2019–20_National_Independent_Soccer_Association_season
2019–20 National Independent Soccer Association season
1st season of the National Independent Soccer Association
The 2019–20 NISA season was the inaugural season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition.[1] The regular season was split into two halves, fall and spring, with playoffs at the end. The fall season, named "NISA Showcase", featured seven teams, with the East and West champions earning berths into the 2020 playoffs.[2] The spring season featured eight teams, and switches to a single table format, the top 3 teams joining California United Strikers in the playoffs.
| Season | 2019–20 season |
|---|---|
| Dates | Fall: August 31 – November 10, 2019 Spring: February 29 – March 12, 2020 (play suspended) |
| Matches played | 27 |
| Goals scored | 92 (3.41 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Jack McInerney (8 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Miami FC 8–1 Philadelphia Fury (September 15, 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Atlanta SC 1–3 Stumptown Athletic (September 14, 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Miami FC 8–1 Philadelphia Fury (September 15, 2019) |
| Highest attendance | 5,723 Oakland Roots SC 1–1 Los Angeles Force (October 19, 2019) |
| Lowest attendance | 112 Atlanta SC 1–3 Stumptown Athletic (September 14, 2019) |
| Total attendance | Fall: 29,893 Spring: 15,912 Overall: 45,805 |
| Average attendance | Fall: 1,495 Spring: 2,273 Overall: 1,696 |
2020–21 → | |
The spring season was suspended on March 12, for 30 days, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[3] The suspension was then extended in accordance with CDC guidelines[4] and eventually made permanent on April 27, 2020.[5]
Full season club
Spring expansion club
Fall-only club
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and sponsorship
- Note: The league signed a deal with Hummel to be the official kit manufacturer, but it still allowed clubs to find their own provider.[9]
| Team | Head coach | Captain(s) | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California United Strikers FC |  Don Ebert |
Xavier Fuerte |
Nike |
Taco Bell |
| Chattanooga FC | Peter Fuller |
 Juan Hernandez |
 Hummel |
Volkswagen |
| Detroit City FC |  Trevor James |
 Stephen Carroll |
 Adidas |
Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers |
| Los Angeles Force |  Thales Peterson |
Joshua Culwell |
Hummel |
— |
| Michigan Stars FC | Alexander Strehmel |
Kyle Nuel |
Hummel |
HTC |
| Oakland Roots SC | Jordan Ferrell[lower-alpha 1] |
 Nana Attakora |
Nike |
Oaklandish |
| San Diego 1904 FC |  Alexandre Gontran |
Ozzie Ramos |
Nike |
— |
| Stumptown Athletic | Mark Steffens |
Tate Robertson |
Hummel |
— |
| Only played the Fall Season | ||||
| Atlanta SC | Roberto Neves Filho |
 Sheriff Suma |
Hummel |
— |
| Miami FC |  Paul Dalglish |
Dylan Mares |
 Macron |
— |
| Philadelphia Fury | Cris Vaccaro |
Ian McGrath |
Hummel |
— |
- Ferrell was named head coach on December 3, replacing Paul Bravo.
Miami FC and California United Strikers FC played seven matches while the rest of the league played only six. To accommodate for this, the Miami FC home match against Oakland Roots SC did not count in the standings for Miami and the second California United Strikers FC home match against San Diego 1904 FC did not count in the standings for Cal United.
Standings
East Coast standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami FC (O) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 14 | East Coast Championship |
| 2 | Stumptown Athletic | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 12 | |
| 3 | Atlanta SC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 8 | |
| 4 | Philadelphia Fury | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 23 | −22 | 0 | Withdrew[lower-alpha 1] |
West Coast standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Force | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 11 | West Coast Championship |
| 2 | California United Strikers FC (O) | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 9 | |
| 3 | San Diego 1904 FC | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 6 | |
| 4 | Oakland Roots SC | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 3 |
Results
| Home \ Away | ATL | MIA | PHI | STU | CAL | LAF | OAK | SDI | ATL | MIA | PHI | STU | CAL | LAF | OAK | SDI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta SC | — | 2–2 | 3–0[upper-alpha 6] | 1–3 | — | |||||||||||
| Miami FC | 2–2 | — | 8–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | — | ||||||||||
| Philadelphia Fury | 0–3[upper-alpha 6] | 0–3[upper-alpha 6] | — | 0–3[upper-alpha 6] | — | |||||||||||
| Stumptown Athletic | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–0[upper-alpha 6] | — | — | |||||||||||
| California United Strikers FC | — | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | — | 4–1 | ||||||||||
| Los Angeles Force | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | |||||||||||
| Oakland Roots SC | 3–3 | 1–1 | — | — | ||||||||||||
| San Diego 1904 FC | 3–1 | 1–2 | 4–3 | — | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Playoffs
The top two eastern teams will meet in the East Coast Championship while the top two western teams will meet in the West Coast Championship. Each champion will earn an automatic berth into the Spring 2020 playoffs.
| Los Angeles Force | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | California United Strikers FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report MyCujoo Broadcast |
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| Penalties | ||
| 3–5 |
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The 2020 Spring season began on February 28 and featured eight teams (five teams that also played in the Fall season, plus three new entries). It consisted of a single table instead of the conferences used during Fall. The top three teams would have qualified for the Playoffs, together with California United Strikers, already qualified because of their Fall season West Championship win.[10]
The spring season was suspended on March 12, for 30 days, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[11] The suspension was then extended in accordance with CDC guidelines[12] and eventually made permanent on April 27, 2020.[13]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland Roots SC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | Playoffs |
| 2 | California United Strikers FC (Q) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Detroit City FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Stumptown Athletic | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | San Diego 1904 FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | Chattanooga FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | Los Angeles Force | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 | |
| 8 | Michigan Stars FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 |
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Results
| Home \ Away | CAL | CHA | DET | LAF | MIC | OAK | SAN | STU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California United Strikers FC | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | — |
| Chattanooga FC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Detroit City FC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Los Angeles Force | — | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 |
| Michigan Stars FC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Oakland Roots SC | — | 1–1 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | — |
| San Diego 1904 FC | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stumptown Athletic | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
- Did not play in the Fall season, but were approved in time to join the 2020 Spring season.[6]
- Played in the Fall season, but withdrew before the Spring season, after joining the USL Championship.[7]
- Philadelphia Fury withdrew from the NISA Showcase after the season started. They forfeited all remaining games which were recorded as a 3–0 losses.[8]
- Litterer, Dave (October 23, 2003). "The Year in American Soccer – 1986". The American Soccer Archives. Archived from the original on July 8, 2015. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- "NISA announces Fall '19 schedule". nisaofficial.com. July 25, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
- "NISA announces suspension of season for 30 days". nisaofficial.com. March 12, 2020.
- "NISA Extends Suspension in Accordance With CDC Guidelines". www.nisaofficial.com. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- "NISA Official Update". www.nisasoccer.com. April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- "Chattanooga FC, Detroit City FC, Michigan Stars FC approved to play in Spring 2020 competition". NisaOfficial.com. NISA. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "Ottawa Fury FC Announce Relocation, Sale of Franchise Rights to The Miami FC". uslchampionship.com. USL. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "Fury to refrain from play for balance of NISA Showcase". NisaOfficial.com. NISA. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- "NISA announces kit sponsorship deal". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- "NISA announces Spring season home openers". nisaofficial.com. January 16, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
- "NISA announces suspension of season for 30 days". nisaofficial.com. March 12, 2020.
- "NISA Extends Suspension in Accordance With CDC Guidelines". www.nisaofficial.com. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- "NISA Official Update". www.nisasoccer.com. April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2020.