Lansing Common Football Club is a Midwest Premier League expansion team that began play in Spring 2021.[1] As a result of Lansing Ignite FC being dissolved in October 2019 due to the ownership's financial strain,[2] a group of fans led by Eric Walcott and Geoff Sykes formed a plan to create the supporter-owned team.[3] They are one of twelve Michigan-based teams playing in the Eastern Division.
| Full name | Lansing Common Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Robins |
| Founded | July 27, 2020 |
| Stadium | Eastern High School Lansing, Michigan |
| Capacity | ~2,500 |
| Head coach | Brent Sorg |
| League | Midwest Premier League |
| Website | https://lansingcommonfc.com/ |
The team plays its home games at Eastern High School in Lansing, Michigan.
Colors and crest
editThe club colors are brown, red-orange, and turquoise. The club crest was designed by founder Sykes, who is also the director of team branding and design for Lansing-based Moneyball Sportswear.[3] The crest is a roundel featuring an American Robin, the Michigan state bird, standing in front of Lansing's famous three smoke stacks known as Wink'n, Blink'n, and Nod.[4]
History
editLansing Common FC joined the Midwest Premier League (MWPL), a semi-professional and amateur league who operates under a partnership agreement with the National Independent Soccer Association, a USSF Division 3 professional league, which includes pathways for both players and clubs to go fully pro.[5][6] Lansing Common FC played their first game on May 15, 2021, ending in a 3–1 win over Fort Wayne Sport Club.[7] Lansing Common FC finished their inaugural season second in their division, with Eastern Illinois University forward Shady Omar winning the 2021 Golden Boot with 10 goals scored for The Robins.[8] They followed up this performance with another second place divisional finish in 2022.
2022 season
editEastern Division
editThis division contained 11 teams for the 2022 season.
| Pos | Team | P | GP | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter Detroit (C) | 21 | 10 | 5 |
| 2 | Lansing Common | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| 3 | Tulip City United | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| 4 | Michigan Jaguars | 18 | 10 | 9 |
| 5 | Cedars FC | 16 | 10 | 0 |
| 6 | Grand Haven Admirals | 14 | 10 | 4 |
| 7 | Michigan Stars U23 | 14 | 10 | 1 |
| 8 | Livonia City | 12 | 10 | -1 |
| 9 | West Michigan Bearings | 9 | 10 | -7 |
| 10 | Detroit Union | 6 | 10 | -17 |
| 11 | BiH Grand Rapids | 5 | 10 | -15 |
Rules for classification: P) points; (GP) games played; (GD) goal differential; (C) Champion
2021 Fall Season
editEast Division
editThis division contained 8 teams for the 2021 season.
| Pos | Team | P | GP | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit City U23 (C) | 39 | 14 | 29 |
| 2 | Lansing Common | 31 | 14 | 21 |
| 3 | West Michigan Bearings | 27 | 14 | 15 |
| 4 | BiH Grand Rapids | 20 | 14 | 7 |
| 5 | Michigan Stars U23 | 19 | 14 | 1 |
| 6 | Livonia City | 9 | 14 | -18 |
| 7 | Inter Detroit | 8 | 14 | -18 |
| 8 | LK St Clair | 5 | 14 | -37 |
Rules for classification: P) points; (GP) games played; (GD) goal differential; (C) Champion
References
edit- ^ "New soccer club Lansing Common F.C. coming spring 2021". WILX. 2021-01-26. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ By, Graham Couch. "Couch: Why Lansing Ignite went belly-up – a look at what killed our pro soccer club". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ a b By, Phil Friend. "How a group of fans created Lansing Common Football Club, a team owned by its supporters". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-22.
- ^ Lansing Common FC [@lansingcommonfc] (2020-07-27). "Ugh, fine, if we have to, but only because @LansingMIFacts wouldn't let us get away with not explaining it" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-03-23 – via Twitter.
- ^ "NISA Grows Amateur Affiliations in Partnership with Newly-Minted Midwest Premier League". www.nisasoccer.com. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "MWPL Joins Forces with NISA". Midwest Premier League. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ Vigna, Jake (2021-05-15). "Lansing Common Football Club kicked off their first game with a win against Fort Wayne Sport Club". WILX. Retrieved 2023-03-23.
- ^ Midwest Premier League [@midwestpl] (2021-09-15). "The 2021 East Division Golden Boot Winner" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-03-23 – via Twitter.