2019–20 National Independent Soccer Association season
1st season of the National Independent Soccer Association
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2019–20 NISA season was the inaugural season of the National Independent Soccer Association, a third-division soccer competition in the United States.[1] The regular season was divided into two halves, Fall and Spring, intended to culminate in playoffs. The Fall season, branded as the "NISA Showcase", featured seven teams; the champions of the East and West conferences earned berths into the 2020 playoffs.[2] The Spring season expanded to eight teams and switched to a single-table format, with the top three teams set to join the Fall West champion, California United Strikers, in the postseason. However, the Spring season was suspended on March 12 for an initial 30-day period due to the coronavirus pandemic.[3] The suspension was subsequently extended in accordance with CDC guidelines[4] before the season was officially cancelled on April 27, 2020.[5]
Spring: February 29 – March 12, 2020 (play suspended)
| Season | 2019–20 season |
|---|---|
| Dates | Fall: August 31 – November 10, 2019 Spring: February 29 – March 12, 2020 (play suspended) |
| Matches | 27 |
| Goals | 92 (3.41 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |  Jack McInerney(8 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Miami FC 8–1 Philadelphia Fury (September 15, 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Atlanta SC 1–3 Stumptown Athletic (September 14, 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Miami FC 8–1 Philadelphia Fury (September 15, 2019) |
| Highest attendance | 5,723 Oakland Roots SC 1–1 Los Angeles Force (October 19, 2019) |
| Lowest attendance | 112 Atlanta SC 1–3 Stumptown Athletic (September 14, 2019) |
| Total attendance | Fall: 29,893 Spring: 15,912 Overall: 45,805 |
| Average attendance | Fall: 1,495 Spring: 2,273 Overall: 1,696 |
2020–21 → | |
Teams
Full season club
Spring expansion club
Fall-only club
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and sponsorship
- Note: The league signed a deal with Hummel to be the official kit manufacturer, but it still allowed clubs to find their own provider.[9]
| Team | Head coach | Captain(s) | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California United Strikers FC | Don Ebert |
Xavier Fuerte |
Nike |
Taco Bell |
| Chattanooga FC | Peter Fuller |
 Juan Hernandez |
 Hummel |
Volkswagen |
| Detroit City FC |  Trevor James |
 Stephen Carroll |
 Adidas |
Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers |
| Los Angeles Force |  Thales Peterson |
Joshua Culwell |
Hummel |
— |
| Michigan Stars FC | Alexander Strehmel |
Kyle Nuel |
Hummel |
HTC |
| Oakland Roots SC | Jordan Ferrell[a] |
 Nana Attakora |
Nike |
Oaklandish |
| San Diego 1904 FC |  Alexandre Gontran |
Ozzie Ramos |
Nike |
— |
| Stumptown Athletic | Mark Steffens |
Tate Robertson |
Hummel |
— |
| Only played the Fall Season | ||||
| Atlanta SC | Roberto Neves Filho |
 Sheriff Suma |
Hummel |
— |
| Miami FC |  Paul Dalglish |
Dylan Mares |
 Macron |
— |
| Philadelphia Fury | Cris Vaccaro |
Ian McGrath |
Hummel |
— |
- Ferrell was named head coach on December 3, replacing Paul Bravo.
Fall season
Miami FC and California United Strikers FC played seven matches while the rest of the league played only six. To accommodate for this, the Miami FC home match against Oakland Roots SC did not count in the standings for Miami and the second California United Strikers FC home match against San Diego 1904 FC did not count in the standings for Cal United.
Standings
East Coast standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami FC (O) | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 6 | +13 | 14 | East Coast Championship |
| 2 | Stumptown Athletic | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 12 | |
| 3 | Atlanta SC | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 8 | |
| 4 | Philadelphia Fury | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 23 | −22 | 0 | Withdrew[a] |
- Philadelphia Fury withdrew after one match and forfeited their remaining matches
West Coast standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles Force | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 11 | West Coast Championship |
| 2 | California United Strikers FC (O) | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 9 | |
| 3 | San Diego 1904 FC | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 6 | |
| 4 | Oakland Roots SC | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 3 |
Results
Playoffs
The top two eastern teams will meet in the East Coast Championship while the top two western teams will meet in the West Coast Championship. Each champion will earn an automatic berth into the Spring 2020 playoffs.
| Los Angeles Force | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | California United Strikers FC |
|---|---|---|
|
Report MyCujoo Broadcast |
|
| Penalties | ||
| 3–5 |
|
|
Spring season
The 2020 Spring season began on February 28 and featured eight teams (five teams that also played in the Fall season, plus three new entries). It consisted of a single table instead of the conferences used during Fall. The top three teams would have qualified for the Playoffs, together with California United Strikers, already qualified because of their Fall season West Championship win.[10]
The spring season was suspended on March 12, for 30 days, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[11] The suspension was then extended in accordance with CDC guidelines[12] and eventually made permanent on April 27, 2020.[13]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oakland Roots SC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | Playoffs |
| 2 | California United Strikers FC (Q) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 4 | |
| 3 | Detroit City FC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 3 | |
| 4 | Stumptown Athletic | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | |
| 5 | San Diego 1904 FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | Chattanooga FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 7 | Los Angeles Force | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 | |
| 8 | Michigan Stars FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0 |
(Q) Qualified for the phase indicated
Results
Notes
- Played in the Fall season, but withdrew before the Spring season.
- Fall season
- Spring season
- Played in the Fall season, but withdrew before the Spring season, after joining the USL Championship.[7]