News & Notes

The 2014 NPSL schedule (at least the part we care about) has been out for more than a day and a half, and now that the dust has settled a bit I thought I’d take a closer look.

First though, a little info on some of the new teams that people are wondering about.

Dearborn Sports Enterprise purchased the club formerly known as FC Sparta Michigan and has rebranded it as Michigan Stars FC – they have no affiliation with Sparta or the previous ownership group. MSFC is also completely separate from the other two teams owned by DSE, the Dearborn Stars (which play in a lower league), and Motor City FC, the newly-formed women’s team. It’s unclear exactly where Michigan Stars will play, though Madonna University in Livonia (which hosts the Dearborn Stars) looks like the most likely site.

Westfield Select is located in Westfield, Indiana, 20 miles north of Indianapolis. That is all the information that exists on this team.

Fort Pitt FC Regiment is located in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, 15 miles east of Pittsburgh. That is all the information that exists on this team.

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More interesting is the new conference setup and playoff format.

Great Lakes East Conference: Buffalo, Cleveland, Erie, Fort Pitt

Great Lakes West Conference: Cincinnati, Detroit, Lansing, Michigan, Westfield

Central Conference: Bordo, Eau Claire, Madison, Minnesota Twin Stars, Minnesota Utd. Reserves, Quad City

The first-place finishers in each of these three conferences and the second-place team with the highest points-per-game qualify for the Midwest Regional Playoffs – a 4-team single elimination tournament to be played July 18-20.

I hated the old playoff format in which the first place team in the Central Division automatically qualified for the regional final while the top 4 teams in the 5 (2012) or 6 (2013) team Great Lakes Division had to go through an extra round of games to determine a division winner. The new format rewards the strongest teams and simplifies the playoff qualification process: win your conference or finish second and hope for some help.

To break it down to the most basic level, DCFC must finish with more points than Cincinnati, Lansing, Michigan, and Westfield to earn a guaranteed spot in the Midwest Playoffs.

All in all I think this new setup is a big step in the right direction. Kudos to the commish and whoever else was involved with the decision.

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Finally, we come to the schedule itself:

• The first thing to note is that the regular season has grown from 12 games to 14. For a league with a 10-month offseason, any increase in meaningful games is definitely welcome. On a side note, Detroit City FC’s recent e-mail to season ticket holders stated that a home friendly (TBD) will also be played.

• Getting off to such a fast start in 2013 was a huge boost to the team, and the potential for a similar start exists this season. The first three games are at home against expansion sides that also happen to be conference opponents. A 3-0 start would make DCFC the team to beat in the Great Lakes West.

• The toughest stretch is the following six games, five of which are on the road, including Rust Belt Derby rivals Buffalo and Cleveland.

• If DCFC finds itself in a battle for first, the final five games may give them an advantage: 3 are at home and the 2 “road” games involve short trips to Michigan Stars and Lansing.

• I was initially disappointed by the lack of Saturday games, but with the expanded schedule came the need for more two-game (Friday and Sunday) weekends. I’m sure the players prefer having a day between games to having to play home and away on back-to-back days.

Less than 3 months to go…

Detroit City FC dropped its first real news about the upcoming season yesterday, announcing the return of 15 players from the 2013 squad. Also, although there was never any serious chatter about his status, quotes in yesterday’s announcement confirmed that head coach Ben Pirmann will return for his second season in charge.

Below are a few thoughts on the pre-season roster. Note: I’m solely looking at the players that are currently committed and not taking into account any whose status is uncertain at present. The open spots on the roster will be filled with tryouts on March 22^nd and May 3^rd.

Forward/Striker

Team MVP and top goalscorer Zach Myers returns and will be the centerpiece of the attack along with fellow starter Wade Allan. The speed of Tom Oatley and the height of Nick Schroeder (6’5”) provide a nice mix of playing styles for Pirmann to mix and match.

Wide Midfield/Wing

DCFC is loaded with talent on the wings with the return of 2013 Great Lakes Conference ‘Best XI’ performers Cyrus Saydee, Jeff Adkins (both First Team), and Miche’le Lipari (Second Team).

Center Midfield

With three players who saw extensive playing time in 2013 – Latif Alashe, Dave Edwardson, Locky Savage – and the return of Spencer Thompson from injury, this position is the deepest on the team.

Fullback

One of the biggest advantages DCFC had over other teams in 2013 was its outstanding fullback play. With both Zach Schewee and Zeke Harris gone, Jonny Evans is the only true player at this position currently on the roster. Left and right back will certainly be at the top of Coach Pirmann’s ‘Needs List’ come tryout time.

Centerback

The heart and soul of the club, Josh Rogers, will return to anchor the back line. With the departures of Adam Bedell, Nick Lewin, and Luke Diener, the search will be on for a new partner for the captain.

Two other returnees, Matt Ybarra and Chase Jabbori, are listed. I have to confess that I haven’t seen enough of them to comment on where they fit in. Detroit City lists them as defenders while their college rosters have them as midfielders. If both do play at the back, that would still only make 4 defenders on the current roster, meaning plenty of opportunities for anyone looking to try out at those positions.

Goalkeeper

This is obviously the most glaring need, since, at the moment, there are no keepers on the roster. Jeremy Clark was brilliant in his two years, and Bret Mollon was so good in 2013 that he essentially became a co-starter. Picking up a good #1 here is crucial, and with the structure of rosters in the NPSL (limited player availability due to family/career/etc.), finding a solid #2 is a must.

[Update: Right after publishing this, Bret Mollon stated that he will be back for 2014.]

Overview

One of my biggest concerns heading into 2013 was that if there was too much roster turnover, the foundation laid by the promising inaugural season would be torn up and the team would have to start from scratch. That concern was mitigated by a large portion of the 2012 team returning, as well as an excellent group of newcomers such as Myers, Mollon, and Kevin Taylor.

By retaining over a dozen contributors, the club has again set itself up for success. The biggest needs are in goal, at both fullback spots, and at centerback opposite Rogers. After that, it would be nice to add a speedy striker who could play a role similar to that of Shawn Lawson in 2013, some depth on the wings, and an attacking midfielder in the Keith Lough/Fabio Pereira mold.

I have no doubt that the popularity and reputation of DCFC is a huge draw to local players, and tryouts will surely become more and more competitive as the status of the club grows.