Oklahoma City FC (NPSL)

Soccer club

Oklahoma City FCFull name| Oklahoma City Football Club Premier

|

Founded| 2012; 12 years ago (2012)
Dissolved| 2014; 10 years ago (2014)
Stadium| Oklahoma City University Stars Field
Capacity| 5,000
Head Coach| Jimmy Hampton
League| National Premier Soccer League
2013| 3rd, Mid South
Playoffs: DNQ
Website| Club website

Home colors

Oklahoma City FC was a men's soccer team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Founded in 2013, the team played in the USL Premier Development League in their first year before shifting to the NPSL. The organization also runs the Oklahoma City FC women's team in the Women's Premier Soccer League and the proposed Oklahoma City FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The team folded in 2014.

## History[edit]

### USL Premier Development League[edit]

Oklahoma City was awarded a franchise team in the USL Premier Development League on February 14 (Valentine's Day), 2013.[1] The ownership group included OKC Pro Soccer LLC (established by Oklahoma City businessman Tim McLaughlin) and Sold Out Strategies (managed by Oklahoma City native Brad Lund).[2] This was where the team competed for one season in the Southern Conference as part of the Mid South Division. The team played their home games at Oklahoma City University's Stars Field. They finished 3rd in their division with an 8–4–2 record,[3] missing the playoffs in their inaugural and only PDL season. They missed out on a playoff spot by three points.[4]

### National Premier Soccer League[edit]

Following their one season in the USL Premier Development League, the team moved to the National Premier Soccer League and they competed in the South Central Conference of the South Region in the 2014 NPSL season.[5] The team played at Oklahoma City University Stars Field.

## Stadium[edit]

Amateur games in 2013 took place at Stars Field at Oklahoma City University.[6] It was announced that for the 2015 season professional games would be played at Yukon's Miller Stadium and Academy games will be played at Oklahoma City's Casady School.[7]

The club was exploring the possibility of building a riverfront 9,000–14,000 seat soccer-specific stadium in downtown Oklahoma City.[8]

## Seasons[edit]

Year  | Division  | League  | Regular Season  | Playoffs  | Open Cup

|
|
|
|
|

2013  | 4  | USL PDL  | 3rd, Mid South  | Did not qualify | Did not qualify
2014  | 4  | NPSL  | 2nd, South Central  | Conference Semifinal  | Did not qualify

## Players and staff[edit]

### Most recent squad[edit]

As of January 25, 2014 [9] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

0  | GK |  USA | Ray Clark
1  | GK |  USA | Bryan Byars
2  | DF |  USA | Tyler Ortlieb
3  | DF |  USA | Nathan Doll
4  | DF |  ENG | Danny Frid
5  | DF |  ENG | Scott Parkinson
6  | DF |  ENG | Chris Spendlove
7  | MF |  SCO | Niall Crick
8  | DF |  USA | Chris Taylor
9  | FW |  USA | Tommy Hubbard
10  | FW |  ENG | Adam Black
11  | FW |  GHA | Stephen Owusu
12  | DF |  ENG | Phil Pryor
-- | MF |  USA | Luis Lemus
13  | MF |  SCO | Danny Gibson
14  | MF |  NZL | Thomas Leabourn-Boss
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

|
|
|

15  | DF |  USA | Austin Place
16  | MF |  ENG | Kal Okot
17  | FW |  FRA | Nicolas Alberto
18  | MF |  USA | Troy Tippeconnic
19  | FW |  USA | James Gross
20  | MF |  USA | Matt Bray
21  | MF |  SCO | Liam Madden
22  | DF |  USA | Kevin Cabello
23  | FW |  KEN | David Otieno
24  | DF |  ENG | Andrew Webster
25  | FW |  ENG | Jake Cottage
-- | FW |  USA | Anthony Buchanan
26  | MF |  USA | Willy Deleon
27  | FW |  USA | Matthew Giudice II
28  | FW |  USA | Jaccob Rangel
29  | MF |  ENG | Adam Kay

### Team management[edit]

* Jimmy Hampton – Head Coach
* Toni Orsi – Assistant Coach
* Danny Gibson – Assistant Coach

## North American Soccer League[edit]

For the Oklahoma City North American Soccer League team that began play in 2016, see Rayo OKC.

Soccer club

Oklahoma City FCFounded| 2013

|

Dissolved| 2015
Stadium| Miller Stadium
Capacity| 6,000
Owner| Sold Out Strategies
League| North American Soccer League
Website| Club website

The ownership group of Oklahoma City FC, OKC Pro Soccer LLC and Sold Out Strategies, was also approved to field a professional team in the North American Soccer League (NASL) – Division II in the American soccer pyramid – beginning with the 2015 season. It was also to be called the Oklahoma City FC.

Oklahoma City FC initially intended to pursue a franchise in the United Soccer Leagues' Professional Division (USL Pro) in 2013. The USL, however, also received an expansion franchise bid from a competing group, managed by another Oklahoma City-based sports group, Prodigal, LLC. With Prodigal, LLC's impending bid before the Division III USL Pro, Oklahoma City FC instead concentrated on obtaining an expansion franchise in the Division II NASL in April 2013.[10][11] Oklahoma City FC's organizational plans met with some initial success on June 17, 2013, by obtaining the rights to lease Oklahoma City's Taft Stadium (a venue for which the Prodigal group also bid).[2]

The USL, however, considered Oklahoma City FC's attempt to start an NASL franchise to be a breach of its non-compete agreement with the USL's Premier Development League, and issued a cease and desist letter against Oklahoma City FC. Oklahoma City FC's owners subsequently filed a lawsuit against the USL on June 28, 2013, seeking a declaration that the non-compete clause is unenforceable. The litigation is currently pending.[when?]

USL Pro awarded its expansion franchise to the Prodigal group on July 2, 2013. Shortly thereafter, the NASL awarded an expansion franchise to Sold Out Strategies on July 25, 2013.[12] Sold Out Strategies announced on April 7, 2014, that its NASL team would be named Oklahoma City FC – the same as its affiliated amateur franchises – and unveiled a new team crest and kit.[13] Oklahoma City FC was slated to join the NASL in 2015,[10][11] which led the amateur team to also switch leagues to the National Premier Soccer League.

Prodigal announced its franchise branding as the Oklahoma City Energy in November 2013. This gave Oklahoma City two approved franchises for future play: USL Pro's Energy starting in 2014, and NASL's Oklahoma City FC starting in 2015.

In March 2014, one of the partners in Oklahoma City FC, Tim McLaughlin of OKC Pro Soccer LLC, bought a 50% ownership stake in the rival franchise.[14] Reportedly, McLaughlin controlled the lease rights to Taft Stadium, and the Energy therefore announced its intention to move to Taft Stadium for the 2015 season after its inaugural 2014 season at Bishop McGuinness High School's Pribil Stadium. Remaining owner Brad Lund of Sold Out Strategies indicated that this development "does not impact Oklahoma City FC’s or the NASL’s future in OKC."[14]

In an interview published on August 10, 2015, NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson told the Telegraph that the league had moved on from the Oklahoma City franchise.[15] On August 21, 2015, ESPN's Dermot Corrigan reported that La Liga, the first division in Spain, had given approval for one of their teams to purchase stock in Oklahoma City FC.[16] La Liga team Rayo Vallecano has expressed interest in purchasing majority stock in NASL Oklahoma City FC. On November 10, 2015, the NASL announced that a new club called Rayo OKC would begin play in the 2016 season.[17] The new team was majority-owned by Raúl Martín Presa, the owner of Rayo Vallecano then of La Liga, with a minority stake owned by Oklahoma native Sean Jones. Rayo OKC was managed by the former owners of Oklahoma City FC franchise, Sold Out Strategies. However, Rayo OKC would only last one season in the NASL.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". uslsoccer.com. February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
2. ^ a b Leonard, John (March 26, 2014). "NASL/USL PRO Battle for OKC Not Quite Finished". Reckless Challenge blog. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
3. ^ http://www.uslpdl.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2.66012:gp:937606.1857:72014+Elements/Display+E+46241+USL/+58151963+58149874 [dead link]
4. ^ Caban, Matt (July 22, 2013). "EXCLUSIVE: OKC NASL group planning to build riverfront 9K to 14K seat soccer-specific stadium". EastWord News.
5. ^ "NPSL Teams". .nationalpremiersoccerleague.com. March 2, 2014. Archived from the original on March 13, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
6. ^ Caban, Matt (July 20, 2013). "OKC FC men blitz Houston in PDL season finale". EastWord News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
7. ^ "Yukon says yes to hosting NASL in 2015".
8. ^ Caban, Matt (July 22, 2013). "OKC NASL group planning to build riverfront 9K to 14K seat soccer-specific stadium". Eastword News. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
9. ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". www.uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-30.
10. ^ a b Tramel, Berry (July 3, 2013). "OKC's Soccer War needs one winner". The Oklahoman. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
11. ^ a b Evans, Murray (September 4, 2013). "Ball Control". The Oklahoman. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
12. ^ "NASL Board of Governors Unanimously Approves Expansion To Jacksonville And Oklahoma City". North American Soccer League. July 25, 2013.
13. ^ "Oklahoma City FC Unveils New Brand". www.oklahomacityfc.com. Oklahoma City FC. April 7, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
14. ^ a b Brannick, Chris (March 25, 2014). "OKC businessman Tim McLaughlin joins Oklahoma City Energy FC as partner". The Oklahoman.
15. ^ Williams, Bob. "NASL commissioner Bill Peterson vows to 'take action' to introduce promotion and relegation in North America". Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
16. ^ "La Liga chief backs Rayo Vallecano NASL investment proposal – ESPN FC". ESPNFC.com. 21 August 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
17. ^ "NASL ANNOUNCES NEW CLUB IN OKLAHOMA CITY". NASL. November 10, 2015.

## External links[edit]

* NPSL Teams
* Official website

* v
* t
* e

National Premier Soccer League

East
Region|

| North Atlantic|

* Boston City FC
* Greater Lowell Rough Diamonds
* Hartford City FC
* Kingston Stockade FC
* New York Athletic Club S.C.
* Rhode Island Reds FC
* Valeo FC

|

Keystone|

* Atlantic City FC
* Electric City Shock SC
* Hershey FC
* FC Monmouth
* FC Motown
* Philadelphia Lone Star FC
* Torch FC
* West Chester United SC

Mid-Atlantic|

* FC Baltimore Christos
* Charlottesville Alliance FC
* First State FC
* FC Frederick
* Northern Virginia United FC
* Virginia Beach City FC

Southeast|

* Georgia Storm FC
* Georgia Revolution FC
* Inter Nashville FC
* LSA Athletico Lanier
* Metro Louisville FC
* Nashville United
* North Alabama SC

South
Region|

| Sunshine|

* Boca Raton FC
* Central Florida Panthers SC
* Miami Dutch Lions FC
* Miami United FC
* Naples United FC
* Storm FC

|

Gulf Coast|

* AFC Mobile
* Jacksonville Armada U-23
* New Orleans Jesters
* Pensacola FC
* Port City FC
* Tallahassee SC

Heartland|

* Club Atletico Saint Louis
* Dallas City FC
* Demize NPSL
* Little Rock Rangers
* Tulsa Athletic

Lone Star|

* Austin United FC
* FC Brownsville
* Coyotes FC
* Denton Diablos FC
* Fort Worth Vaqueros FC
* Laredo Heat SC
* Midland-Odessa Sockers FC

Midwest
Region|

| Rust Belt|

* Akron City FC
* FC Buffalo
* Cleveland SC
* Erie Commodores FC
* Pittsburgh Hotspurs

|

Great Lakes|

* Carpathia FC
* FC Columbus
* Fort Wayne FC
* F.C. Indiana
* Kalamazoo FC
* Muskegon Risers
* Toledo Villa FC

North|

* Dakota Fusion FC
* Duluth FC
* La Crosse Aris FC
* Med City FC
* FC Milwaukee Torrent
* Minneapolis City SC

West
Region|

| Northwest|

* Crossfire Redmond
* International Portland Select FC
* OSA Seattle FC
* Spokane SC Shadow
* Tacoma Stars

|

Golden Gate|

* Academica SC
* FC Davis
* El Farolito SC
* Napa Valley 1839 FC
* Project 510
* Sacramento Gold FC
* Sonoma County Sol

Southwest|

* FC Arizona
* A.S. Los Angeles
* ASC San Diego
* Club Xolos USA U-23
* FC Golden State
* High Desert Elite FC
* Las Vegas Legends
* Oxnard Guerreros FC
* Temecula FC

Other topics|

* NPSL Members Cup
* Historical membership
* Records and statistics

* v
* t
* e

Sports teams based in Oklahoma

Baseball|

PCL
Oklahoma City Baseball Club

Tulsa Drillers

Blackwell FlyCatchers

Basketball|

NBA
Oklahoma City Thunder
G League
Oklahoma City Blue
TBL
Enid Outlaws
Potawatomi Fire

Football|

IFL
Tulsa Oilers
WFA
Oklahoma City Lady Force
Oklahoma Rage

Hockey|

ECHL
Tulsa Oilers
NAHL
Oklahoma Warriors

Roller derby|

WFTDA
Twister City Roller Derby

Soccer|

USLC
OKC Energy FC
FC Tulsa
NPSL
Oklahoma City 1889 FC
Reign FK
Tulsa Athletic
WPSL
Tulsa SC
Oklahoma City FC

Softball|

WPF
Oklahoma City Spark
*[No.]: Number
*[Pos.]: Position
*[GK]: Goalkeeper
*[DF]: Defender
*[MF]: Midfielder
*[FW]: Forward
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template