Midwest United FC is an American soccer club based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that fields teams in MLS NEXT and Elite Clubs National League and senior teams in the Great Lakes Division of USL League Two and USL W League. Midwest United FC is a youth academy affiliate of Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew.[1]

Midwest United FC
Founded1990
StadiumMidwest United FC Soccer Complex
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Executive DirectorLewis Robinson
Head CoachJoe White (Women) and Luke Ruff (Men)
LeagueUSL W League, USL League Two, MLS NEXT, Elite Clubs National League
Websitehttps://midwestunitedfc.com/

History

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Midwest United FC was founded in 1990 under the moniker GRASA (Grand Rapids Area Soccer Association) and was the first youth select soccer club in Grand Rapids.[2] The initial registration was 60 players from around the area.

In 1996, Grand Valley Premier SC was formed and was the area's only premier soccer club[clarification needed] for the next 10 years. GRASA and Grand Valley Premier merged in 2007 to form Grand Rapids Crew Juniors, the first junior club affiliate of MLS franchise Columbus Crew. During its time as GR Crew Juniors the club earned a National Championship in 2011 for its U17 Boys.[citation needed]

Grand Rapids Crew Juniors rebranded to Midwest United FC in June 2015.[3] The U16 Girls team earned the title of US Soccer Development Academy National Champions in 2016.[citation needed]

In 2019, the ownership of the women's side Grand Rapids FC was transferred to Midwest United FC.[4] Originally competing in United Women's Soccer, the club has since moved to USL W League. A men's team was added in 2022 to compete in USL League Two.

In 2024, the men's team qualified for the USL League Two playoffs for the first time since it joined the league.

Home Facility

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The team's current home facility is the Midwest United FC Soccer Complex in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Players

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Notable current & former players

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Head coaches

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  •   Joe White (2023–present, USL W League)
  •   Luke Ruff (2023–present, USL League Two)
  •   Lewis Robinson (2017, 2020–2022)
  •   Chris Allen (2018)
  •   James Gilpin (2018–2019)

Honors

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USL League Two

    • Playoffs Qualifiers: 2024

United Women's Soccer

  • National championships (1): 2017
  • Conference season championships (2)
    • Midwest Conference: 2017
    • Midwest North Conference: 2021
  • Conference playoff championships (3)

Minor competitions

  • UWS Stadium Showcase: 2020

Year-by-year

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Year Tier League Regular Season Playoffs
2017 2 UWS 1st of 7, Midwest (8–1–1) UWS champions
2018 2 UWS 2nd of 7, Midwest (7–1–2) National semifinal
2019 2 UWS 4th of 6, Midwest (3–5–2) Conference final
2020 2 UWS Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic[5]
2021 2 UWS 1st of 5, Midwest North (9–0–1) National semifinal
2022 4 USLW 2nd of 8, Great Lakes (7–3–2) DNQ
2023 4 USLW 4th of 6, Great Lakes (5–5–2) DNQ
2024 4 USLW 3rd of 7, Great Lakes (7–5) DNQ

Historic record vs opponents

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Legend
0–0–0 Win–loss-draw
0–0 Win–loss
* No games played
Opponent League Playoffs MI Cup Played Total GF GA GD Win %
  AFC Ann Arbor 3–2–1 * * 6 3–2–1 9 11 –2 .583
  Chicago KICS 1–0 * * 1 1–0 3 1 +2 1.000
  Cleveland Force SC 1–1 * * 2 1–1 2 2 0 .500
  Connecticut Fusion * 0–1 * 1 0–1 1 2 –1 .000
  Corktown AFC 2–0 0–0–1 (1–0 PKs) * 3 2–0–1 11 7 +4 .833
  Detroit City FC 6–0 * * 6 6–0 17 6 +11 1.000
  Detroit Sun FC 4–2 1–0–1 (1–0 PKs) * 8 5–2–1 15 11 +4 .688
  FC Indiana 2–0 1–0 * 3 3–0 16 1 +15 1.000
  Flint City AFC 1–3–1 * * 5 1–3–1 14 13 +1 .300
  Fort Wayne United FC 4–0 * * 4 4–0 19 1 +18 1.000
  Genesee FC 1–0 * * 1 1–0 7 0 +7 1.000
  Indiana Elite FC 1–0 * * 1 1–0 12 0 +12 1.000
  Indiana Union[B] 3–1–1 0–1 * 6 3–2–1 31 14 +17 .583
  Indy Eleven 0–1 * * 1 0–1 0 1 –1 .000
  Kalamazoo FC 3–1–1 * * 5 3–1–1 13 7 +6 .700
  Kings Hammer FC 1–0–1 * * 2 1–0–1 3 0 +3 .750
  Inferno Rush * 0–1 * 1 0–1 3 4 –1 .000
  Lansing United 1–3–2 2–0 * 8 3–3–2 18 15 +3 .500
  Long Island Rough Riders * 0–0–1 (1–0 PKs) * 1 0–0–1 2 2 0 .500
  Michigan Legends FC 2–0–3 * * 5 2–0–3 14 7 +7 .700
  Motor City FC * * 0–1 1 0–1 1 3 –2 .000
  Muskegon Risers SC 2–0 * * 2 2–0 8 2 +6 1.000
  Racing Louisville FC 0–1 * * 1 0–1 2 3 –1 .000
  Santa Clarita Blue Heat * 1–0 * 1 1–0 3 1 +2 1.000
  St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC * 1–0 * 1 1–0 3 1 +2 1.000
  Toledo Villa FC 1–0 * * 1 1–0 4 0 +4 1.000
Total 39–15–10 6–3–3 (3–0 PKs) 0–1 77 45–19–13 231 114 +117 .700
  • Note: Table includes all competitive matches and does not include friendlies.
  • Updated to end of 2023 season.
  1. ^
    B Indy Premier SC was renamed Indiana Union in 2019.

Player records

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  • Note: Table includes all competitive matches and does not include friendlies.
  • Updated to end of 2023 season
  • Reference:[6]

References

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  1. ^ ColumbusCrew.com. "Columbus Crew Announce New Affiliate: Midwest United FC | Columbus Crew". ColumbusCrew.com. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  2. ^ midwestunitedfc.com https://midwestunitedfc.com/club/mission. Retrieved 2024-05-30. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ midwestunitedfc.com https://midwestunitedfc.com/club/mission. Retrieved 2024-05-30. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ PR, UWS (2019-12-24). "GRFC Announces Collaboration With Midwest United". United Women's Soccer. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  5. ^ "UWS Provides Update on 2020 Season". Retrieved June 11, 2020.
  6. ^ What If It Rains - All Time Stats
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