Teams From All Over The Country to Join League
Teams will be joining the UPSL in the 2020 Spring Season.
The United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) announced six new clubs joining the league in the 2020 Spring Season. The teams in the Davis Legacy Soccer Club, Southern California Trojans FÚtbol Club, Mount Vernon FC, Central FL Mix, We United FC and Greater Binghamton FC.
Based in Davis, Calif., the Davis Legacy Soccer Club will play in the Western Conference Wild West Division. The club will play its home games at the Davis Legacy Soccer Complex.
There’s a wealth of talent there and we’re happy to welcome Davis Legacy Soccer Club to the UPSL. It’s a club that dates back 30 years, and a recent NorCal State Cup champion. They’re a club that everyone respects, and we wish Davis Legacy Soccer Club the best as they prepare for next season.
Nick Arellano – Wild West Division Manager
Founded in 1989, the Davis Legacy Soccer Club has previous experience in NorCal La Liga (USASA), winning the league during the 2018-19 season. The club also is the 2019 NorCal State Cup champions. Davis Legacy SC will compete exclusively in the UPSL.
“We, as a club, are very excited to add playing in the UPSL to our player development pathway. In order to serve our community, it is important for Davis Legacy to have a complete pathway from our grassroots program up to our competitive First Team. We believe in the promotion and relegation format offered by the UPSL, and we are confident this will help us find our niche in the ever-changing soccer landscape,” Technical Director Nate Boyden said.
The Southern California Trojans FÚtbol Club will play in the Western Conference SoCal North Divison II. The team is operated by the University of Southern California students and alumni.
We’d like to welcome Southern California Trojans FÚtbol Club to the UPSL’s Western Conference SoCal Division. This is a fantastic student-run organization and a great group of student-athletes who are looking and willing to push the limits. They’re a passionate group. They deserve every chance to compete, and to do so in a National League. We wish them the best of luck as the prepare for the 2020 Spring Season.”
Yan Skwara – UPSL Commissioner
SC Trojans FC was founded by USC alumni Milad Gueramian and Jonathan Montesdecoa in 2017, and recently finished its third season in the SoCal Premier League (CalSouth). This Fall, SC Trojans FC became the first-ever university club team to win a qualifying round game in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, and now the club will compete exclusively in the UPSL.
SC Trojans FC Vice President, Director of Soccer Operations and Head Coach Sanjay Sujanthakumar said, “It’s very exciting to be entering this league. Like the UPSL, our club is young, ambitious, and growing fast. USC has an unmatched tradition and culture of athletic excellence that we are proud to project and contribute to. After making history as the first-ever university team to win a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifier, we look forward to continuing to put USC on the map in a unique, unprecedented way in terms of men’s soccer in this country. And this will include player development. The absence of a NCAA Division I program at USC is actually an opportunity for us to be a modern model in how colleges can be activated towards player development: by identifying and developing young players from the community. Our organization has built an inclusive environment that reflects the diversity and spirit of our school, and we’re ready to represent USC in a national league.”
Playing in Miami, Mount Vernon FC will be joining the Southeast Conference Florida South Division II. The club will play its home games at Kendall Soccer Park.
United Premier Soccer League Florida Division Manager Christian Vallejos said, “We’re excited to welcome Mount Vernon FC to the UPSL Florida. We’re building the strongest promotion/relegation structure for the grassroots club right here in South Florida and Mount Vernon FC, a club that has impressed at the local level, is moving up to the UPSL and a USASA National League. We wish Mount Vernon FC success as the club prepares for the 2020 Spring Season.”
Mount Vernon FC began in 2018, and recently finished its second season in the South Florida Premier League ‘A’ Division. The club’s first team will compete exclusively in the UPSL.
“We are pleased to welcome Central FL Mix to UPSL Florida. This might be a first for the league – a basketball club joining the UPSL – but we could not agree more with the ambition of Central FL Mix. This is an ownership group that sees an opportunity and is willing to take new chances. We wish Central FL Mix success as it prepares for the 2020 Spring Season,” said Vallejos.
Playing in the Southeastern Conference Florida Central Division II, Central FL Mix will also join the league in Spring 2020, playing its home games at Johnson University.
Central FL Mix is co-owned by Andy Gines and Brian Guex. Gines is the Founder and President of the Central FL Mix men’s professional basketball team, currently a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). The basketball team will soon compete in the Orlando (Fla.)-based ACE League, one of the nation’s top amateur leagues.
“I’m really excited. Creating a soccer team is something Brian and I have talked about for a long time, and the real drive for me is to find talent that can either play professionally, and we can help them with their aspirations toward that, or to be able to find local talent that still has an opportunity to play in college. I love helping young players get to college. That’s really going to be the drive for us in the UPSL; to find local, talented players that still have options.”
Andy Gines – Co-Owner
“I’ve played in the UPSL, I’ve seen how it’s run and I really like it. I think it brings a good base to U.S. soccer and different twist to soccer in the U.S. because it’s more in line with the rest of the world. The UPSL has promotion/relegation, which really interested me, and it really gives clubs the opportunity to advance to a higher level. That really attracted me because in Central Florida we have a lot of really good soccer teams, so it’s going to be very competitive, but the idea is to grow as fast as we can, as much as we can,” Guex said.
Based in Memphis, We United FC will play in the new Mid-South Conference Tennessee Division I
United Premier Soccer League Mid-South Conference Manager Doug Kranz said, “We’re cranking up the Mid-South Conference with a club with deep roots in the state, and it’s a pleasure to welcome We United FC to the United Premier Soccer League. We United FC is embracing the opportunity to drive the game forward in its home state, and provide options for its Pro Development level players. We continue to target a 6-to-12 team setup in the new UPSL Mid-South Conference set to kick off with the 2020 Spring Season, and we wish We United FC success in the push to join the UPSL and grow the game.”
We United FC began in 2004 and has previous experience in Greater Memphis Soccer Association, and various Memphis-based leagues. We United FC will compete exclusively in the UPSL.
Aminadab Morales is Owner and President of We United FC. David Fallin is Director of Operations. Thomas Mfodwo serves as Head Coach.
“We United FC is very excited to be a member of the UPSL. We’re a club that’s been playing for more than 10 years in Memphis, but we want to be more than just another team. We want to play on a national scale, in a National League, so that’s why we’ve joined the UPSL. We have young players who want more; they want more competitive soccer and a better league, and to get their shot at playing professionally. We’re doing this for the younger generation here in Memphis, and I think the UPSL is the right place for us,” Morales said.
We United FC is planning to create a youth academy with competitive programs for boys and girls of all ages.
Based in Upstate N.Y., Greater Binghamton FC is owned by Greater Binghamton Sports Complex, and will begin UPSL play in the Northeast Conference Division I. The club will host its UPSL home games at Visions FCU Field.
United Premier Soccer League Northeast Conference Patriot Division Manager Luis Costa said, “We’re excited to welcome Greater Binghamton Football Club to the UPSL Northeast Conference. Owner Bahij Kashou established the club early in the decade, and they’re roaring back to life in a big way. The Greater Binghamton Sports Complex remains the area’s premier facility, and one of the top indoor spaces in the country. We wish Greater Binghamton FC the best of success as it gets set to kick off with the 2020 Spring Season.”
Greater Binghamton Football Club began in 2012 and has previous experience in National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) from 2012-’14, and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup (2014). The club was the back-to-back NPSL Keystone Conference champions in ’13 and ’14, and reached the second round of the U.S. Open Cup in ’14.
The UPSL is a good fit for our organization. It is concentrating on maintaining a good, affordable league, and provides the opportunity for players and teams to advance. The league has been very flexible working with our location and facility concerns, and I can see this league growing and giving our talented players a pathway.
Bahij Kashou – Owner/General Manager
