SoccerToday NPSL Spotlight Series
The soccer scene has been exploding and the sport’s popularity increasing substantially. The National Premier Soccer League – NPSL for short – is the country’s largest amateur soccer league with 80 teams competing in 2016. SoccerToday’s special coverage on the this 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid, gives soccer fans a glimpse into the life of the teams. Just so you know, NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Soccer Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and some NPSL teams have performed very well. NPSL is affiliated with both the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA).
There’s no better way to learn about a team, then to talk to them directly. Check out what Pat Piscitelli, Sporting Director of Myrtle Beach Mutiny has to say about his NPSL team in South Carolina.
Diane Scavuzzo: Do you feel that NPSL is doing a good job with the challenges of amateur/pro men’s soccer?
Pat Piscitelli: The NPSL is doing a great job challenging teams – I agree 100% with what they are doing. A lot of people do not understand how high the level of soccer is in the NPSL. Four NASL teams already have reserve teams in the NPSL.
Diane Scavuzzo: The NPSL has teams in over 70 markets across the country – is your area in need of more competition or are you concerned about future expansion?
Pat Piscitelli: The NPSL being in over 70 markets – in itself – is amazing. The NPSL is doing a great job of adding new quality teams every year. Our area is a prime example of this. The 2016 season is going to be our 5th year in the NPSL and every year with the exception of one, we have added at least one new team to the South Atlantic Conference.
Diane Scavuzzo: Do you think the four NASL clubs, (Minnesota United, Carolina Railhawks, Atlanta Silverbacks and New York Cosmos B) that have reserve teams in the NPSL have an advantage?
Pat Piscitelli: Of course they have an advantage. Most of the players that we have playing for the Mutiny are college players, or just out of college, and this past season, we even had a player who was a junior in high school. Most of our players don’t even show up to start training as a team until early May, which only gives us a few weeks of training before our first match.
Diane Scavuzzo: Would you like to see European style promotion and relegation exist in the USA?
Pat Piscitelli: I would love to see promotion and relegation happen in the USA, but coming from a very small market, I don’t know how it can happen budget-wise. Although we have a great home field, the standards that need to be met for a stadium would rule the Mutiny out from promotion. Our fans are right on the action, but we can’t hold more then 2,000 attendees and that includes standing room. However, if promotion and relegation happens in the USA, the Mutiny are 100% behind it and will work 24/7 to do what we can to promote.
Diane Scavuzzo: What team do you believe does the best at promoting the game?
Pat Piscitelli: All of the teams in the NPSL do a great job promoting the game. I say this because when I first started running the Mutiny, five other teams reached out to help me promote games and shared valuable information on how not to make mistakes that they had already made in the past. I can say it is pretty amazing how all the teams are willing to go the extra mile to help each other with promoting the game and the league.
Diane Scavuzzo: Who do you believe is your biggest rival?
Pat Piscitelli: That is an easy one, the FC Discoveries. The Mutiny are owned by Coast FA, a youth club in Myrtle Beach, SC and FC Discoveries are attached to Discover Soccer Club, a youth club in Rock Hill, SC. A few of the youth coaches for both teams not only compete against each other on the youth field, but also the NPSL field. It is always a great match when we play FC Discoveries and the fans are always packed with youth players cheering on their coaches, many of which are NPSL players.
Diane Scavuzzo: What is your average game-day attendance?
Pat Piscitelli: That is a great question. Being in a vacation town, our attendance changes based on the team we are playing, but our loyal fan base is over 500 per game.
Diane Scavuzzo: As the 4th Division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid, the NPSL teams are eligible to participate in the U.S. Open Cup. How do you prepare for this competition?
Pat Piscitelli: This year is the first year that we qualified for the U.S. Open Cup and look forward to being a part of it. And, it is great that the NPSL gets so many spots in the Cup. It’s clear that NPSL teams belong in this level competition and can play with higher division teams, as evidenced by Chattanooga FC last year beating a USL Pro team. As for preparing, we are working very hard to have our players in game shape as fast as we can.
Diane Scavuzzo: What are your goals for 2016?
Pat Piscitelli: Our goals have not changed since we joined the NPSL and I am sure every other team in the NPSL has the same goal as us. We want to win an NPSL title. Last year we had a great season, losing to Chattanooga FC in the South Finals 3-2. We are wanting to improve on that this year. We are very excited about the team we are putting together for the 2016 season.
Diane Scavuzzo: What do you think about the 2015 National Premier Soccer League AGM being in San Diego?
Pat Piscitelli: I am very excited about the AGM in San Diego this year. Last year’s AGM was amazing and I am sure this year’s will be even better. This is a very exciting time to be a part of the NPSL, with the growth of the league and the level of play getting higher and higher every season.
Myrtle Beach Mutiny NPSL Photo Credit: Paul Morin
