Virginia Dream Football Club Joins the NPSL

December 14, 2022

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The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that Virginia Dream Football Club (Arlington, VA) has joined the league as an expansion team. The club will begin play in the East Region in 2023.

“The NPSL is focused on expanding throughout Virginia and the announcement of Virginia Dream leads that effort,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera said. “We have great expectations for the club and are confident that their unique model will enable them to penetrate untapped aspects of the Arlington market. We anticipate that the announcement of Virginia Dream will bring attention to the area, and the NPSL will continue to see growth in Virginia and North Carolina.”

The club will be led by owner Lucas Mendes.

Mendes was born and raised in Arlington, Virginia and has deep connections to the local soccer community. In his youth he played for Arlington Soccer Association, D.C. United Academy, and was selected to play for multiple U.S. Youth National Teams. In 2016 he chose to leave D.C. United Academy to play for Washington-Lee High School where he won a state title. That same year he was selected as the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year, the only Arlington native to ever win the award. He played one season at the University of Virginia before leaving to play professionally with the New York Cosmos and Richmond Kickers. Mendes has also played for the USA567 men’s national team.

“Our expectations for our first season in the NPSL are to not only show our beautiful brand of soccer on the field but off the field show how unique our club is with the power of community, creativity, and dedication,” Mendes said.

Home matches will be played at Meridian High School in Falls Church, VA. The facility offers seating for 2,000.

Virginia Dream Football Club is a start-up soccer club founded in 2022 that intends to use creativity and forward thinking to bring Arlington’s rich multicultural community together through soccer. They aim to be a soccer organization for all types of players that not only allows them to advance and improve on the field, but also encourages growth and personal development off the field. They believe everyone needs to be prepared for the next chapter of life as well as the next level of play. They want to connect soccer, art, fashion, and music to create a unique culture around their club. It is their intention that by bringing all these components together, they will help continue to drive the incredible growth of the soccer culture in Arlington and the United States. They want to show that they are not just a football club but rather a part of the greater Arlington community and culture.

“Virginia Dream brings a beautiful brand of soccer that will make the conference and the league stronger and more competitive,” Mendes said. “Strong conference competition will raise the level of excitement and interest in each community and increase attendance at each game. Our goal is to make every home gameday an event beyond just soccer but rather to make it an exciting, fun, and community-building experience.”

Supporters can visit www.virginiadreamfc.com or follow the club on Facebook (@virginiadreamfc), Instagram (@virginiadreamfc), and Twitter (@virginiadreamfc).

“We are pleased to announce that Virginia Dream F.C. is joining the NPSL,”NPSL Director of Membership Development Dina Case said. “Arlington and its surrounding community have a strong history in the U.S. soccer landscape and offer an enormous amount of support and enthusiasm for the sport. This is a great market with great potential for success. Lucas Mendes is a native of Arlington and brings a recognizable face to the team and business. We look forward to working with this group and to seeing their dream of building a successful soccer business become a reality.”