Valley United FC was an American professional soccer club based in Phoenix, Arizona that played in the National Independent Soccer Association, in the 3rd tier of the US soccer pyramid, from 2022.[1]
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| Full name | Valley United Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 | ||
| Dissolved | 2022 | ||
| Stadium | Bell Bank Park Mesa, Arizona | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| LLC Members | Troy M Pearce, Carlos Adrian Gaitan, Marcelo J Piana, Yuval Raichman | ||
| Chairman | Troy M Pearce (Managing Member) | ||
| Head Coach | Danny De Olivera | ||
| League | National Independent Soccer Association | ||
| Website | https://www.valleyunitedsc.com/ | ||
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History
editValley United FC was founded in 2020 as Atletico Olympians FC and joined UPSL in the same year, as played in the Southwest Conference, Arizona Division.[2] In the summer of 2021, the team also participated in 2021 NISA Independent Cup, as played in Southwest Region. In September 2021, the team rebranded as "Valley United Football Club" and was accepted into the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) for the 2022 season.[3] Valley United FC was the first Latino-owned club in the nascent league.[4] At the time of their founding, VUFC was one of three professional soccer teams in Arizona alongside USL Championship side Phoenix Rising FC and USL1 club FC Tucson. The club's reserve team, Valley United FC U23 participated in the Southwest Region of the NISA Nation, at an amateur soccer league sanctioned by the US Amateur Soccer Association.
The club participated in the 2022 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup competition, falling 0-1 in the second round to cross-town rival Phoenix Rising in extra time.[5]
On May 17, 2022, the team announced that they were working through "internal roster issues at the club" which resulted in the resignation of Head Coach Adrian Gaitan and General Manager Yuval Raichman and Danny De Olivera was promoted to the team's head coach.[6][7][8] The issues, identified as alleged violations of United States Immigration law, involved six players, who were released from the club. The roster violations resulted in a forfeit of six league matches. The team went on to play three more matches before suspending operations for the season on July 26, 2022. To promote "sporting integrity," all VUFC results were removed, ultimately resulting in a forfeit of the entire season.[9]
The club did not participate in the 2023 NISA season,[10] but the club's badge remains on the NISA website.[11]
Players
editCurrent roster
edit- As of April 1, 2022[12]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References
edit- ^ "NISA APPROVES VALLEY UNITED FC APPLICATION". nisasoccer.com. NISA. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "NISA approves Valley United FC application". Instagram. Valley United FC. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "NISA Approves Valley United FC Application". www.valleyunitedsc.com. Valley United FC. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "WELCOME ABOARD: NISA adds Valley United FC for 2022". www.frontrowsoccer.com. Front Row Soccer. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
- ^ "Phoenix Rising FC 1-0 Valley United FC (Apr 6, 2022) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "Update to NISA / VUFC Statement". www.nisaofficial.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ "UPDATE TO NISA / VUFC STATEMENT". www.nisaofficial.com. Retrieved 2023-07-31.
- ^ "Trouble in the Valley". Protagonist Soccer. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "Update to NISA / VUFC Statement". www.nisasoccer.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "Schedule | National Independent Soccer Association". www.nisasoccer.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "Home | National Independent Soccer Association". www.nisasoccer.com. Retrieved 2023-07-28.
- ^ "Roster". valleyunitedsc.com. Retrieved April 1, 2022.