The 2019–20 NISA season was the inaugural season of the National Independent Soccer Association, a third-division soccer competition in the United States. The regular season was divided into two halves, Fall and Spring, intended to culminate in playoffs. The Fall season, branded as the "NISA Showcase", featured seven teams; the champions of the East and West conferences earned berths into the 2020 playoffs. The Spring season expanded to eight teams and switched to a single-table format, with the top three teams set to join the Fall West champion, California United Strikers, in the postseason. However, the Spring season was suspended on March 12 for an initial 30-day period due to the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension was subsequently extended in accordance with CDC guidelines before the season was officially cancelled on April 27, 2020.
Teams
Stadiums and locations Team Location Stadium Capacity Atlanta SC Alpharetta, Georgia St. Francis High SchoolLupo Field at Life University —— California United Strikers FC Irvine, California Championship Stadium5,000 Chattanooga FC Chattanooga, Tennessee Finley Stadium 20,668 Detroit City FC Hamtramck, Michigan Keyworth Stadium 7,933 Los Angeles Force Whittier, California Rio Hondo College Jesse Owens Stadium1,0005,000 Miami FC Miami, Florida Buccaneer Field Riccardo Silva Stadium 1,50023,500 Michigan Stars FC Pontiac, Michigan Ultimate Soccer Arena 5,000 Oakland Roots SC Oakland, California Laney College5,500 Philadelphia Fury Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Franklin Field52,958 San Diego 1904 FC San Diego, California SDCCU StadiumLincoln High School70,5613,700 Stumptown Athletic Matthews, North Carolina CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex Sportsplex at Matthews 1,2005,000
Personnel and sponsorship Note: The league signed a deal with Hummel to be the official kit manufacturer, but it still allowed clubs to find their own provider. Team Head coach Captain(s) Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsorCalifornia United Strikers FC NikeTaco BellChattanooga FC HummelVolkswagenDetroit City FC AdidasMetro Detroit Chevy DealersLos Angeles Force Hummel—Michigan Stars FC HummelHTCOakland Roots SC NikeOaklandishSan Diego 1904 FC Nike—Stumptown Athletic Hummel—Only played the Fall SeasonAtlanta SC Hummel—Miami FC Macron—Philadelphia Fury Hummel—
Fall season 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.
Standings East Coast standings
West Coast standings
Results
Playoffs 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.
Spring season
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.
The spring season was suspended on March 12, for 30 days, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension was then extended in accordance with CDC guidelines and eventually made permanent on April 27, 2020.
Standings
Results
Notes
See also National Independent Soccer Association
References
External links NISA official website