National Independent Soccer Association
Season2022
DatesMar. 26 – Oct. 15 (regular season)
Oct. 21 – Nov. 6 (playoffs)
ChampionsMichigan Stars FC
Regular season titleCalifornia United Strikers FC
Matches played94
Goals scored239 (2.54 per match)
Top goalscorerMarkus Naglestad (19)
Biggest home winMAR 6–1 FCU
(April 2)
CAL 5–0 LAF
(Jun 26)
Biggest away winFCU 0–5 CHA
(Jul 16)
Highest scoringCAL 4–3 BCFC
(April 23)
Longest winning run9 games
CAL
Longest unbeaten run10 games
CAL
Longest winless run9 games
FCU
Longest losing run5 games
FCU
← 2021
2023 →
All statistics correct as of October 15, 2022.

The 2022 NISA season is the fourth season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition. After three years of split seasons, NISA switched to a full season format, with a single table and a playoff competition to determine the 2022 champion.[1]

Teams

Six of the teams that participated in the 2021 Fall season returned, and were joined by four expansion clubs: Bay Cities FC, Flower City Union, Syracuse Pulse, and Valley United FC. From the existing 2021 teams, San Diego 1904 FC were rebranded to Albion San Diego, after merging with the youth club with the same name,[2] while Chicago House AC, New Amsterdam FC and Stumptown AC will be on hiatus for 2022, and current title holders Detroit City FC moved to USL Championship.[3]

Stadiums and locations

Locations of announced clubs
  • Participating club
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Albion San Diego San Diego, California Canyon Crest Academy Stadium[upper-alpha 1] 5,000
Bay Cities FC Redwood City, California Terremere Field[upper-alpha 2] 3,500
California United Strikers FC Irvine, California Championship Soccer Stadium 5,000
Chattanooga FC Chattanooga, Tennessee Finley Stadium 20,668
Flower City Union Rochester, New York Marina Auto Stadium[upper-alpha 3] 13,768
Los Angeles Force Whittier, California Various[upper-alpha 4]
Maryland Bobcats FC Boyds, Maryland Maryland SoccerPlex 4,000
Michigan Stars FC Washington, Michigan Romeo High School 4,000
Syracuse Pulse Syracuse, New York Lazer Stadium 2,000
Valley United FC Mesa, Arizona Bell Bank Park 5,000

Personnel and sponsorship

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.[4]
Team Head coach Captain(s) Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
Albion San Diego United States Jeff Korytoski United States Ozzie Ramos United States Capelli Nova Easy Kombucha
Bay Cities FC United States Anders Perez Denmark Hummel Premia
California United Strikers FC United States Don Ebert United States Xavier Fuerte United States Nike Taco Bell
Chattanooga FC United States Rod Underwood Spain Juan Hernandez Denmark Hummel Louisiana Hot Sauce, VfL Wolfsburg
Flower City Union United States Colton Bly (interim) Denmark Hummel
Los Angeles Force Brazil Thales Peterson United States Joshua Culwell United States Xara —
Maryland Bobcats FC Canada Sylvain Rastello United States Kay Banjo Denmark Hummel Jimmy's Famous Seafood
Michigan Stars FC United States Trevor Banks Denmark Hummel HTC
Syracuse Pulse United States Peter Fuller United States Shaun Russell Italy Givova Montreal Construction, SOS
Valley United FC United States Nico Gaitan United States Capelli

Coaching changes

Team Outgoing coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming coach Date of appointment
Flower City Union United States Zach Agliata[5] Resigned May 3, 2022 4th in East United States Colton Bly (interim) May 3, 2022[5]
Valley United United States Adrian Gaitan[6] Resigned May 19, 2022 2nd in East TBD

Regular season

The season started on March 26, and will see each team play 26 games over 30 weeks: four times against each opponent in the same division and two times against each opponent in the opposite division.

Standings (March 26–August 27)

East Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Chattanooga FC 16 9 4 3 30 12 +18 31 Qualification for the semi-finals
2 Michigan Stars FC 15 6 6 3 18 9 +9 24 Qualification for the play-offs
3 Maryland Bobcats FC 15 6 3 6 24 19 +5 21
4 Syracuse Pulse 16 5 2 9 18 23 −5 17
5 Flower City Union 19 2 2 15 10 50 −40 8
Updated to match(es) played on August 20, 2022. Source: nisasoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal differential; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head

West Division

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 California United Strikers FC 14 11 2 1 24 6 +18 35 Qualification for the semi-finals
2 Albion San Diego 10 4 4 2 14 12 +2 16 Qualification for the play-offs
3 Bay Cities FC 12 4 3 5 18 18 0 15
4 Los Angeles Force 11 2 4 5 7 14 −7 10
5 Valley United FC[lower-alpha 1] 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Withdrew from the league
Updated to match(es) played on August 20, 2022. Source: nisasoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal differential; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head
Notes:
  1. ↑ Valley United FC withdrew from the league and their playing record of P9 W1 D1 L7 GF4 GA21 was expunged.[7]

Standings (August 27–October 15)

Due to Bay Cities FC's withdrawal from this season, NISA has revised the 2022 schedule and table with the eight remaining clubs. As a result, this standings had been condensed into a single table format and used an average-points per game total (points earned divided by matches played).[8]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Qualification
1 California United Strikers FC 21 14 4 3 35 12 +23 46 2.19 Qualification for the semi-finals
2 Chattanooga FC 24 14 7 3 44 21 +23 49 2.04
3 Michigan Stars FC 23 10 8 5 27 15 +12 38 1.65 Qualification for the play-offs
4 Albion San Diego 20 9 5 6 28 23 +5 32 1.60
5 Maryland Bobcats FC 23 8 6 9 32 28 +4 30 1.30
6 Syracuse Pulse 22 7 4 11 26 32 −6 25 1.14
7 Los Angeles Force 20 2 8 10 14 31 −17 14 0.70
8 Flower City Union 23 2 3 18 13 57 −44 9 0.39
Source: nisasoccer.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal differential; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head

Results

Home \ Away CHA FLO MAR MIC SYR ALB BAY CAL LAF VAL[upper-alpha 5] CHA FLO MAR MIC SYR ALB BAY CAL LAF VAL[upper-alpha 5]
Chattanooga FC — 0–1 1–1 0–0 3–0 2–1 4–2 0–1 3–2 With. — 1–0 3–0 0–0 2–1
Flower City Union 1–5 — 0–1 0–3 0–1 2–2 With. 1–2 0–3 2-1 0–5 — 2–1 0–2 0–2
Maryland Bobcats FC 1–2 6–1 — 1–1 3–1 1–0 1–4 1–0 3–0 With. 1–1 5–0 — 1–2 1–1
Michigan Stars FC 0–0 3–0 0–1 — 3–0[upper-alpha 6] 2–0 2–1 0–1 1–0 With. 2–3 0–0 2–0 — 2–2
Syracuse Pulse 0–1 4–0 0–0 0–2 — 0–3 With. 0–1 1–2 0-2 3–0 3–1 2–1 0–0 —
Albion San Diego 1–2 2–1 2–1 3–0 3–1 — 1–1 0–3 3–1 3-0[upper-alpha 7] — With. 1–0 1–0 With.
Bay Cities FC 0–3 3–1 With. With. With. 3–1 — 0–1 With. 3-0[upper-alpha 7] With. — With. With. With.
California United Strikers FC 2–2 1–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 0–0 — 5–0 3-0[upper-alpha 7] 1–2 4–3 — 3–0 With.
Los Angeles Force 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–0 1–3 0–0 0–0 0–2 — With. 1–1 0–1 0–0 — With.
Valley United FC[upper-alpha 5] 0-3[upper-alpha 7] With. With. With. With. 0-3[upper-alpha 7] With. With. 0-3[upper-alpha 7] — 1-1 With. With. With. —
Source: nisasoccer.com
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Playoffs

The playoffs began on October 21, and featured the top six teams from the regular season. The top two teams from the regular season table received a bye into the league semifinals. Teams finishing third through sixth played in the quarterfinals, with the winners being re-seeded before playing in the next round. The 2022 Final took place on November 6. All postseason games were broadcast online on Eleven Sports.

Originally, the East and West division winners would have been assigned the top two seeds and received byes to the semifinals. The second place teams in each division were to be seeded 3 and 4, while the third place finishers would be seeded 5 and 6. Following the restructuring of the table on August 27, the division aspect was dropped.

Quarterfinal
October 21 (Eleven Sports)
   
3 Michigan Stars FC 2
6 Syracuse Pulse 0
Quarterfinal
October 21 (Eleven Sports)
   
4 Albion San Diego 2
5 Maryland Bobcats FC 0
Semifinals
October 29/30 (Eleven Sports) 		NISA Championship Final
November 5 (Eleven Sports)
      
1 California United Strikers FC 2
4 Albion San Diego 4
4 Albion San Diego 0
3 Michigan Stars FC 1
2 Chattanooga FC 0
3 Michigan Stars FC 1

Schedule

Quarterfinals

October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21) Michigan Stars FC 2–0Syracuse PulseWashington, Michigan
7:00 p.m. EDT
  • Iakov Shmelev 44'
  • Anthony Bowie 76'
 Report
Broadcast		 Stadium: Romeo Stadium
Referee: Kevin Fikar
October 21, 2022 (2022-10-21) Albion San Diego 2–0Maryland Bobcats FCPacific Highlands Ranch, San Diego
6:00 p.m. PDT
Report
Broadcast		 Stadium: Canyon Crest Stadium

Semifinals

October 29, 2022 (2022-10-29) California United Strikers FC2–4 Albion San Diego Irvine, California
7:00 p.m. PDT
Report
Broadcast
Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium
October 30, 2022 (2022-10-30) Chattanooga FC0–1 Michigan Stars FC Chattanooga, Tennessee
5:00 p.m. EDT Report
Broadcast
  • Leon Maric 56'
 Stadium: Finley Stadium

NISA Championship Final

November 6, 2022 (2022-11-06) Michigan Stars FC 1–0Albion San DiegoWashington, Michigan
4:00 p.m. EDT
  • Anthony Bowie 31'
 Report
Broadcast		 Stadium: Romeo Stadium
Attendance: 1,178
Referee: Alex Beehler

Player statistics

As of October 15, 2022

Awards

Individual awards

Award Winner Team Reason Ref.
Golden Boot Norway Markus Naglestad Chattanooga FC 19 goals in 23 games [10]
Golden Glove Haiti Jean Antoine California United Strikers FC 12 shutouts in 16 matches; 5 goals against [10]
Coach of the Year United States Rod Underwood Chattanooga FC 14-7-3 record [10]
Golden Ball (Most Valuable Player) Norway Markus Naglestad Chattanooga FC 19 goals, 5 assists [10]

NISA Best XI

First team[11]
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Haiti Jean Antoine (CUS) Canada Matt Constant (MIC)
United States Garrett Hogbin (CUS)
Greece Vasilios Zogos (MIC)		 South Korea Minjae Kwak (SYR)
England Alex McGrath (CHA)		 United States Alioune Diakhate (ASD)
Honduras Darwin Espinal (MAR)
United States Taylor Gray (CHA)
Norway Markus Naglestad (CHA)
Mexico Omar Nuño (CUS)
Second team[11]
Goalkeeper Defenders Midfielders Forwards
Zimbabwe Tatenda Mkuruva (MIC) Portugal Jonathan Firmino (MIC)
United States Franky Martinez (CHA)
United States Edwin Rivas (LAF)		 United States Ian Cerro (CHA)
Jamaica Richard Dixon (CHA)
United States Manuel Gonzalez (MAR)
United States Steven Juncaj (MIC)
United States Tony Lopez (CUS)
United States Walter Varela (ASD)		 United States Kaleb Jackson (SYR)

NISA Independent Cup

The NISA Independent Cup will start on June 25. It features nine of the ten NISA clubs, with California United Strikers FC opting not to participate the tournament. They will be joined by 27 invited amateur teams and divided geographically into nine regions of four clubs each. Each region will play a single round robin tournament between three amateur teams using a 10-point system. The winner of that round-robin will play against the NISA teams for the regional championship. Like last year, there will be no interregional play or national champion.

Participating Clubs

Nine NISA teams play in nine regions respectively, as California United Strikers FC did not participate. Midwest, New England and South Central region replaced with Empire, Northeast and SoCal region due to lack of NISA teams (despite Michigan Stars based from Midwest but plays in Great Lakes as NISA's 2022 season did not have Midwest based clubs other than Michigan Stars).

Empire
StTeamLeague
PennsylvaniaAllentown United FCNISA Nation
New York (state)Lansdowne Yonkers FCEPSL
New York (state)NY Braveheart SCNISA Nation
New York (state)Syracuse PulseNISA
Great Lakes
StTeamLeague
WisconsinFC Milwaukee TorrentNPSL
MichiganLansing Common FCMWPL
KentuckyMetro Louisville FCUPSL
MichiganMichigan Stars FCNISA
Mid-Atlantic
StTeamLeague
MarylandMaryland Bobcats FCNISA
VirginiaNorthern Virginia FCEPSL
MarylandRockville SCUPSL
South CarolinaSoda City FCUPSL
Northeast
StTeamLeague
New York (state)Flower City UnionNISA
New JerseyNew Jersey Alliance FCNISA Nation
New York (state)NY Contour UnitedUPSL
MarylandSteel Pulse FCMaryland Super Soccer League
Pacific
StTeamLeague
NevadaBattle Born FCNISA Nation
CaliforniaBay Cities FCNISA
CaliforniaModesto City FCSWPL
Washington (state)Wenatchee All-Stars FCCasPL
SoCal
StTeamLeague
CaliforniaAFC South BayNISA Nation
CaliforniaAlbion San DiegoNISA
CaliforniaCapo FCNISA Nation
CaliforniaSoul 2 SoleSWPL
Southeast
StTeamLeague
FloridaBrevard Fire SCNSL Florida
TennesseeChattanooga FCNISA
FloridaClub de Lyon FCNISA Nation
FloridaMiami Beach CFNPSL
Southwest
StTeamLeague
ArizonaEast Valley UnitedSWPL
ArizonaSC SaguarosSWPL
ArizonaValley FC RaidersNISA Nation
ArizonaValley United FCNISA
West Coast
StTeamLeague
CaliforniaInland Empire Republic FCSWPL
CaliforniaLos Angeles ForceNISA
CaliforniaOlympiacos CASWPL
ColoradoPeak XI FCMPL

Empire Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 NY Braveheart SC (Q) 2 2 0 0 7 1 +6 19 Qualification for the regional final
2 Lansdowne Yonkers FC 2 1 0 1 6 5 +1 10
3 Allentown United FC 2 0 0 2 1 8 −7 1
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

July 30, 2022 Syracuse Pulse 6–2NY Braveheart SCUtica, New York
4:00 PM EDT
  • Russell 18', Yellow card 66'
  • McKinley 45+1'
  • Jackson 55', 74'
  • Rendon Yellow card 68'
  • Campos 80' (o.g.)
  • MacDonald 82'
 Report
  • Rodriguez 37', Yellow card 74'
  • Najera Yellow card 61'
  • Lenis 64'
 Stadium: Charles A. Gaetano Stadium

Great Lakes Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Metro Louisville FC (Q) 2 2 0 0 3 1 +2 16 Qualification for the regional final
2 FC Milwaukee Torrent 2 1 0 1 5 2 +3 11
3 Lansing Common FC 2 0 0 2 0 5 −5 0
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

July 29, 2022 Michigan Stars FC 2–1 (a.e.t.)Metro Louisville FCWashington, Michigan
6:30 PM EDT
  • S. Juncaj Yellow card 26'
  • Maric 70'
  • Zhongo 97'
  • McCloud Yellow card 116'
 Report
  • Ibrahimkadic Yellow card 45+1'
  • Harmon 46'
  • Trejo Yellow card 84'
 Stadium: Michigan Stars Sports Center
Referee: Nicole Green

Mid-Atlantic Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Northern Virginia FC (Q) 2 2 0 0 9 2 +7 19 Qualification for the regional final
2 Soda City FC 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 10
3 Rockville SC 2 0 0 2 2 9 −7 2
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

Northeast Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 New Jersey Alliance FC (Q) 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 13 Qualification for the regional final
2 Steel Pulse FC 2 1 0 1 10 1 +9 10
3 NY Contour United 2 0 1 1 0 10 −10 5
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

Pacific Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Wenatchee All-Stars FC (Q) 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 17 Qualification for the regional final
2 Battleborn FC 2 1 0 1 7 3 +4 11
3 Modesto City FC 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 0
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

July 23, 2022 Bay Cities FC0–1 Wenatchee All-Stars FC Redwood City, California
6:00 PM PDT Report Stadium: Sequoia Stadium

SoCal Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Capo FC (Q) 2 2 0 0 6 1 +5 17 Qualification for the regional final
2 AFC South Bay 2 1 0 1 4 4 0 9
3 Soul 2 Sole 2 0 0 2 4 9 −5 4
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

July 24, 2022 Capo FC1–3 Albion San Diego San Juan Capistrano, California
7:00 PM PDT Report Stadium: Jserra Stadium

Southeast Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Club de Lyon FC (Q) 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 18 Qualification for the regional final
2 Miami Beach CF 2 1 0 1 5 3 +2 10
3 Brevard Fire SC 2 0 0 2 1 7 −6 1
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

July 23, 2022 Chattanooga FC 3–2Club de Lyon FCChattanooga, Tennessee
7:30 PM EDT Report Stadium: Finley Stadium

Southwest Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Valley FC Raiders (Q) 2 1 1 0 6 1 +5 15 Qualification for the regional final
2 East Valley United 2 1 1 0 5 2 +3 14
3 SC Saguaros 2 0 0 2 1 9 −8 1
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

August 6, 2022 Valley United FCCancelled Valley FC Raiders Mesa, Arizona
TBD MST Stadium: Bell Bank Park
Note: Due to Valley United FC suspended all operations for the balance of the 2022 season including southwest regional final between Valley United FC and Valley FC Raiders, Valley FC Raiders was awarded the southwest regional title as a group stage winner.[7]

West Coast Region

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Inland Empire Republic FC (Q) 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 17 Qualification for the regional final
2 Peak XI FC 2 1 0 1 3 2 +1 10
3 Olympiacos CA 2 0 0 2 0 4 −4 0
Source: nisaofficial.com
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated

Regional final

July 24, 2022 Los Angeles Force 2–0Inland Empire Republic FCCovina, California
6:00 PM PDT Report Stadium: Covina District Field

Notes

  1. ↑ Albion played its home match vs Maryland on August 17 at California State University San Marcos
  2. ↑ Bay Cities played its home match vs Flower City on June 1 at Cañada College
  3. ↑ Flower City Union played its home matches of May 4 vs California United Strikers and June 15 vs Los Angeles Force at Vandetta Stadium in Batavia, New York due to date conflicts.
  4. ↑ LA Force played their first home matches at Garey Stadium, second home at Orange County Great Park Turf 10, third hone at Ayala Park Stadium at Chino, fourth home at Championship Soccer Stadium and now fifth, and sixth home at Covina District Field at Covina. The seventh match, also meant for Covina, was postponed and is listed as of August 22, 2022 as to be decided. The final four matches, excluding the postponed match, are to be held at Los Angeles Harbor College.
  5. 1 2 3 Valley United withdrew from 2022 season after roster controversy around a club. As a result, a team who against Valley United in previous matches will not take a result and points for standings.[7]
  6. ↑ Forfeited by Syracuse due to financial issues
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Forfeited by Valley United due to roster violations[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ NISA. "NISA Announces 2022 Season Schedule". Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ Mark Zeigler (December 15, 2021). "San Diego pro men's soccer team 1904 FC merges with youth club Albion". www.sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  3. ↑ Detroit City to join USL Championship for 2022 season | USL Championship
  4. ↑ "NISA announces kit sponsorship deal". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Agliata resigns, Bly as interim". Flower City Union. May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Updated to NISA & VUFC statement". NISA. May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "UPDATE TO NISA / VUFC STATEMENT". Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Financial Constraints Force NISA Club Bay Cities FC to Suspend Operations". nisasoccer.com. August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 "NISA player statistics". nisasoccer.com. NISA. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "NISA Announces 2022 Annual Award Recipients". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  11. 1 2 "NISA Announces 2022 BestT XI". NISAofficial.com. National Independent Soccer Association. November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
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