While we’ve interacted with Alexi Lalas in the past, we cannot support or ignore his recent statements. It’s time to change our country fundamentally. Protagonist will no longer share our platform with Alexi and will be removing any appearances on our site or podcast feed.
Protagonist Soccer is happy to announce that we've entered into a media partnership with
@NPSLSoccer
. Our interactions with clubs from this league have been nothing but rewarding and we look forward to expanding our coverage of this great league.
Inspired by his fandom of the
@RichmondKickers
, Elliot Barr (
@yogimclovin
) has created a legacy that has bettered the soccer community. We profile his extensive work in podcasting, Black soccer history, and the Henny Derby. The man is a living legend.
“When you hear a name like ‘The Black Arrow’ does the imagery of a superhero appear in mind? What if I told you that this superhero did not don a flashy black suit with arrows and ran around to save the world…”
#BlackHistoryMonth
#protagonist
Hey soccer media member - bloggers, podcasters, writers, etc - what's your day job? We ask because we're often mocked as hobbyists and we'd like to share the stuff we do to get paid. Because most of us in this business are not getting paid.
Today we've got the annual
@mplscitysc
financial recap. One of your favorite clubs (
@USLLeagueTwo
&
@NPSLSoccer
), pulling back the curtains on their entire operation, proving it doesn't take millions to be a successful club. Here's the blueprint.
Today, the best rivalry in American soccer renews as
@ForwardMSNFC
heads to Virginia to face the
@RichmondKickers
in the Henny Derby. While the Derby is distinctly American, it is also distinctly Black. This Juneteenth weekend we celebrate its greatness.
In March, Grant Wahl appeared on one of our podcasts and spoke about how he saw himself, given his work uncovering corruption and calling out wrong doing. This was his response, as insightful as he always was. RIP
When the US Soccer Federation decided to allow MLS to not fully participate in this year's US Open Cup, it handed even more evidence to the attorney arguing the NASL lawsuit. Jeffery Kessler sat down with
@THEDanVaughn
to discuss his case and the USOC.
There's a host of people who follow grassroots soccer in general, maybe passive fans of a club or interested in whatever the news is. We challenge you, become a supporter of a club. Buy a kit or a scarf, show up for their matches. These clubs need support like no MLS club.
106 years ago, the soldiers of two warring nations stopped fighting to play some soccer.
Let’s not forget that the game is beautiful, even when the world is scary and ugly.
Our staff send our most sincere condolences to Grant Wahl's family and friends. He appeared on our podcasts, spoke behind the scenes with us, and offered his advice and insight. Grant was a model of professionalism. Our community is poorer today than it was yesterday.
The final nominee for Protagonist Soccer 2019 Club of the Year is
@DetroitCityFC
. The club that IS the gold standard for grassroots soccer, whether you like it or not.
So many American soccer fans will bemoan the loss of Bury FC, not realizing that 100s of American clubs have gone under because of a lack of support, both from fans and US Soccer. Awareness is only step one.
People questioning the "worthiness" or "quality" of the amateur sides involved in the
@NISALeague
Independent Cup are missing the point. This is a great opportunity for players and leagues to intersect, from all levels. Let's just hope for a fun, safe competition.
Detroit City FC is proud to announce a major milestone, with the club issuing payments this week to pay off all debts from our community investment campaign to fund renovations at Keyworth Stadium: .
#DCTID
At Protagonist we are 100% opposed to racism and white nationalism in every venue or facet of life. Those views are the opposite of progress and we believe they deserve no quarter. If your sg, team, or league allows that garbage, you should find another sg, team, or league.
Today, a new amateur soccer league has launched. The first five clubs announced include former champion
@TTownSoccer
and
@NapaValley1839
.
@theleague_fc
begins play in 2025. We sat down with three of the league's founders to discuss their plans and goals.
Idea: for those clubs that might be struggling to find shirt sponsors, why not find a local charity and put their logo on it for free? Your club looks more professional and you highlight a great cause. Thoughts?
The story of Peter Wilt is the story of American soccer. It is the rise and fall of clubs and leagues, the continuous desire to succeed, the inevitable collapse of the best laid plans. Peter had seen it all and keeps getting up for another try.
Today we’re thankful for the entire
@DetroitCityFC
organization. Top to bottom, the club is built the right way. From the executive team, to
@CallMeJamesie
, to the amazing cast of players. We’re all proud to own a piece of this club. Best of luck in
@USLChampionship
!
El Johnson, co-founder of
@FortyOneMag
, has long been a trailblazer in thinking beyond a single podcast or website. Instead, he’s revolutionized the Black soccer content space through bigger thinking, seeking to build out a space for his work and the work of others to shine.
▪️ “After sharing 1024 badges, a total of 508 polls plus the final poll, all through 1018 tweets and a total of over 32 hours of legwork and online sharing…”
▪️Here’s how
@oaklandrootssc
became the 2022
@ProtagonistCopa
Champion and Best Badge in the Land
#protagonist
Previous Champions of the Copa De Insignias include:
@DetroitCityFC
in 2019,
@AppalachianFc
in 2020, and
@ChristosFC
(though, with their other logo, which we simply cannot find a high-res file of… DM us Christos FC)
Kudos to
@NISALeague
for having a real media day and making teams available via zoom. Every league should be doing things like this, especially for non traveling media types.
What began as a thought experiment on twitter became a 7-part list from our writers. We created a rubric, built a list, and ranked 70 clubs we believe are the best targets for investment in American grassroots soccer.
With the rest of
@NISALeague
looking on, New Amsterdam FC looks more and more like a team imploding. What are the issues? What do we actually know? And, just as importantly, who is in goal?
We know there’s a lot of rumors around
@DetroitCityFC
at the moment. While other sites and twitter handles are making definitive statements, we do not have any specific information, just rumors and off the record statements. So we’re not reporting anything at this point.
It appears that the Soccer Warz have begun. According to a suit filed in California, the USL is suing the UPSL for trademark infringement. Here's the story.
Today we are thankful for the leadership of
@THEChrisKessell
. A tireless advocate for grassroots soccer, Chris puts his money where his mouth is everyday, sacrificing time and energy for the soccer-playing kids of his area. We salute Chris Kessell today.
We've already reached out to the league for information, but it's hard not to shake one's head and sigh. Why can't we stop all the league formation and instead build a functional pyramid? The answer? US Soccer.
New U.S. Soccer League being unveiled in Newark, N.J. this Friday (June 21st). Not much known. Have confirmed this league will be applying for provisional pro status from
#USSF
and goal is to be recognized as a "national league," like
#NPSL
&
#USL2
, for
#USOC
.
Massive shout out to
@NISALeague
,
@beINSPORTSUSA
, all the clubs, the home staff at
@DetroitCityFC
, and all the remote supporters who made this NISA playoff a tremendous success. We’re excited to see what comes next for NISA!
We sat down with
@WPSL
President Sean Jones to discuss the state of the league, the idea of a women’s Open Cup and what the future holds for lower division soccer. He was candid, funny, and a breath of fresh air.
After a week of feverish fan voting, we have a new Protagonist Soccer Club of the Year. Congratulations to Tulsa Athletic (
@TTownSoccer
) on an award-winning 2023.
We sat down with
@NISALeague
commissioner John Prutch to discuss the state of the league. It's a wide-ranging, extended conversation that touches all the bases.
This week we have content covering multiple lower leagues from across this country. Give us a chance, find a new club, support lower league soccer journalism.
“It’s a second division. It’s not even close.”
Houston Dynamo coach Ben Olsen got spicy talking about USL Championship vs. MLS after the Open Cup loss to Detroit City.
(🎥 Dynamo YT)
We salute the great run of
@SoccerSoldiers
in the Open Cup. Classy, committed, and a model of great amateur play. Well done, Coach Godoy. You earned some fans.
While a very public battle is being waged in social media, new information has revealed the reasons for the chaotic relationship between
@nafcnyc
and
@NISALeague
.
Less than 6 months of existing, 1,400 followers. The entire field of lower league journalism is shifting. We're glad to be doing our part, thank you for doing yours.
With news of MLS expanding into tier three, we take a look at what that means for lower league soccer in the United States and why leagues must respond NOW.
Our second nominee for Protagonist Soccer 2019 Club of the Year is
@oaklandrootssc
. While Oakland struggled on the field, their rollout was one of the cleanest and most authentic American soccer has ever seen.
We’re a soccer site. However, as a staff, are united in our opposition to the Supreme Court’s recent rulings on gun control and women’s health matters. This radical court is a shame to the nation.
Our newest Vital Vintage kit commemorates the 1932 National Amateur Cup Champions: Cleveland Shamrocks SC. Designed by
@IcarusFCphl
, this spectacular throwback design is an absolute beauty. Get yours ordered now!
A sure-fire way to ruffles some feathers early in the holiday week is to release a ranked list of kits from around our favorite leagues - here’s your Top 21 Tops of 2021
#protagonist
#kitnerd
Peeps, we have so many NPSL stories in the works right now, you have no idea. Plus a dash of NISA, some UPSL, and maybe a regional club or two. Get ready.
Just going to say it - New MLS kits are trash.
So generic and boring. And everyone saying nice things about them...hard to understand.
Grassroots kit game is 🔥.
One of the best run organizations in
@USLLeagueTwo
,
@mplscitysc
, is launching a NIL program, funded through merchandise sales, to pay its players. It's a unique structure that will pay financial dividends to Minnesota's amateur soccer players.
▪️Did you know, we’ve run 175 Under the Lights articles in nearly 4 years?
▪️We do our best to cover EVERY US-based league except MLS, NWSL & NCAA.
▪️If you have NOT seen your club run, reach out!
contact
@protagonistsoccer
.com
We're thrilled to announce a new section of our website, dedicated to the 2021
@NISALeague
Independent Cup. Simply click the large banner featured on our homepage for the best coverage of this year's Independent Cup!
As a public service announcement to all the clubs we cover or might cover in the future, have working contact information on your website or a functional twitter account. Free press is hard to come by at this level, making it harder only makes us look elsewhere.
Hey! Hey YOU! If you..
1. Like stickers and
2. Never ever won from us before..
3. Follow, Like, & RT
The First 20 in the next 90 minutes win a FREE sticker pack!
Ready… GO!
We’re pleased to release our newest short webcomic on a legend of the early American game, Gil Heron. His story inspired us and we partnered with
@RaptorJules
to create Protagonist
#2
: The Black Arrow.
If you're a fan of
@NISALeague
we've got a great podcast recommendation for you. Today's Sight Lines features Commissioner John Prutch discussing all things NISA. Well worth your time!
▪️Detroit City has risen from the amateur ranks to USL Championship, rising like smoke from the stands of Keyworth.
▪️Dan Creel breaks down the history of the little club that continues to grow.
People often ask us what's the purpose of the 3rd, 4th, 5th divisions in American soccer. It's about players getting a chance to play. It's the Darwin Loms of the world. It gives places for talent to develop, not just locally, but from around the world.
We’ve noticed a steady decline in followers this week. Not a crazy amount, but 10-15. If that’s because you didn’t like our stance on BLM and the protests, good riddance.
After seeing a twitter post about
@NGSDetroit
tifo in Keyworth,
@SoccerBarista
got curious about who was responsible for all those
@DetroitCityFC
banners at
@NISALeague
matches. That's when he got introduced to the Mayor of Tifotown.
Hi, if you play in Division 3 soccer in any of the leagues, NISA, MLSNP, League 1, will you privately tell us what you make a month?
We won't out anyone and it's only to level set some understanding on our part. Our DMs are open.
Hey
@NISALeague
clubs. Having a Zoom call after each match where your coach and players are available for interviews would be amazing. Can you make this happen?
Are you a lower league team with a badass logo? No money for stickers or merch? Shoot us a DM, we’ll make some merch and split it with you. We want to promote your club. Thanks to
@BangarangBDSL
for sharing their sick logo and landing some sweet stickers on us.
Tonight's win by
@DetroitCityFC
clinched the Fall Season
@NISALeague
crown. But Dan Vaughn digs into the other story from the evening - a story of accountability, fandom, and the future of an independent league.
“Born out of necessity, the NISA Independent Cup has so much going for it now. But, its biggest impact might be the potential for what it could be or what could grow out of it.”
@dancreel
writes about the Independent Cup and its return in 2021.
It’s humbling to see so many people grinding in soccer media who work part- and full-time jobs, have spouses or partners, some with kids, some with disabilities, but are still willing to donate their time for the love of the game. We’re proud and thankful for your sacrifice.
🏆 The US Open Cup, Round One pops off this week and could prove to be a rather interesting beginning to The Cup, with professional sides and amateur teams clashing much earlier than usual - check out a few of the fixtures our contributors say you can’t miss!
One of the brightest brands in
@NPSLSoccer
is
@mplscitysc
. Their clubs has shown strength on the field to match their brilliant approach to managing their business. Today they are opening the books on their year, offering the facts and the thought process.