Experience Shapes Actions for Shaun Russell

By Sebastian Johnson Shaun Russell didn’t realize the athlete he was becoming until he was 14 years old. “I realized I was good when I got my first college letter,” he says. It wasn’t much longer after that he got his first college call - a moment that cemented into his mind the fact that he just might be an above average soccer player. Even though Russell doesn’t remember the school that sent ...

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Interview with Babajide Saba: President of the Maryland Bobcats Football Club

By Sebastian Johnson Babajide Saba is the president of the Maryland Bobcats Football Club. He also is a member of a growing number of front office executives who have taken non-traditional paths. He is a man forged by his experiences; a man who has grown to allow his unique past to inform not just his own future, but the futures of every life he has the power to affect. It’s easy to ...

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Level Up: An Independent Cup Amateur Club Spotlight Series

Space United FC By Alexa Doebler Next up in our series is Space United FC Founder and CEO, Camilo Tobacia. Tobacia's own story is so deeply intertwined with the development and identity of the club that to know about Space United FC, you really need to start with Tobacia's story. "Soccer runs deep. All the way back. Since I could walk, really. I was born in South America in Bogota, Colombia and I ...

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Level Up: An Independent Cup Amateur Club Spotlight Series

Allentown United FC By Alexa Doebler This week, we dive into Allentown United FC as we hear from Founder and President of the Club Emmanuel Ntow-Mensah. Ntow-Mensah tells us of the origins of Allentown United FC, or as it is often referred to, ‘The People’s Club’. Ntow-Mensah moved to Pennsylvania for a wealth management operations job and noticed the soccer scene in the area felt lacking.  As a former college player, while finance ...

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Level Up: An Independent Cup Amateur Club Spotlight Series

Atletico Atlanta By: Alexa Doebler As we head into the Independent Cup, a tournament that brings together both pro and amateur clubs, NISA wanted to highlight some of these amateur clubs that you'll see taking the pitch over the next month. This week we chat with Joao Garcia of Atletico Atlanta, a club whose first match is a big one, taking on NISA Pro Club Chattanooga FC. As Garcia put it, "We ...

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Difference Makers in the Game of Soccer: An Interview with Stumptown AC Head Coach Rod Underwood

By Alexa Doebler Heading into Week 4 of our 2021 Spring Season, our Game of the Week comes to you from Matthews Sportsplex, the stadium of NISA’s newest team, Stumptown AC. They will be lacing up to take on Cal United Strikers FC this Saturday, May 22nd. And while this club is young- 7 games and about 2 months since initial tryouts- they are taking to the pitch in an impressive showing ...

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Nación NISA: Abriendo caminos para jugadores locales

  Nación NISA: Abriendo caminos para jugadores locales Por: Nación NISA Staff Uno de los pilares de NISA es la inclusión. En lo que respecta al fútbol profesional en este país, NISA sigue las normas del juego global y tiene una visión para el fútbol de clubes que la gente de todo el mundo reconocerá. Esta visión incluye clubes con identidades únicas. Algunos de los principios de NISA incluyen ofrecer a clubes barreras ...

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NISA Nation: Looking Forward to Spring 2020

  NISA 2020: Ten Things We're Looking Forward To This Spring Season By NISA Nation Staff   There is a lot going on in the NISA Nation behind the scenes as clubs get ready for their Spring Season Openers at the end of this week. Ten things we at the NISA Nation are looking forward to most just before we kickoff our Spring 2020 campaign.   (1.) More matches like the West Coast Championship between Los ...

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Spring 2020: Previewing the Home Openers

  Previewing the Home Openers By NISA Nation Staff Last month, the National Independent Soccer Association announced the spring home openers for our eight clubs beginning play in the Spring 2020 Season.  NISA also announced that club owners decided to proceed in Spring with a single table and each club playing home-and-away against every other club.  The winter break is almost over.  Let’s get to the matches.   February 28 – LA Force – Detroit ...

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NISA Commissioner John Prutch Presents to the USASA

NISA Commissioner John Prutch Presents to the USASA by NISA Nation staff Earlier this month, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the U.S. Soccer Federation was held in Nashville, Tennessee.  It was a landmark occasion for NISA as the league was unanimously approved for membership on the U.S. Professional Leagues Council.  The recognition that NISA clubs are adding to the national conversation about pro soccer is of course substantial but also the ...

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