amazing stories about the people that felt loved, cared for and encouraged via their interactions with our club.  Our fan experience and how connected they feel to our group will be something we will pay a lot of attention to. 

We want to give Savannah a team they can be proud of.  Another goal of ours will be to assist our players with moving onto the professional level.  We have several players that have aspirations of taking their career to the NWSL or leagues in Europe.  We want to provide these players with the training and environment to help them grow into a player that a pro team wants.  

For sure we have aspirations of winning.  For us the main talking point with the players will be how we approach each day.  We want to be a unified group, compete to the maximum and do the necessary work every day in training.  We will have ideas of how we want to play.  As a coaching staff we will definitely measure ourselves against our vision and the tactics that we believe will put the team in the best position to win each game.  

All across the lower leagues in the US, for women and men, clubs often either have their own youth organization or are affiliated with one; is this also the case for you? Do you have any plans on working with a youth club to create the adult end of a development funnel?

Right now, we do not have our own youth club or a direct affiliation.  One of our owners (Josh McIntosh) has a small club (Savannah SC - formerly Chatham SC).  Our other owner (David Speeso) has a daughter that plays for Tormenta FC.  I work with the pre-Academy for Tormenta on Hilton Head. 

As we have moved forward with putting the WPSL team together we have gained some momentum and interest from players and parents about starting a new club.  I think this whole virus mess has actually opened the door even more for this.  I don't see how clubs can keep operating on the same model of charging people crazy amounts of money to play soccer.  So, we are looking at how we create a new model and deliver more value to everyone.  I think the starting point for us will be to create a 04 girls’ team and possibly a 07 girls’ team.  Making sure both teams are run extremely well then look to grow from there.  As we develop this, I will keep you updated and will be happy to go on the record to share the vision and what we are doing.  

Supporters help the world go 'round - has anybody in your community fallen in love with what you're putting together and started any sort of fanbase? Some clubs don't even have bleachers or stands for fans to show up and sit in - what's your stadium situation; is there room for fans if they want to show up? 

We are pretty fortunate with our venue set up.  We have an agreement to play at Memorial Stadium in Savannah. www.savannahsportscouncil.com/facilities/memorial-stadium/ Fantastic venue for our fans.  In one of the end zones there is a hospitality room where we plan to host a VIP area.  

We don't have an official fan base yet.  I have connected with one individual thru Twitter that has taken a huge interest in us.  He is keen on being part of our "Ultra" group.  One of the names I have kicked around for our supporters’ group is "Ghost Protocol."  A play on the Spirit name and the ghost stuff in Savannah.  

Before all of the quarantines we had a group of players playing in a 6v6 league in Savannah on Sundays.  The complex hosts a variety of adult leagues all day.  Easily a 1,000+ soccer people out there each Sunday.  Our plan was to tap into this group and work on generating interest among these people that already have a passion for the game. Once the quarantines are lifted, we will be back playing in the league.  We also plan to use the summer 6v6 league for our reserve players to develop the younger players for the future.  

Certainly, the coronavirus has had a deep impact on everybody's schedule - if the WPSL season is scrapped for the health and safety of everyone, will you be able to survive? Will you be back for 2021? Do you have a webstore where people can help out the club? 

If the league is scrapped, we will still get our team together to train and help the girls get ready for their fall seasons.  We are also going to work on reaching out to other WPSL teams as well as NWSL teams to set up exhibition games.  We want to help our players stay active.  We also want to try to develop some brand recognition in our market as we give people a chance to watch a live sporting event and feel normal again.  

For sure we will be forging ahead to be even stronger in 2021. 

We haven't set up any type of fundraising account yet.  We have talked about that idea but have not added that to our program yet.  Fortunately, our owners have done a great job with fundraising for us.  We have a couple of sponsors that got on board early.  

Steel FC (GPSL)

Steel FC recently caught our attention with a stunning new logo and kit designed by Icarus FC. While we were aware of Steel FC, we had failed to reach out thus far; a failure no longer! We wanted to know about the making of Steel FC and their upgrade from Bessemer to being the Linz-Donowintz of soccer in the Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League. Brian Luchini was happy to walk us through the history of the club and the transformation to its modern design – as well as the charitable cause from which sales of their newest kits are donated to.

Let's start at the start - When was Steel FC founded and what gave you the inspiration?

Steel FC was founded in 2015. At the time, our team had been playing year-round in different summer leagues as well as indoor winter leagues. While those leagues offered some quality competition, the majority of the time our players found themselves being hacked, fouled hard, kicked, stomped on, etc. from teams that were not up to the same quality as us. They would take their frustrations out to the point of causing injuries. The game started to become unhealthy for us. Therefore, we decided to join the Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League as a new team in the 2nd lowest division, the Miners Division (Division III). Having known players who already participated in that league, I was assured that our opponents were quality enough to play the game as it should be played and that gritty, unnecessary fouls would become minimal.

Tell us a little bit about the Greater Pittsburgh Soccer League; how many teams operate in that system and what is it like to gain promotion? Is there any greater motivation for a team than to know their success will be rewarded that way?

At the time we joined the GPSL there was 32 teams spread out between 4 divisions. The Keystone Division was known as Division IV and was the bottom division. Players in this division might've played in high school or on intramural teams. They play the game for fun, exercise, and camaraderie more than to win and get promoted. The next division, the Miner's Division, known as Division III, was the entry point for new teams joining the GPSL and is where teams started to play more competitively. Typically, players in this division played in high school and competed in a youth, club, or travel team. They know the game well from a mental standpoint but might not have the skill or fitness level to really compete at a higher level. The Championship Division, known as DII, is really where competitive teams take the games seriously as based on their standings, they can be promoted to the Premier Division or relegated to the Miners Division. Players in this division definitely played organized, competitive soccer in high school and college. The technical and physical ability starts to really show and team managers take the game seriously in that they decide who to recruit and cut mid-season and post season in order to make their team better. The Premier Division, known as Division I and the division Steel FC plays in, is the best adult amateur soccer division in Pittsburgh. Players in this division compete for the title each year and some teams, like ours, go on to participate in regional and national tournaments. Players in this division are top amateur quality. We have guys play in this league that have played D1 in college, at a high level overseas, are former USL players, and an ex MLS player or two. The motivation for each team to move up is knowing the fierce competition ahead of you and seeing how your team stacks up. My team started in the Miners Division in 2015, won that and moved up to the Championship Division in 2016. We competed in this division from 2016-2017 before winning it and moving up to the Premier Division in 2018. Since 2018 we have been competing in the Premier Division and look to capture the title each year. In 2019 in all local, regional, and national competitions we held a combined record of 14-3-3 and look to improve upon that during our 2020 campaign.

Steel FC has competed in both the USASA Amateur Cup as well as the US Open Cup - how deep have you run in those competitions and has funding ever felt like a prohibiting factor for a deeper run?

Yes, Steel FC has competed in the USASA Amateur Cup and the Open Cup. We have only done this once though as entering both these competitions in 2019 was our first time. In the 2019 USASA Amateur Cup, we exceeded expectations for our first go at it. Being a small team from Pittsburgh with barely a following, no one really gave us a shot or knew who we were. However, in our first game in the 2019 USASA Amateur Cup, we traveled down to Christos FC and came away with a 1-0 victory against the former National Amateur Cup Champions. We then hosted NPSL team, Philadelphia Lonestar, and was again victorious with a 4-1 win. This win put us in the USASA Region One Final. We traveled to Philadelphia last June for it and ended up being runner-up to eventual USASA Amateur Cup Champion, Newtown Pride FC. In the Open Cup this past year we hosted the 1st round of qualifying and faced Maryland side Germantown City FC. We won that match by a score of 3-1. We also hosted the 2nd round of qualifying as two Pittsburgh teams were pitted against each other. Our opponent for this match was Tartan Devils FC. This game took us to overtime where we again came out victorious by a 3-1 score line. In the 3rd round of qualifying we traveled to a familiar opponent, Christos FC. This was a great game with Christos having most of the possession and us dangerous on the counter-attack. However, an incorrect goal allowed (confirmed by the Open Cup committee from video evidence) was the difference in this one and we fell to them 3-2. Seeing as this is the only time we participated in the Open Cup, this is as far as we have ever gone. Again, though I believe we exceeded expectations as not many gave us a chance. I am happy for what my team accomplished and while the USASA Amateur Cup has been cancelled this year, we look forward to competing in the 2020-21 Open Cup if it happens. As far as how funding has affected my team goes, the only real issue we would have run into is if we would've beaten Christos FC in the 3rd round of qualifying. Had we won that game we would've been in the tournament proper. Had we been chosen to host, the costs to host the first-round proper would've been between $8,000-$10,000 due to ticket sales, EMS, advanced police security, referee fees, field rental fees, etc. etc. Us being a small club that pays for everything out of our own pocket, (we are not sponsored at all), it definitely would have been a struggle for us to come up with that amount of money in order to play just one game. We are actively looking for a sponsor but have had no real luck yet, especially with COVID-19 going on.

Tell us about your 2020 Midnight Steel FC kits; what inspired the jerseys and what has the club decided to do with the proceeds? 

Our new 2020 Midnight Steel FC kits are really the exceptional work of icarusfc.com. I reached out to Robert and was looking for a new home jersey now that we have the time do to the shutdown. He came back to me and wanted to update our logo. I agreed and he came up with the triangle shape, black and gold banner, star, and white and blue checkered pattern. The triangle's 3 points represent the 3 rivers and an area where Pittsburghers gather called "The Point". The Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet at "The Point" and become the bigger, Ohio river. The black and gold colors are a representation of Pittsburgh sports teams, the star is a nod from our old logo, and the white and checkered pattern in the logo are taken from the City of Pittsburgh's flag. Altogether, the logo turned out great and from the logo, Icarus FC designed our new jersey which blew us out of the park. We cannot wait for them to come in and for us to finally be able to wear them (hopefully) this season. Right now, we have a few pre-orders in but would love to sell more. We are accepting the first batch of pre-orders through Monday, May 3rd. Feel free to check out our online store at steelfcsoccer.com/merchandise. Whatever proceeds we make will go towards 2020 GPSL expenses and Open Cup expenses. Additionally, some of the proceeds from our jersey sales will go towards fighting COVID-19 in the Pittsburgh area. Whatever we can give we will give. Any amount, no matter how small or large, makes a difference. 

If you don't play this season... how are you doing? Will we see Steel FC in 2021 and beyond - what does the future look like for your club?

If we end up not playing this season it will definitely hurt from an emotional standpoint but the team will not fold. We have an eager squad looking to play any chance they get. If there is no season, we will enter winter seasons (if possible) and stay engaged in the soccer universe. Or if the season is cancelled but we get the all clear to play, I plan to host friendlies against quality teams any chance we can along with organizing and hosting a Corona Cup tournament. Regardless of what happens during the rest of 2020, we will be back in 2021 and plan to hit the ground running.

To Follow Steel FC: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Sports-Club/Steel-FC-256648575090131/

To Pick Up a Kit: https://www.steelfcsoccer.com/merchandise

JASA RWC (Redwood City)

Just weeks away from the end of their 2018 UPSL Fall Season, JASA RWC are taking a break from their table-topping performance to focus on the US Open Cup’s third qualifying round. It will determine which clubs make the cut and get to the tournament proper in 2019. We caught the jitters while preparing for a few of the matchups so we reached out to the Wild West South leaders JASA RWC to see what they are all about. Jake Morrison answered the call and provided an in-depth look at a Bay Area organization nearing their second decade in operation. It turns out that they are as excited for the match as we are!

When and how were you founded; Does the club have any connections to an existing youth system?

We have a bit of a convoluted history. Staying true to our many layers we have been around since 1999. We have essentially two godfathers of our program; Tono Aspinall who is the originator and Tom Gaa who carried the torch. And then there is myself (Jake Morrison) and Will Stambaugh who are carrying the water for the future of the program. From the beginning the program has served two purposes:  

1. Maintain a highly competitive avenue for local players

2. To serve and enrich our local community on and off the field

Our program is at the tail end of a long-term development model and our hope would be to create a cradle to grave soccer and social option within our community. With the hope that other clubs would follow suit and we could really begin to grow the game and the opportunities for local players. But at the moment the best we can do is showcase what it is we do and with the youth coaches we have playing with in our ranks continue to have conversations about questioning the current landscape of youth and amateur football locally and nationally.

For us this is just the beginning. We have a clear vision on where we want to go and eventually what we like to be but it is important for us to have a good foundation before we explore plans of expanding. At the moment the best we can do is just be the best that at who we currently are. 

What were the motivations behind the badge, mascot and colors? Are there any connections to, or inspirations drawn from, other clubs in the world?

Since our transformation to “Just JASA” we wanted to keep it simple and build from there.  We have a lot of creative folks who are a part of our program and there have been a lot of great ideas that we have explored.  From various block prints to even something that looks a lot of like the Juventus of Torino but with a double layered J (it’s debatable who came up with it first). Even with what we currently use on a lot of our social platforms like the tree with the words wrapped around, which have all been done in house.  Right now, we are settled on our crest for our jersey’s its simple and it says everything that needs to be said. We hope to have some more options for our fans in the new year as we step up our merch game.

What are the goals of the organization; does that include an ambition to grow quickly or more just see how it goes?

I would say I personally am much more conservative than many of my colleagues when it comes to our growth. I have seen it, we all have seen it where clubs don’t stick around. Either its one or done, or their model is simply not sustainable (pump and dump the cash). We got to where we are because have taken our sweet time. We have essentially 3 programs running right now.  Our UPSL team, our Dos team, and our women’s program which is run only in the summer. We have clearly been pretty good at building the upper ends of amateur football over the years. And right now, that is our bread and butter. In the immediate future we want to continue to do more for each levels of our program. Example: More national playing exposure for our first team, entering higher level of competitions for our Dos group like the Open Cup, and for our women’s program get it running in a year around playing model. Part of that we are already doing by entering in the US Open Cup for 2019 with the first team. Because we are part of a qualifying league, we can enter the initial qualifying rounds. I suspect that within a year or two depending on how long it’s been since the UPSL will meet all the guaranteed qualifications pathways, we will have teams apart of the league getting automatic entries into the first round. We are at the tail end of qualifying right now and so far, it’s been a great experience for our guys and by the grace of the soccer gods and hard work we hope to keep pushing forward and do what we do.

We have come along way and we continue to have ambition to reach the highest levels.  We just believe you do that in a different way than the structure is currently outlined for Clubs in America. So, part of where we go and what we do will shift based on the landscape of Amateur → Semi Professional → Professional levels.  With some of this our hand our tied. So, we continue to advocate for an open system and build a club in our vision.   

 Are there any players who've made an instant impact? Anybody notable who's come from another league or club?

Our pool is in my opinion quite deep.  We have had guys come through, guys leave, guys come back and guys who are currently with us who have some pretty impressive resumes.  From youth international caps, full international caps, to solid college careers, dudes playing abroad, to guys who have just been ballin’ all their lives on Sundays and maybe just have had the luck to crack the next level.  

 Do you have an existing or budding rivalry? Do you see rivalry as an important part of growing the fan side or an organization, or a distraction?

Not rivalries per se but quality matches. Every time we line up against Oakland Stompers we know it’s going to be a match. They have been around for a long time and have a quality staff and ownership group and a deep player pool.

And this is important and wonderful because they are right across the bridge.  Every game we play against them you get fans from both clubs making the trek. And that is important. And you can see that there a people repping us and there are people repping them. We are in the amateur ranks and we will not continue to grow unless our fan base does.  And as our fan base grows, we would love and will encourage them to be more than spectators. They can see the level, they enjoy the level and then you begin to create more ties to the club from within the community. Part of the what we would love to create is a membership organization where there is community ownership of the club.  

How do you feel about clubs being politically active? Should they just stick to soccer or is there a responsibility to be a part of the community?

Community first. This the area that will always be there and has already given so much to what we have, what we do, and what we are. Sometimes that mean’s being a little political. And this can be political in the soccer landscapes and political in elections. Our team is like a lot of communities, a diverse melting pot and we are lucky that we have this one thing in common, which is the game, and we will use that as a driving force for as much good as we possibly can.  

Is there anything important to you YOU that I missed?

Sure.  

We all have an idea of what a proper club could/should look like and for us it’s a model that is built around the community and service, and playing the game in a certain way.  If you take away that last part as that is debatable but you would say okay those other two things you would say are foundations on which any club could build there program around..  But then what? Where to from here? There are a lot of people who talk about this and one guys from our area Adam Lewin from FC Davis wrote a piece and the title is appropriate “The Fight For American Soccer”.  (you can read it here). You had Dennis Crowley who wrote his very transparent piece on building his program (you can read it here). There are people across this country who are operating at very successful level and fighting for this game.  We personally have had great conversations with our neighbors to the north SF City FC and how they operate and trying to find new ways to change our structure. There are a lot of great things happening and there are a lof of great things that have been done in the past, hell other countries are changing the way they operate (India, Australia). Seems like a no-brainer that we need to get on the same page; Integrated systems, integrated player registration, integrated competitions, integrated pathway.

And just one last thing.

There are many folks that I can list who are fed up with the current system (Ted, Dennis Crowley, John Pranjic, The Kleiban’s etc etc etc). Even if guys like Adam’s path is different than ours he is fighting for the game. He is doing something in his community right or wrong to do more and offer more pathways.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that it is shitty that we are even having to write or talk about this. The federation needs to get their act together.  

Thanks for the spotlight and appreciate what you guys at Protagonist Soccer are doing!!!