Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC explained

Clubname:Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC
Fullname:Northern Colorado Hailstorm Football Club
Stadium:4Rivers Equipment Stadium
Capacity:2,500
Owntitle:Owners
Owner:Jeff and Casey Katofsky
Ryan Spilborghs
Mgrtitle:Head coach
Manager:Éamon Zayed
League:USL League One
Season:2023
Position:3rd out of 12
Playoffs: Semifinals
Website:https://www.hailstormfc.com/
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Current:2024 Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC season

Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC is an American professional soccer team based in Windsor, Colorado. The club was founded in 2021, and made its competitive debut in 2022. The team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid, and is owned by the Katofsky family and the Future Legends ownership group.[1]

History

Soccer in Colorado

There are three other professional soccer teams in the state of Colorado. Colorado Rapids play in Major League Soccer, Colorado Springs Switchbacks play in USL Championship and Colorado Rapids 2 play in MLS Next Pro.

Inaugural season

Because USL League One had an uneven number of teams for the 2022 season, Northern Colorado played the first competitive match in its history in the U.S. Open Cup on April 6 of that year, against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks. Despite losing Irvin Parra to a red card in the 27th minute, the Hailstorm won 1–0 in extra time, with Jerry Desdunes scoring their first-ever goal in the 96th.[2] On April 9, 2022, Ethan Vanacore-Decker scored the first league goal for the Hailstorm play during their inaugural USL League One match which finished in a 1–1 draw with Richmond Kickers.[3] In just its fourth ever competitive match, the Hailstorm defeated Major League Soccer side Real Salt Lake away from home by a score of 1–0 on April 20, 2022, to advance to the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup.[4] [5] The Hailstorm were eliminated from cup competition on May 11, 2022 by fellow League One opponents Union Omaha by a score of 2-0 in the round of 32. The Hailstorm played their first home game against North Carolina FC on June 8, 2022, after 10 games (including cup matches) on the road while awaiting a home venue in Colorado. The game took place at Jackson Stadium, on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado, since the completion of TicketSmarter Stadium was delayed. The game saw Irvin Parra score the Hailstorm's first home goal in spectacular fashion, making #2 on ESPN's top ten list that evening.[6] The Hailstorm would go on the finish the match in a 1-1 draw.

Stadium

The team will play their home games at TicketSmarter Stadium located at the Future Legends Complex, a 118-acre multi-sport complex that was scheduled to open in 2022. The complex is expected to have 10 baseball fields and 12 soccer pitches.[7] The team will share the complex with a minor-league baseball team, the Northern Colorado Owlz.[8] The Owlz and Hailstorm "will play in a secondary location while construction concludes."[9]

Due to construction delays, caused by an months-long investigation into the possible presence of a historical site in June 2021,[10] the team obtained permission from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC, in Greeley, Colorado) to use their soccer facility, Jackson Stadium throughout the month of June, 2022.[11] Due the resumption of inter-collegiate soccer at UNC, the team then obtained permission from Colorado State University (CSU, in Fort Collins, Colorado) to use Canvas Stadium, an artificial turf college football stadium with a capacity of 40,000+ throughout the month of July, 2022.[12]

Players and staff

Front office and Technical staff

Record

Year-by-year

SeasonUSL League OnePlayoffsUS Open CupTop Scorer Head Coach
PlayerGoals
202230111094238427thDid not qualifyR4 Irvin Parra11 Éamon Zayed
20233218685937623rdSemifinalsR3 Trevor Amann26

1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.

Head coach records

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Peterson. Colin. January 12, 2021. Northern Colorado FC set to join USL League One in 2022. January 13, 2021. Burgundy Wave. en.
  2. Web site: Cupsets Continue on Night Two of 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Second Round .
  3. Web site: Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Picks Up First League Point In Club History . April 21, 2022 . Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC . en-US.
  4. Web site: Cupset! Hailstorm Move on to Round of 32 . April 21, 2022 . Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC . en-US.
  5. Web site: USLLeagueOne com Staff . 2022-04-20 . Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Stuns Real Salt Lake . 2022-07-28 . USL League One . en-us.
  6. Web site: Northern Colorado Hailstorm on TikTok . 2022-06-20 . TikTok . en.
  7. Web site: Youth Baseball Tournament Venue & Complex Home Futurelegendscomplex.com. January 13, 2021. Future Legends Sports Complex. en-US.
  8. News: Howell . Chase . January 12, 2021 . Northern Colorado FC to join United Soccer League as expansion franchise in 2022 . January 13, 2021 . . en-US.
  9. Future Legends Complex Announces Stadium Naming Rights and Ticket Sales Partnership with TicketSmarter . May 19, 2022 . March 31, 2022 . Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC . en-US.
  10. Web site: 2021-06-11 . Future Legends developer: USDA forced months-long work stoppage . 2022-06-30 . Loveland Reporter-Herald . en-US.
  11. Web site: 2022-06-09 . 'I'm over the moon': Northern Colorado Hailstorm host inaugural home game . 2022-06-20 . Greeley Tribune . en-US.
  12. Web site: 2022-06-21 . Hailstorm FC to play at CSU's Canvas Stadium in July after opening the 2022 season in Greeley . 2022-06-30 . OurSports Central . en.
  13. Web site: Front Office Staff. hailstormfc.com. February 4, 2022.
  14. Web site: Hailstorm FC Announces Éamon Zayed As Club's First-Ever Head Coach . USL League One . USLLeagueOne.com . August 11, 2021 . August 11, 2021.