2023_NISA_season
2023 National Independent Soccer Association season
Football league season
The 2023 NISA season is the fifth season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition. Michigan Stars are the defending champions, after winning the 2022 season.
Quick Facts Season, Dates ...
| Season | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Mar. 31 – Oct. 25 (regular season) Oct. 28 – Nov. 11 (playoffs) |
| Champions | City Union |
| Regular season title | Chattanooga FC |
| Matches played | 108 |
| Goals scored | 268 (2.48 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Markus Naglestad (15) |
← 2022 2024 →
All statistics correct as of November 11, 2023. | |
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Of the eight teams that finished the 2022 season, five return for 2023, two (Flower City Union and Syracuse Pulse) merge to form a new team branded City Union, and one, California United Strikers, is on hiatus, with the aim to return in 2024.[1]
The six teams are joined by three expansion clubs: Club de Lyon, Gold Star FC and Savannah Clovers FC.[1]
Stadiums and locations
Locations of announced clubs
Participating club
More information Team, Location ...
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albion San Diego | San Diego, CA | Canyon Crest Academy Stadium | 5,000 |
| Chattanooga FC | Chattanooga, TN | Finley Stadium | 20,668 |
| City Union | Rochester, NY Auburn, NY |
Marina Auto Stadium Falcon Park |
13,768 2,800 |
| Club de Lyon | Daytona Beach, FL | Daytona Stadium | 9,601 |
| Gold Star FC | Livonia, MI | Gold Star Stadium | 5,000 |
| Los Angeles Force | Irvine, CA | Championship Stadium | 5,000 |
| Maryland Bobcats | Boyds, MD | Maryland SoccerPlex | 4,000 |
| Michigan Stars | Washington, MI | Romeo High School | 4,000 |
| Savannah Clovers | Savannah, GA | Memorial Stadium | 5,000 |
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Personnel and sponsorship
- Note: The league has signed a deal with Hummel to be the official kit manufacturer, but it still allows clubs to find their own provider.[2]
More information Team, Head coach ...
| Team | Head coach | Captain(s) | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion San Diego |  Diego Gómez |
 Tyler Gabarra |
Capelli |
DarkHorse |
| Chattanooga FC | Rod Underwood |
 Richard Dixon |
 Hummel |
Volkswagen |
| City Union |  Jordan Sullivan |
Mumbi Kwesele |
Hummel |
— |
| Club de Lyon | Victor Balaguer |
 Victor Rojas |
 Adidas |
— |
| Gold Star FC | Alex Lubyansky |
Brandon Barnes |
Adidas |
— |
| Los Angeles Force | Matt Morse |
Brandon Gomez |
Xara |
— |
| Maryland Bobcats |  Alex Kao |
 Josselin Possian |
Hummel |
Holiday Inn College Park |
| Michigan Stars |  Tatenda Mkuruva |
Hummel |
HTC | |
| Savannah Clovers | David Proctor |
Shandon Wright |
Umbro |
Castro Wood Floors |
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Coaching changes
More information Team, Outgoing coach ...
| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion San Diego | Jeff Korytoski |
Signed by Chattanooga Red Wolves SC | December 14, 2022[3] | Preseason | Diego Gómez |
February 23, 2023 |
| City Union | Colton Bly (interim) |
End of interim period | February 10, 2023 | Jordan Sullivan |
February 10, 2023[4] | |
| Maryland Bobcats |  Sylvain Rastello |
Resigned | February 21, 2023 | Alex Kao |
March 1, 2023[5] | |
| Los Angeles Force |  Jesus Ochoa (interim) |
End of interim period | April 23, 2023 | 5th | Matt Morse |
April 23, 2023[6] |
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The season started on March 31, with the nine teams playing an unbalanced schedule weighted on regional play.[7]
Standings
More information Pos, Pld ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chattanooga FC (X) | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 12 | +29 | 52 | Qualification for the semifinals |
| 2 | Michigan Stars | 24 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 37 | 21 | +16 | 46 | |
| 3 | Los Angeles Force | 24 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 33 | 21 | +12 | 44 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 4 | Albion San Diego | 24 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 31 | 21 | +10 | 41 | |
| 5 | Maryland Bobcats | 24 | 11 | 3 | 10 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 36 | |
| 6 | City Union (C) | 24 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 30 | 34 | −4 | 27 | |
| 7 | Club de Lyon | 24 | 6 | 5 | 13 | 23 | 45 | −22 | 23 | |
| 8 | Savannah Clovers | 24 | 4 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 47 | −28 | 19 | |
| 9 | Gold Star FC | 24 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 23 | 45 | −22 | 12 |
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Source: nisasoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) goal differential; 3) goals for; 4) head-to-head; 5) goals against
(C) Champions; (X) Regular season winner
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) goal differential; 3) goals for; 4) head-to-head; 5) goals against
(C) Champions; (X) Regular season winner
Results
More information Home \ Away, ALB ...
| Home \ Away | ALB | CHA | FLO | CLY | GOL | LAF | MAR | MIC | SAV | ALB | CHA | FLO | CLY | GOL | LAF | MAR | MIC | SAV | ALB | CHA | FLO | CLY | GOL | LAF | MAR | MIC | SAV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion San Diego | — | 0–5 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | — | ||||||||||||
| Chattannooga | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | — | |||||||||||
| City Union | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 2–4 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | — | |||||||||||
| Club de Lyon | 1–2 | 0–3[upper-alpha 1] | — | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | ||||||||||||||
| Gold Star FC | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | — | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–4 | — | ||||||||||||
| L.A. Force | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | — | ||||||||||||
| Maryland Bobcats | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | 0–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | |||||||||||
| Michigan Stars | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | — | |||||||||||||
| Savannah Clovers | 1–4 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–5 | 0–1 | — | — |
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Source: nisasoccer.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
The playoffs will keep the same format from last year, and feature the top six teams from the regular season. The top two teams receive a bye into the semifinals. Teams finishing third through sixth play in the quarterfinals, with the winners being re-seeded before playing in the next round.
Bracket
| Quarterfinal October 29 | ||||
| 3 | Los Angeles Force | 2 | ||
| 6 | Flower City Union | 4 | ||
| Quarterfinal October 28 | ||||
| 4 | Albion San Diego (p) | 0 (8) | ||
| 5 | Maryland Bobcats FC | 0 (7) | ||
| Semifinals November 4/5 | NISA Championship Final November 11 | ||||||||
| 1 | Chattanooga FC | 0 (0) | |||||||
| 6 | Flower City Union (p) | 0 (2) | |||||||
| 6 | Flower City Union | 1 | |||||||
| 2 | Michigan Stars FC | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Michigan Stars FC | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | Albion San Diego | 2 | |||||||
Schedule
Quarter-finals
Albion San Diego v Maryland Bobcats FC
| October 28, 2023 (2023-10-28) | Albion San Diego | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (8–7 p) | Maryland Bobcats FC | San Diego, California |
| 5:30 PM PDT |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Canyon Crest Academy Stadium |
| Penalties | ||||
Los Angeles Force v Flower City Union
| October 29, 2023 (2023-10-29) | Los Angeles Force | 2–4 | Flower City Union | Whittier, California |
| 6:00 PM PDT |
|
Report | Stadium: Rio Hondo College Stadium |
Semi-finals
Michigan Stars FC v Albion San Diego
| November 4, 2023 (2023-11-04) | Michigan Stars FC | 3–2 | Albion San Diego | Washington Township, Michigan |
| 3:30 PM EST |
|
Report | Stadium: Romeo High School |
Chattanooga FC v Flower City Union
| November 5, 2023 (2023-11-05) | Chattanooga FC | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (0–2 p) | Flower City Union | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| 5:00 PM EST |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Finley Stadium |
| Penalties | ||||
NISA Championship Final
Michigan Stars FC v Flower City Union
| November 11, 2023 (2023-11-11) | Michigan Stars FC | 0–1 | Flower City Union | Washington Township, Michigan |
|
Report | Stadium: Romeo High School |
- As of October 25, 2023
More information Rank, Player ...
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Individual awards
More information Award, Winner ...
| Award | Winner | Team | Reason | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Boot |  Markus Naglestad |
Chattanooga FC | 15 goals in 23 games | [10] |
| Golden Glove |  Jean Antoine |
Chattanooga FC | 15 shutouts in 23 matches; 9 goals against | [10] |
| Coach of the Year | Diego Gomez |
Albion San Diego | 11-8-5 record in his debut season | [10] |
| Golden Ball (Most Valuable Player) |  Darwin Espinal |
Maryland Bobcats | 11 goals, 5 assists in 22 matches | [10] |
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NISA Best XI
More information Goalkeeper, Defenders ...
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Antoine (CHA) |
Aydan Bowers (CHA) Richard Dixon (CHA) Jimmy Filerman (MAR) Anatolie Prepeliță (CHA) |
 Daniel Bedoya (ALB) Tyler Gabarra (ALB) Alex McGrath (CHA) |
Darwin Espinal (MAR) Leon Maric (MIC) Markus Naglestad (CHA) |
[10] |
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Player of the Month
More information Month, Winner ...
| Month | Winner | Team | Reason | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | Jean Antoine |
Chattanooga FC | 4 clean sheets | [11] |
| May |  Ignacio Ten López |
Club de Lyon | 4 goals scored | [12] |
| June | Edwin Rivas |
Los Angeles Force | 3 assists in 136 minutes | [13] |
| July | Ben Roach |
Albion San Diego | 3 clean sheets | [14] |
| August | Aldo Quintanilla |
Los Angeles Force | Team went 4-0-0, scored hat-trick | [15] |
| September | Daniel Bedoya |
Albion San Diego | 3 goals scored | [16] |
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Coach of the Month
More information Month, Winner ...
| Month | Winner | Team | Reason | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | Alex Kao |
Maryland Bobcats FC | 2-0-0 in league play; win in US Open Cup | [11] |
| May | Diego Gómez |
Albion San Diego | 3-1-0 in league play | [12] |
| June | Rod Underwood |
Chattanooga FC | Undefeated in June | [13] |
| July | Rod Underwood |
Chattanooga FC | 3-1-0 in league play | [14] |
| August | Matt Morse |
Los Angeles Force | 2-2-0 in league play | [15] |
| September | Alex Kao |
Maryland Bobcats FC | 2-1-0 in league play | [16] |
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- Forfeited by Club de Lyon due to lack of approved venue availability.[8]
- "NISA announces 2023 clubs and format". www.nisaofficial.com. January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
- "NISA announces kit sponsorship deal". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- "Ziggy Korytoski named head coach of Chattanooga Red Wolves SC". December 14, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- "Flower City Union Announces 2023 Head Coach". February 10, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- "President of the Youth Academy and Assistant Coach Alex Kao to become Head Coach of Maryland Bobcats FC Senior Team". March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- "Matt Morse Named Los Angeles Force Coach". April 27, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "NISA releases opening weekend match schedule". www.nisaofficial.com. February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- "NISA Match Forfeit and Postponement". Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- "NISA player statistics". nisasoccer.com. NISA. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
- "NISA Honors 2023 Annual Award Recipients". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. December 2, 2023. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
- "NISA Announces April 2023 Performers of the Month Awards". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. May 18, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
- "NISA Announces May 2023 Performers of the Month Awards". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
- "NISA Announces June 2023 Performers of the Month Awards". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. July 19, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- "NISA Announces July 2023 Performers of the Month Awards". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. August 11, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- "NISA Announces August 2023 Performers of the Month Awards". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. September 12, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- "NISA Announces September 2023 Performers of the Month Awards". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.