New NPSL Team for the Twin Cities – Kings FC
Minnesota and the Twin Cities specifically have a new soccer team called the Kings FC. No, this is not the new team rumored from the National Sports Center or a renamed Thunder team but a brand new team in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). The NPSL is a rival to USL’s PDL program.
According to the team’s website: The team plans to expand and promote playing soccer at an elite level, creating hometown heroes as role models, and impacting the quality of life in the community by providing opportunities for minorities, ESL speakers, and the financially unable to participate in current programs. The Kings team will be made up of hand selected players from the state’s elite professional, college and high school teams.
The website also states that the organization has 3 goals:
(1) To act as a beacon of hope and opportunity for hundreds of local players to take their game to another level.
(2) To provide exciting and affordable family outdoor entertainment to our community.
(3) To use Kings F.C. players as prime examples of successful role models to educate and inspire our children to raise their goals and expectations while leading healthier, more productive lives.
The Kings F.C. were voted into the NPSL on November 14, 2009, becoming the newest team to the Midwest Conference for the 2010 summer league. The Kings F.C. will be participating in the National Premier Soccer League in 2010. In addition, the team will be developing a youth academy and hosting player clinics throughout the winter and summer.
Minnesota currently have another NPSL team called the Twin Stars who also compete in the Midwest Conference. Games between these two teams could make for some great competition and interesting viewing for Twin Cities soccer fans.
IMS will be following up with club director Tim Haselberger in the next several days.
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I see where Laurie Calloway has been hired by the Des Moines Menace.
Apologies…forgot to add that this development could be interesting and beneficial to the Minnesota soccer community.
You are correct on the Old Salty Dog Laurie Calloway. I did Twitter it yesterday but didn’t make a post. Still working bugs out of IMS but I’m getting there.
Any idea where they will play? Their website does not say.
I’m sure we will discuss it when I talk to Tim.
I hope that they have a good beer garden.
Sounds interesting shame they won’t get support from the youth ranks since they are setting up a youth academy.
Looks like Tim Haselberger was rostered with Twin Stars last season, is this just a new name for that team?
Also, if someone is claiming that NPSL is equivalent to PDL, then Twin Stars aren’t a good example. PDL seeks opportunities for college-age players, most Twin Stars players are much older than that.
Twin Stars were a decent side. I got to see them at the NPSL Final Four where they represented the Midwest Region. They lost in the semifinal to the eventual champions, Sonoma, after having a man sent off needlessly just as they had gained some momentum in the second half.
Should be a nice little cross-town rivalry.
That’s what I’m thinking Ryan.
Why is Haselberger leaving Twin Stars?
Why don’t you email him and ask him? If you want to do the interview for IMS that would fine too.
As stated in the article, I will be contacting him soon to follow up.
Don’t know if I’m qualified, more of an armchair journalist.
Point being, I don’t have anymore answers than what’s up on the site. So you can continue to ask a lot of questions but I can’t answer them – not until I talk to TIm.
I am excited to see this article on your website. We will be updating the Kings page in the next few days and will have more information available to you. Feel free to contact me via email as I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Tim Haselberger
I am confused. There is already a NPSL team in Minnesota? Who knew? What is the hype with adding another team to a league that already has a team here and apparently doesn’t have much of a fan base? I don’t mean to be a critic, but I am just curious why this is big to MN soccer?
No one said it was big, but it is MN soccer news, is it not?
I think you would be hard pressed to find any hard core soccer fans in MN who didn’t know about the Twin Stars. So it’s certainly of interest to all of us.
mnfan-
The thing about soccer is that to be a good player you need to be able to get quality games regularly and train with other quality players. One more NPSL team means that the serious amatuer player in Minnesota has more opportunities to play reasonably high level soccer.
Its just like having a MLS reserve league is good because it gives more players opportunities.
USL 1 is good because it provides professional players a place to ply their trade.
And USL 2, and PDL, and whatever they are calling those indoors leagues nowadays, and, and, and…
Its all just more opportunities for guys to play- to develop.
It will never be a commercial success but it might help an amatuer develop into a pro. Which is pretty big for MN soccer.
As far as the Twin Stars go, and I might be totally off base here but, I think they started as a hmong team that played in hmong festivals where cash prizes are common… then joined the npsl. I’m not sure developing a big fan base is really something the Twin Stars are concerned with.
I saw the madison 56ers this past summer. Their roster was basically a few badgers guys, some d3 dudes, and a few amatuer/mens league soccer junkies.
The Twin Stars are a good team with experienced players but truth be told the caliber of play isn’t much if at all better than what you see from the top 4-5 teams in the MASL D1.
This isn’t a knock because I’m all for higher levels of play in Minnesota but it’s no secret that many if not most of the Twin Stars do also play in the MASL. Many of them play for the Internationals.
Hard to believe there’s room for another NPSL team here in the metro.