Demize NPSL, formerly known as Joplin Demize, is an American amateur

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

, which began play in the fourth-tier

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

(NPSL) in May 2014. The team competes within the Heartland Conference in the NPSL's South Region and plays home games at Lake Country Soccer's Cooper Stadium. It formerly played in the now dissolved South Central Conference.

History

Joplin Demize was announced as an

expansion team on January 31, 2014. Ed and Alison Hershewe, who also own a Joplin-based law firm, were announced as owners while former NPSL & PDL player Chris Hanlon would serve as both head coach and Director of Soccer Operations. It was also announced that the team would play home games at the Joplin Athletic Complex. The team, a developmental extension of the Springfield Demize of the third-tier

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a men's professional soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It is organized by the United Soccer League (USL) as its premier league for men above USL League One. Operating under a f ...

league, is composed of local collegiate and other players from the Four State Area. To fill out the opening day roster, the Demize held open tryouts in March 2014. On March 9, 2017, the team re-branded as "Demize NPSL," and announced its intent to play games in Branson, Springfield, as well as Joplin. During the

2019 season Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

, the team finished its regular season third place in conference with its best record to date and qualified for the postseason for the first time in its history. In the Heartland Conference Semifinals, Demize won its first playoff game when it beat the Little Rock Rangers on penalty kicks after both teams played to a 1–1 draw. Demize then fell to

Tulsa Athletic Tulsa Athletic is an American soccer team and are based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. The 2023 NPSL National Champion, 2013 was their inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which is a national league at the fourth tie ...

, 2–0, in the Conference Final.

Stadia

*Hershewe Soccer Complex,

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper County, Missouri, Jasper and Newton County, Missouri, Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. J ...

(2014-2017) *Lake Country Soccer Cooper Stadium,

(2017–present) *

Joplin High School Joplin High School is a public high school located in Joplin, Missouri, United States, founded in 1885. The school serves students in grades 9 through 12 and is the only traditional high school in the Joplin School District. History In 1885, Jop ...

(2017) *Branson High School Pirate Stadium,

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountain ...

(2017-2018) *

Waynesville High School Waynesville High School is a public high school in Waynesville, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Wayne Local Schools district. The school colors are orange, black, and white. Athletics Waynesville's athletic program was a charter member ...

Waynesville, Missouri Waynesville is a city in and the county seat of Pulaski County, Missouri, United States. Its population was 5,406 at the 2020 census. Located in the Missouri Ozarks, it was once served by Route 66. History Waynesville was platted in 1839. The ...

(2018)

Year-by-year

References

External links

Demize NPSL official website
Association football clubs established in 2014 National Premier Soccer League teams Soccer clubs in Missouri Sports in Joplin, Missouri Sports in Springfield, Missouri 2014 establishments in Missouri {{Missouri-footyclub-stub