The 2024 NISA season is the sixth season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition. The 2023 champions, Flower City Union, are not defending their title, after announcing their departure from the league during the off-season.[2]
| Season | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Apr. 6 – Sep. 29 (regular season) Oct. 4–27 (playoffs) |
| Champions | Los Angeles Force |
| Matches played | 84 |
| Goals scored | 266 (3.17 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Patrick Okonkwo (5 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Seth Torman[1] Los Angeles Force |
| Biggest home win | 4 games by 4 goals |
| Biggest away win | Capo FC 0–5 Los Angeles Force (Sep. 7) |
| Highest scoring | Maryland Bobcats 5–3 Club de Lyon (Jul. 17) |
| Longest winning run | Maryland Bobcats (11 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Maryland Bobcats (17 games) |
| Longest winless run | Arizona Monsoon (16 games) |
| Longest losing run | Arizona Monsoon (18 games) |
← 2023 2025 →
All statistics correct as of October 19, 2024. | |
Teams
editOf the nine teams that played in the 2023 season, five return for 2024, two (Flower City Union[3] and Chattanooga FC[4][5]) are moving on to different leagues, and two, Albion San Diego and Gold Star FC, are on hiatus, with the aim to return in 2025.
The five teams are joined by four expansion clubs: Arizona Monsoon, Capo FC, Georgia Lions FC and Irvine Zeta.[6] On April 3, NISA announced that the Georgia Lions FC had been taken over by new leadership and were being rebranded as Georgia FC to start the 2024 season.[7]
Stadiums and locations
edit
Southern California
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Monsoon | Glendale, AZ | Matt O. Hanhila Field | 3,000 |
| Capo FC | San Juan Capistrano, CA | JSerra Catholic High School | |
| Club de Lyon | Daytona Beach, FL | Daytona Stadium | 9,601 |
| Georgia FC | Atlanta, GA | Atlanta Silverbacks Park[7] | 5,000 |
| Irvine Zeta | Irvine, CA | Championship Soccer Stadium | 5,500 |
| Los Angeles Force | Long Beach, CA | Veterans Memorial Stadium | 11,600 |
| 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 |
Personnel and sponsorship
edit- 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.[8]
| Team | Head coach | Captain(s) | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Monsoon |  Carlos Padilla
|
 Capelli
|
— | |
| Capo FC | Peter Carey
|
New Balance
|
DirecTV | |
| Club de Lyon |  Hector Almandoz
|
 Victor Rojas
|
 Adidas
|
— |
| Georgia FC | Kerem Daser
|
|||
| Irvine Zeta | Tyler Silva
|
 Shinya Kadono
|
 Kelme
|
— |
| Los Angeles Force |  Dekel Keinan
|
Brandon Gomez
|
Xara
|
— |
| Maryland Bobcats |  Alex Kao
|
 Josselin Possian
|
 Hummel
|
Holiday Inn College Park |
| Michigan Stars |  Enis Dokovic
|
 Tatenda Mkuruva
|
Adidas
|
HTC |
| Savannah Clovers |  David Proctor
|
Shandon Wright
|
Umbro
|
Castro Wood Floors |
Coaching changes
edit| Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Force | Matt Morse
|
Fired | December 8, 2023[9] | Pre-season | Dekel Keinan
|
December 8, 2023[10] |
| Club de Lyon | Victor Balaguer
|
Hector Almandoz
|
March 4, 2024[11] |
Regular season
editThe teams are divided in two conferences, playing an unbalanced schedule weighted on regional play.[6] The season was scheduled to start on March 23, but was delayed until April 6 because the four expansion teams needed more time to prepare for the season.[12]
Standings
editEast Conference
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland Bobcats | 19 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 50 | 18 | +32 | 50 | Disqualified |
| 2 | Michigan Stars (Q) | 20 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 36 | Semifinals |
| 3 | Club de Lyon | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 30 | 42 | −12 | 19 | |
| 4 | Savannah Clovers | 20 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 42 | −18 | 18 | |
| 5 | Georgia FC | 20 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 24 | 39 | −15 | 14 |
Source: NISAofficial.com
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) goal differential; 3) goals for; 4) head-to-head; 5) goals against
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) goal differential; 3) goals for; 4) head-to-head; 5) goals against
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
West Conference
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Force (Q) | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 40 | 12 | +28 | 44 | Finals |
| 2 | Irvine Zeta (Q) | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 33 | 12 | +21 | 37 | Semifinals |
| 3 | Capo FC | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 15 | |
| 4 | Arizona Monsoon | 16 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 7 | 45 | −38 | 1 |
Source: NISAofficial.com
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) goal differential; 3) goals for; 4) head-to-head; 5) goals against
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Rules for classification: 1) points per game; 2) goal differential; 3) goals for; 4) head-to-head; 5) goals against
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Results
editEast Conference
editWest Conference
editPlayoffs
editIn a format change from the previous seasons, the top two clubs in each conference will advance to their respective conference championship the weekend of October 4-6. The regular season head-to-head winner between conference champions will host the NISA championship the weekend of October 25-27.[6] NISA announced that the Maryland Bobcats were ineligible for the playoffs due to noncompliance with league and USSF standards, despite having the best record in the league.[13]
| Semifinal October 12 | Final October 19 | ||||||||
| 2 | Irvine Zeta | 3 | |||||||
| 3 | Michigan Stars | 0 | |||||||
| 1 | Los Angeles Force (p) | 1 (3) | |||||||
| 2 | Irvine Zeta | 1 (2) | |||||||
| October 12 Semifinals | Irvine Zeta | 3–0 | Michigan Stars | Irvine, California |
| 7:00 pm PDT | Report | Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium |
| October 19 Finals | Los Angeles Force | 1–1 (a.e.t.) (3–2 p) | Irvine Zeta | Long Beach, California |
| 7:00 pm PDT | Report | Stadium: Veterans Memorial Stadium Attendance: 1,447 | ||
| Penalties | ||||
Player statistics
edit- As of June 9, 2024
Top goalscorersedit
|
Top assistsedit
Clean sheetsedit
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See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Simonson, Andrew (October 13, 2024). "Former Pelham star Seth Torman wins NISA Golden Glove with Los Angeles Force". Shelby County Reporter. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Flower City Union [@FlowerCityUnion] (February 15, 2024). "Our time in NISA will forever be a substantial part of our history. We are grateful to NISA and we wish the league nothing but the best moving forward. That being said, stay tuned for an announcement coming next week!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 15, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Media Alert: NISA Delivers Statement on Flower City Union Departure". nisaofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Chattanooga FC to Join MLS Next Pro". www.MLSNextPro.com. MLS Next Pro. November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ MacCoon, Patrick (November 14, 2023). "Chattanooga Football Club announces move to new league, upgrades for Finley Stadium". timesfreepress.com. Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ a b c "NISA Announces 2024 Clubs and Format". www.nisasoccer.com. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ a b "Media Alert: Atlanta Club Re-Organizes Front Office to Begin Inaugural NISA Season as Georgia FC". NISAOfficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. April 3, 2024. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "NISA announces kit sponsorship deal". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ "Thank you, Coach Matt Morse, for the strong 2023 rebuild season". December 8, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ "We are excited to welcome Dekel Keinan as the Head Coach of the LA Force!". December 8, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ "We bring a world champion to Orlando! Club De Lyon is proud to present the new Head Coach for the NISA PRO 2024 season. Welcome Mr. Hector "Cohio" Almandoz". March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ "NISA Adjusts Opening to Season Schedule". nisaofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ "NISA Announces 2024 Playoffs Schedule". National Independent Soccer Association. October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ a b c "NISA top scorers". flashscore.com. Flashscore. Retrieved May 1, 2024.