THREE MORE CONFERENCES ANNOUNCE SCHEDULES
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is proud to announce that the 2014 regular season schedules for the South Atlantic Conference, Central Conference, and Mid-Atlantic Conference have been released.
Those schedules are now available on the individual team websites.
The South Atlantic is a newly configured group in the South Region that will consist of the Carolina Railhawks U-23s (Cary, NC), Gate City FC (Greensboro, NC), Myrtle Beach Mutiny (Myrtle Beach, SC), Upward Stars (Spartanburg, SC), and FC Carolina Discoveries (Rock Hill, SC).
“The Myrtle Beach Mutiny are very excited with the addition of four Carolina teams into the NPSL,” Myrtle Beach Mutiny Sporting Director and Director of Operations Pat Piscitelli stated. “It is really going to make for a great summer for the fans. The close proximity of the teams means supporters will easily be able to travel to the away matches. With this being a Carolina Conference, some great rivalries are sure to be built!”
The rivalry between Gate City FC and Carolina Railhawks U-23s is sure to develop into a strong rivalry with the teams only 60 miles apart. Upward Stars and FC Carolina Discoveries will be the battle for the Upstate of South Carolina, while Myrtle Beach Mutiny and Discoveries are both supported by youth clubs. This long-standing rivalry at the youth level will be brought to a whole new environment in the NPSL.
“Upward Stars is very excited to be a part of this new conference alignment that will provide a great environment for our players to test themselves against some top quality opposition from the Carolinas,” Upward Stars GM and Head Coach Paul Henson added. “The response from the local soccer community to the new NPSL team in the Upstate has been very encouraging and we are looking forward to an exciting first season.”
The Midwest Region’s Central Conference will consist of Eau Claire Aris FC (Eau Claire, WI) Madison 56ers (Madison, WI), Quad City Eagles (Moline, IL), Minnesota Twin Stars (Minneapolis, MN), Minnesota United Reserves (Golden Valley, MN), and FC Bordo (St. Louis, MO).
“After two years in which team had played each other three times, I am extremely happy to announce the return to a classic home-away schedule for the 2014 season,” Central Conference Commissioner and Madison 56ers owner Cristian Brei declared.
The season opener takes place in St. Louis on May 2nd, where the newcomers are welcoming the 2013 Central Conference Champion Quad City Eagles. The following match on May 17th is the battle between the last two Central Conference Champions, Quad City Eagles and Madison 56ers.
The Mid-Atlantic Conference moves to the Northeast Region and includes D.C United U-23s (Fairfax, VA), 2013 South Region and NPSL National Champion RVA FC (Richmond, VA), Chesterfield United (Chesterfield, VA), Virginia Legacy SC (Williamsburg, VA), Virginia Beach NPSL (Virginia Beach, VA), and ASA Charge (Gambrills, MD).
The NPSL is a national league that operates in the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup through their affiliation with the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). The NPSL is the fastest-growing national soccer league in North America, operating in 80+ markets across the country. Two Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs (D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls) and four North American Soccer League (NASL) clubs (Minnesota United, Carolina Railhawks, Atlanta Silverbacks, Oklahoma City FC) operate teams in the NPSL. Mitre USA recently signed a multi-year agreement to become the league’s Official Match Ball Sponsor.
