| Season: | 2019–20 season |
| Dates: | Fall: August 31 – November 10, 2019 Spring: February 29 – March 12, 2020 (play suspended) |
| Competition: | National Independent Soccer Association |
| Matches: | 27 |
| Total Goals: | 92 |
| League Topscorer: | Jack McInerney (8 goals) |
| Biggest Home Win: | (September 15, 2019) |
| Biggest Away Win: | (September 14, 2019) |
| Highest Scoring: | (September 15, 2019) |
| Highest Attendance: | 5,723 (October 19, 2019) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 112 (September 14, 2019) |
| Attendance: | Fall: 29,893 Spring: 15,912 Overall: 45,805 |
| Average Attendance: | Fall: 1,495 Spring: 2,273 Overall: 1,696 |
| Nextseason: | 2020–21 |
The 2019–20 NISA season was the inaugural season of the National Independent Soccer Association's third-division soccer competition.[1] The regular season was split into two halves, fall and spring, with playoffs at the end. The fall season, named "NISA Showcase", featured seven teams, with the East and West champions earning berths into the 2020 playoffs.[2] The spring season featured eight teams, and switches to a single table format, the top 3 teams joining California United Strikers in the playoffs.
The spring season was suspended on March 12, for 30 days, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[3] The suspension was then extended in accordance with CDC guidelines[4] and eventually made permanent on April 27, 2020.[5]
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpharetta, Georgia | St. Francis High School Lupo Field at Life University | — — | ||
| California United Strikers FC | Irvine, California | Championship Stadium | 5,000 | |
| Chattanooga, Tennessee | Finley Stadium | 20,668 | ||
| Hamtramck, Michigan | Keyworth Stadium | 7,933 | ||
| Los Angeles Force | Whittier, California | Rio Hondo College Jesse Owens Stadium | 1,000 5,000 | |
| Miami, Florida | Buccaneer Field Riccardo Silva Stadium | 1,500 23,500 | ||
| Pontiac, Michigan | Ultimate Soccer Arena | 5,000 | ||
| Oakland Roots SC | Oakland, California | Laney College | 5,500 | |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Franklin Field | 52,958 | ||
| San Diego 1904 FC | San Diego, California | SDCCU Stadium Lincoln High School | 70,561 3,700 | |
| Stumptown Athletic | Matthews, North Carolina | CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex Sportsplex at Matthews | 1,200 5,000 |
Note: The league signed a deal with Hummel to be the official kit manufacturer, but it still allowed clubs to find their own provider.[6]
| Team | Head coach | Captain(s) | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California United Strikers FC |  | | Nike | Taco Bell | |
| Chattanooga FC | | Hummel | Volkswagen | ||
| Detroit City FC |  | Adidas | Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers | ||
| Los Angeles Force |  | | Hummel | — | |
| Michigan Stars FC | | Hummel | HTC | ||
| Oakland Roots SC | |  | Nike | Oaklandish | |
| San Diego 1904 FC |  | | Nike | — | |
| Stumptown Athletic | | | Hummel | — | |
| Only played the Fall Season | |||||
| Atlanta SC | |  | Hummel | — | |
| Miami FC | |  Macron | — | ||
| Philadelphia Fury | | | Hummel | — |
Miami FC and California United Strikers FC played seven matches while the rest of the league played only six. To accommodate for this, the Miami FC home match against Oakland Roots SC did not count in the standings for Miami and the second California United Strikers FC home match against San Diego 1904 FC did not count in the standings for Cal United.
The top two eastern teams will meet in the East Coast Championship while the top two western teams will meet in the West Coast Championship. Each champion will earn an automatic berth into the Spring 2020 playoffs.
The 2020 Spring season began on February 28 and featured eight teams (five teams that also played in the Fall season, plus three new entries). It consisted of a single table instead of the conferences used during Fall. The top three teams would have qualified for the Playoffs, together with California United Strikers, already qualified because of their Fall season West Championship win.[7]
The spring season was suspended on March 12, for 30 days, due to the coronavirus pandemic.[8] The suspension was then extended in accordance with CDC guidelines[9] and eventually made permanent on April 27, 2020.[10]