Florida Soccer Soldiers Explained

Clubname:Florida Soccer Soldiers
Fullname:Florida Soccer Soldiers
Ground:SDG Soccer Complex
North Miami Beach, Florida
Owntitle:Owner
Chrtitle:General Manager
Mgrtitle:Head Coach
Manager:Daniel Godoy
League:United Premier Soccer League
Season:2018 Fall
Position:Florida South Division: 1st
Florida South Division Playoffs: Runners-up
Website:http://www.floridasoccersoldiers.com/home
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Florida Soccer Soldiers is an American semi-professional soccer club based in North Miami Beach, Florida, that plays in the United Premier Soccer League. The club was established in 2018 and gained notoriety after they qualified for the third round of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, defeating professional clubs Miami FC and Charlotte Independence.

History

The Florida Soccer Soldiers were founded in 2018 and joined the United Premier Soccer League Florida South Division.[1] During their first season, the club managed to finish top of their division and won in the playoffs, defeating Miami Sun 2–1.[1] During the national championships, the club defeated Inocentes FC in the Quarterfinals 2–0 before falling to eventual champions, Milwaukee Bavarian, 2–0.[1]

The next year, the Soccer Soldiers qualified for the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, the national domestic cup competition in American soccer.[1] Their first round match was against reigning National Premier Soccer League champions Miami FC on May 9. The club managed a major upset, coming from behind to win 2–1 away from home and thus qualified for the second round.[2] Their second-round match was against USL Championship side Charlotte Independence on May 14. The Soccer Soldiers managed to pull off another upset, defeating the second division club in a penalty shootout 5–4.[3] The Soccer Soldiers' run ended in the third round, losing 1–0 to North Carolina FC of USL Championship.[4]

Statistics and records

Season-by-season

SeasonLeaguePlayoffsU.S. Open Cup
2018 Spring9900467271stNP: Semi-finalsDid not play
2018 Fall121101566331stFS: Runners-upQualified
2019 Spring9711221223rdFS: QuarterfinalsThird Round
2019 Fall12930399301stFS: Runners-up[5] Second Qualifying Round

Notes and References

  1. News: Ifans . Lee . 2019 Meet the Underdogs: First year Florida Soccer Soldiers winning with "respect, pride and commitment" . May 16, 2019 . thecup.us . May 7, 2019.
  2. News: 2019 US Open Cup round 1: Florida Soccer Soldiers upset NPSL champion Miami FC in tournament debut . May 16, 2019 . thecup.us . May 9, 2019.
  3. News: KAUFMAN . MICHELLE . Local semi-pro soccer club pulls off shocker, beats USL team in U.S. Open Cup . May 16, 2019 . Miami Herald . May 15, 2019.
  4. News: North Carolina FC vs Florida Soccer Soldiers . October 14, 2019 . USL Championship . May 29, 2019.
  5. Web site: UPSL Division I . www.facebook.com . 1 June 2020 . en.