 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for sports and athletics. (May 2020) |
| Founded | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Divisions | 5 |
| Number of teams | 37 |
| Domestic cup(s) | U.S. Open Cup (via qualifying tournament & NAC) National Amateur Cup (via USASA Region II) |
| International cup(s) | CONCACAF Champions League (via U.S. Open Cup) |
| Current champions |
|
| Most championships | Milwaukee Bavarian SC, Ajax St. Louis, Inter Detroit (2 division titles) |
| Website | midwestpl.com |
The Midwest Premier League (MWPL) is an American amateur and semi-professional soccer league. The league spans primarily the eastern and central portions of the Midwestern United States.
History edit
The league was founded by four members of the United Premier Soccer League Midwest Conference.[1] Following the 2019 UPSL season, the clubs decided that they could create a stable league that would focus on sustainability of the member clubs by sharing ideas, keeping league costs to a minimum, and maximizing the opportunities for all clubs to compete by limiting end-of-season playoffs that often shorten the season for many teams.[2]
The league announced Union Dubuque F.C. as its first member on September 18, 2019,[3] followed by RWB Adria,[4] DeKalb County United,[5] and Cedar Rapids Inferno in subsequent weeks.[6] Cliff Conrad, the co-founder and president of Union Dubuque F.C., was elected the league's inaugural president.[7]
In early 2020, the league announced its additional teams for its inaugural season: FC Diablos, Rockford FC, Livonia City FC, Lake St. Clair, and BiH Grand Rapids.[8][9][10][11][12] The 2020 season, however, was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[13]
In June, the MWPL appointed Andy Hayes as the league's first commissioner.[14]
On September 3, 2020, the MWPL entered 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.[15][16]
On March 21, 2022, the MWPL announced that it would realign into three divisions.[17]
Ahead of the 2023 season, the league renamed its conferences: the South Conference became the Gateway Conference, the West Conference became the Heartland Conference, and the East Conference became the Great Lakes Conference, the latter of which was split into East and West divisions.[18]
Current teams edit
Cedar Rapids
Grand Haven
United West
Holland Rovers
West Michigan
Tulip City
Livonia
Fustal FA
Atletico STL
Cedars FC
Detroit Union
Inter Detroit
Liquid Football
MI Jaguars
MI Stars
Thundercats
Troy FC
YPSI Yetis FC
Heartland Division
Great Lakes West Division
Gateway Division
Great Lakes East Division
| Team | City | Stadium | First season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway Conference | |||||||
| AFC Columbia | Columbia, MO | R. Marvin Owens Field | 2023 | ||||
| Ajax St. Louis | St. Louis, MO | Ajax Fields | 2023 | ||||
| Cedar Rapids Inferno | Cedar Rapids, IA | Kingston Stadium | 2021 | ||||
| Club Atletico Saint Louis | St. Louis, MO | 2023 | |||||
| Junction Football Club | Decatur, IL | 2024 | |||||
| Pearl City Soccer Club | Muscatine, IA | 2024 | |||||
| Southeast Soccer Academy | Burlington, Iowa | 2023 | |||||
| St. Louis Stars SC | St. Louis, MO | 2024 | |||||
| Great Lakes East Division | |||||||
| Cedars FC | Dearborn, MI | Fordson High School | 2022 | ||||
| Futsal Factory Academy | Dexter, MI | Dexter High School | 2023 | ||||
| Inter Detroit | Waterford, MI | Waterford Mott High School | 2021 | ||||
| Jaguars FC | Novi, MI | Walled Lake Central High School | 2023 | ||||
| Liquid Football | Detroit MI | University Liggett School | 2023 | ||||
| Livonia City FC | Livonia, MI | The Hawk | 2021 | ||||
| Michigan Stars U23 | Washington Township, MI | Romeo High School | 2021 | ||||
| Thundercats SC | Chesterfield, Michigan | Anchor Bay High School | 2023 | ||||
| Troy United FC | Troy, MI | Troy High School | 2023 | ||||
| Ypsi Yetis FC | Saline, MI | Saline High School | 2024 | ||||
| Great Lakes West Division | |||||||
| 1927 SC | Fort Wayne, IN | Fort Wayne Sport Club | 2023 | ||||
| Holland Rovers FC | Holland, MI | Mac Bay Soccer Stadium | 2023 | ||||
| Indy Boyz FC | Indianapolis, IN | Zionsville Youth Soccer Association Field | 2023 | ||||
| Lansing Common FC | Lansing, MI | Eastern High School Stadium | 2021 | ||||
| Northern Indiana FC | South Bend, IN | Morey Field | 2024 | ||||
| Tulip City United SC | Holland, MI | Holland High School | 2022 | ||||
| Heartland Conference Division 1 | |||||||
| Bavarian United SC | Glendale, WI | Heartland Value Fund Stadium | 2021 | ||||
| Chicago House AC | Chicago, IL | DePaul College Prep | 2022 | ||||
| Czarni Jalso | Schaumburg, IL | Olympic Park | 2023 | ||||
| DeKalb County United | DeKalb, IL | NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex | 2021 | ||||
| RWB Adria | Chicago, IL | Hales Franciscan High School | 2021 | ||||
| Steel City FC | Joliet, IL | Duly Health and Care Field | 2021 | ||||
| Heartland Conference Division 2 | |||||||
| AFC Roscoe | Chicago, IL | Lions for Hope Sports Complex | 2024 | ||||
| Berber City FC | Chicago, IL | Illinois Institute of Technology | 2021 | ||||
| Chicago Ghost FC | Waukegan, IL | Greg Petry Sportspark | 2024 | ||||
| Edgewater Castle FC | Chicago, IL | CIBC Fire Pitch | 2021 | ||||
| Green Bay Glory | Appleton, WI | Banta Bowl | 2024 | ||||
| Rockford FC | Rockford, IL | Auburn High School | 2021 | ||||
| Strikers Fox Valley SC | Geneva, IL | 2024 | |||||
Former edit
| Team | City | First season | Final season | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Athletic | Bensenville, Illinois | 2021 | Left league | |
| Chicago Mustangs | Crystal Lake, Illinois | 2021 | Left league | |
| Detroit City FC U23 | Hamtramck, Michigan | 2021 | Left league | |
| FC Diablos | Bloomington, IL | 2021 | suspended operations | |
| LK St. Clair | Mount Clemens, Michigan | 2021 | Left league | |
| Santa Fe Wanderers | 2021 | |||
| Union Dubuque | Dubuque, IA | 2021 | suspended[19] | |
| Grand Haven Admirals | 2022 | |||
| Aim SC | 2021 | 2023 | ||
| BiH Grand Rapids | 2021 | 2023 | ||
| Chicago City SC | 2021 | 2023 | ||
| Detroit Union FC | 2021 | 2023 | ||
| Iowa Raptors FC | 2021 | 2023 | ||
| United West FC | 2021 | 2023 | ||
| West Michigan Bearings | 2021 | 2023 | ||
Conference champions edit
Heartland Conference
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Milwaukee Bavarian SC[20] | RWB Adria |
| 2022 | Bavarian United SC (2) | RWB Adria |
| 2023 | Czarni Jaslo | RWB Adria |
Gateway Conference
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Ajax St. Louis | AFC Columbia |
| 2023 | Ajax St. Louis (2) | Cedar Rapids Inferno |
Great Lakes Conference
| Season | Division | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Detroit City U23[21] | Lansing Common | |
| 2022 | Inter Detroit | Lansing Common | |
| 2023 | East | Inter Detroit | Liquid Football |
| West | 1927 SC | West Michigan Bearings | |
| Overall | Inter Detroit (2) | 1927 SC | |
Golden Boot winner edit
The golden boot winners were announced on September 15, 2021.[22][23]
| Season | Team | Winner | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Lansing Common | Shady Omar | 8 |
| 2022 |
| Season | Team | Winner | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FC Diablos | Jordan Walker | 15 |
| 2022 | Steel City FC | Shea Bechtel | 9 |
| Season | Team | Winner | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 |
- ^ Erik Long, "Sustainability and Responsible Growth, Protagonist USA, 9 October 2019
- ^ "Midwest Premier League Announces Formation - Midwest Premier League". September 16, 2019.
- ^ "Union Dubuque F.C. Joins Midwest Premier League - Midwest Premier League". September 18, 2019.
- ^ "RWB Adria Becomes Second Team To Join Midwest Premier League - Midwest Premier League". September 25, 2019.
- ^ "DeKalb County United Joins Midwest Premier League - Midwest Premier League". October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Cedar Rapids Inferno Becomes Fourth Midwest Premier League Club - Midwest Premier League". October 9, 2019.
- ^ "Cliff Conrad Elected As Inaugural President - Midwest Premier League". September 28, 2019.
- ^ "FC Diablos Joins Midwest Premier League - Midwest Premier League". January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Rockford FC Joins Midwest Premier League - Midwest Premier League". January 31, 2020.
- ^ "Livonia City FC Joins Midwest Premier League - Midwest Premier League". February 29, 2020.
- ^ "LK St. Clair Joins East Division - Midwest Premier League". March 2, 2020.
- ^ "East Division Adds BiH Grand Rapids - Midwest Premier League". March 6, 2020.
- ^ O'Connor, Larry. "Midwest Premier League cancels 2020 soccer season". The Detroit News. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "Midwest Premier League Appoints Andy Hayes As League Commissioner - Midwest Premier League". June 2, 2020.
- ^ "NISA Grows Amateur Affiliations in Partnership with Newly-Minted Midwest Premier League". www.nisasoccer.com. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "MWPL Joins Forces with NISA". Midwest Premier League. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
- ^ "Midwest Premier League 2022 Conference Alignment - Midwest Premier League". March 21, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Conference Alignment - Midwest Premier League". February 7, 2023.
- ^ "LETTER FROM THE UNION BOARD OF DIRECTORS". Union Dubuque FC. February 8, 2022. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022.
- ^ Midwest Premier League [@midwestpl] (August 2, 2021). "It took until the final match day, but your 2021 #MWPL West Division Champions are @BavarianSC_Mens 👑 https://t.co/m587nDJo07" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Midwest Premier League [@midwestpl] (August 2, 2021). "Now, let's make it official☑️ Your 2021 #MWPL East Division Champions: @DetroitCityFC U23 👑 https://t.co/tMIZEUmScZ" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Midwest Premier League [@midwestpl] (September 15, 2021). "The 2021 East Division Golden Boot Winner 🥾 Shady Omar from @lansingcommonfc had 8 goals this season which helped Lansing to a 2nd place finish in the #MWPL East https://t.co/X0Iz0ntScS" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Midwest Premier League [@midwestpl] (September 15, 2021). "The West Division Golden Boot Winner 🥾 Jordan Walker from @ILProSoccer finished the season with 15 goals and is now in the #MWPL record books for most goals in a single season. https://t.co/abYOPlZ66Z" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Twitter.