Dayton Dutch Lions is an American soccer team based in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. From 2011 to 2014, the team played in the USL Professional Division (USL Pro). The team plays its home games at the

Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium (DOC Stadium) is a 3,500 seat artificial turf stadium located in West Carrollton, Ohio, on the campus of West Carrollton High School. The Dayton Dutch Lions partnered with West Carrollton City Schools and Dr. Su ...

on the campus of

West Carrollton High School West Carrollton High School is a public high school in West Carrollton, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the West Carrollton City School District. Athletic teams are known as the "Pirates" and the school colors are red and blac ...

in nearby

West Carrollton, Ohio West Carrollton is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. A Suburb of Dayton. The population was 13,143 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Great Miami River runs through the town and forms ...

. The team's colors are orange, white and blue.

History

The club was started in the fall of 2009 and co-owned by

Erik Tammer Erik Tammer (born 29 June 1969) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the current co-owner of USL League Two club Dayton Dutch Lions. Playing career Tammer played youth football with VV de Meeuwen, DSO/Ultra ...

of Tammer Sportmanagement and Mike Mossel of Business and Sports Performance. Tammer is a former professional soccer player in the Netherlands who played for clubs such as

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...

and Sparta Rotterdam, while Mossel played in Europe for

RBC Roosendaal RBC, commonly known under its previous official name RBC Roosendaal, is a football club based in Roosendaal, Netherlands. RBC currently plays in the seventh-tier Tweede Klasse after a bankruptcy in 2011, restarting the club in tenth tier Vijfde ...

and

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgian municipality and city located in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. In 2021, Turnhout had a total population of 45,874. The total area is . The agglomeration, ho ...

, and in the USL for the

Cincinnati Riverhawks The Cincinnati Riverhawks were a professional soccer team that debuted in the USISL Premier Development League in 1997 and joined the A-League from 1998 to 2003. They played their games at Galbreath Field in Kings Mills, Ohio and later at the ...

following his graduation from

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati and Evanston (Cincinnati), Ohio. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier has an undergraduate enrollment of 4,860 stud ...

. The team played its first competitive game on May 8, 2010, a 3–3 tie with the Cincinnati Kings. The first goal in franchise history was scored by Eddie Hertsenberg. On July 8, 2010 the Lions announced that they would be self-promoting to the

USL Second Division The USL Second Division (commonly referred to as USL-2) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States, operated by United Soccer Leagues (USL). It was at the third tier of soccer in the United States, behind Major League Soccer (t ...

for the 2011 season, as well as adding a brand new women's team in the

USL W-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

. During the announcement team owner Mike Mossel said "The promotion to USL-2 and development of a W-League club was just a matter of time. To be the best, we must begin to play among the upper-echelon clubs. We want to set a standard, and I believe we have done that so far in the PDL in our first season. But more importantly, our decision was made with our Premier Academy in mind.". With the merger of the USL

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and Second Divisions to form

USL Pro The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

in 2011, the Dutch Lions were announced as a founding team. In 2012, the Lions reached the Quarterfinals of the 2012 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where they defeated the MLS

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

2–1 in the third round, then defeated the

Michigan Bucks Flint City Bucks is an American association football, soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The club was founded in 1995 as the Mi ...

in the fourth round in extra time. They were knocked out of the tournament in the quarterfinals by eventual champions Sporting Kansas City 3–0 in front of an away record 15,167 fans. In 2013, the Lions reached the USL Pro Playoffs for the first time with a record of 10 Wins, 7 Ties and 9 Losses. They lost to the Richmond Kickers 1–0 in the quarter-finals.

Gibson Bardsley Gibson Bardsley (born July 23, 1989) is an American soccer player. Career Youth and College Bardsley was born in San Clemente, California and attended Mount Si High School, and played four years of college soccer at Western Washington Univers ...

received Second Team All-League Honors with 9 goals and 7 assists. In 2014, the Lions partnered with West Carrollton City Schools and Dr. Suresh Gupta of the Dayton Outpatient Center to install a new playing surface in the West Carrollton High School Stadium as part of a 30-year deal. The original stadium was renamed to the Dayton Outpatient Center Stadium in recognition of the significant investment made by Dayton Outpatient Center. Renovations started on March 10, 2014, and were completed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 9, 2014. The Motz Group, a Cincinnati-based company that specializes in building playing fields, replaced the existing grass field with artificial turf at a cost of $450,000 to $475,000. The combined costs for the renovations to the stadium and installation of lights on practice fields are estimated at $529,000. The opening match at DOC Stadium, with the presence of 2-Time FIFA World Player of the Year

Ruud Gullit Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender, midfielder or forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all ...

, was a

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

professional soccer game on May 10, 2014 that saw the Dayton Dutch Lions tie the

LA Galaxy II LA Galaxy II is an American professional soccer team based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, United States founded in 2014. It is the reserve team of the LA Galaxy. The team competes in MLS Next Pro, the third tier of the United Sta ...

, 1–1. A home record attendance of 1,527 was announced. In 2018, the Lions had a record-setting season, matching its best record ever, winning the Great Lakes Division championship and earning qualification for the 2019 U.S. Open Cup.

Stadium

* Miami Valley South Stadium;

Bellbrook, Ohio Bellbrook is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,317 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It sits about 20.5 miles, ( 17km) south east from central Dayton. History Bellbrook ...

(2010–2012) * Beavercreek High School Stadium;

Beavercreek, Ohio Beavercreek is the largest city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the second-largest suburb of Dayton. The population was 46,549 at the 2020 census. It is part of Metro Dayton. The Beavercreek area was settled in the early 1800s. A ...

(2013–2014) *

;

(2014–present)

Club culture, kits, sponsors and supporters

International partnership

On January 17, 2011, the Dutch Lions signed a five-year contract with

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

champions,

FC Twente Football Club Twente () is a Dutch professional football club from the city of Enschede, sometimes known internationally as Twente Enschede. The club was formed in 1965 by the merger of 1926 Dutch champions Sportclub Enschede with Enschedese ...

, to foster development of players, academy teams, training practices, and possibly facilitate loans or transfers of players between the two teams.

Domestic partnership

Additional Dutch Lions clubs have been added over the years and partner with Dayton in branding, best practices and player considerations. In the 2011, the

Houston Dutch Lions Miami Dutch Lions FC is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Lions competes in National Premier Soccer League, as a member of the Sunshine Conference. The club was founded in Conroe, ...

were added (joined NPSL in 2016). In the 2014, the

Cincinnati Dutch Lions The Cincinnati Dutch Lions FC is an American amateur soccer club based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and playing home games in the suburb of Highland Heights, Kentucky. Founded in 2013, the team played in USL League Two. The club went into hiatus during ...

were added (joined the PDL). In 2015, the Florida Gulf Coast Dutch Lions were added. In 2016, the New York Dutch Lions were added. On December 19, 2013, the

of Major League Soccer announced an affiliation with the Dutch Lions which would begin with the 2014 season. The affiliation meant the opportunity for loans between the two which aim ultimately to improve the quality of play at both clubs. After the Crew's 2014 opener against

D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. Domestically, the club has won four MLS Cups (league championships), four Supp ...

, the Club announced it was sending 5 of its players on loan to the Dutch Lions for the season, including 2013 draft pick, forward Ryan Finley.

Youth Partnerships

The Dutch Lions Group's brand statement is "Gateway to Professional Soccer" and the purported goal of the Dutch Lions' program is to develop youth and amateur players into professional players. The Dutch Lions FC's holding company, Dutch Lions Group USA LLC, maintains a youth academy in connection with the Dutch Lions. The Ohio-based youth academy previously reported membership numbers as high as 200 players. The youth academy partners with the Ohio Galaxies FC to develop youth talent.

Kit maker / jersey sponsors

*2010: Jems Sportswear Inc. . . . .Primary Sponsor ~ Scout for All. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Back - Coolidge Wall Co, L.P.A. & Sleeve - Courtyard Marriott & Dayton Outpatient Center) *2011:

Under Armour Under Armour, Inc. is an American sports equipment company that manufactures footwear, sports and casual apparel. Under Armour's global headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland, with additional offices located in Amsterdam (European head ...

. . . . . . . . . . Primary Sponsor ~ Scout for All. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Back - Coolidge Wall Co, L.P.A. & Sleeve - Courtyard Marriott & Dayton Outpatient Center) *2012:

Umbro Umbro is an English sports equipment manufacturer founded in 1924 in Wilmslow, Cheshire and based in Manchester. They specialise in football and rugby sportswear featuring their ''Double Diamond'' logo. Umbro products are marketed in over 10 ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Primary Sponsor ~ Scout for All. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Back - Coolidge Wall Co, L.P.A. & Sleeve - Crowne Plaza & I Love Stroop Waffles) *2013: LA One. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Primary Sponsor ~

Dayton Outpatient Center Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

. . . . . . .(Back - Coolidge Wall Co, L.P.A. & Sleeve - Crowne Plaza & Mike-sell's) *2014:

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Primary Sponsor ~ Kettering Health Network . . . . . . .(Back - Coolidge Wall Co, L.P.A. & Sleeve - Crowne Plaza & Mike-sell's) *2015:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Primary Sponsor ~ Kettering Health Network . . . . . . .(Back - Coolidge Wall Co, L.P.A. & Sleeve - Crowne Plaza & Mike-sell's) *2016:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Primary Sponsor ~

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Back - ALT Architecture Inc. & Sleeve - Piada & Mike-sell's) *2017:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Primary Sponsor ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Back - ALT Architecture Inc. & Sleeve - Piada & Mike-sell's) *2018:

Geco Sportswear Inc. The General Engineering Company of Ontario (GECO, pronounced: "Gee-ko") was a munitions plant located in Scarborough, Toronto, and owned by the Government of Canada. Between July 1941 to July 1945, GECO filled more than 256 million units of ammun ...

. . . .Primary Sponsor ~

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Sleeve - Dayton Outpatient Center)

Supporters group

The main supporters of the Dutch Lions are the ''Oranje Legion''.

Owners, staff and players

Ownership

* Majority Owner - Dr. Suresh Gupta (2013) * Minority Owner - 5 River Investments (2012) * Minority Owner - Dutch Lions Capital Group (2009)

Soccer staff

* USL2 Head Coach - Sid van Druenen * Assistant Coach - TBA * WPSL Head Coach - TBA * Assistant Coach - TBA

Head coaches

Sonny Silooy Jan Jacobus "Sonny" Silooy (born 31 August 1963) is a Dutch former professional footballer and football manager. His last team as a manager was United Arab Emirates club Al Shabab under 19. His most successful time as a player was in his period ...

(2010) * Ivar van Dinteren (2011–2012) * Patrick Bal (2013) * Sid van Druenen (2013–2014) * Matt Weston (2014) * Patrick Bal (2015) * Sid van Druenen (2016) * Marcus Rixon (2017) * Dan Griest (2018–2020) * Sid van Druenen (2021) * Hans Pascoal (2022-)

Current roster

Notable Former Professional, Amateur and Academy Players

* Amass Amankona selected as the #46 pick (Round 3, Pick 5) at the

2016 MLS SuperDraft The 2016 MLS SuperDraft was the seventeenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The 2016 convention was held in B ...

Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake, often shortened to RSL, is an American professional soccer franchise based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes as a member club of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the Western Conference. RSL began play in 2 ...

; signed in 2018 by

Indy Eleven Indy Eleven is an American professional soccer team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 2013, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2014, before moving to the United Soccer League in 2018. The franchise plays it ...

USL PRO The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

team. *

Rose Lavelle Rosemary Kathleen Lavelle (born May 14, 1995) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), and for the United States national team. Lavelle represented the Unite ...

selected as the #1 pick (Round 1, Pick 1) at the 2017 NWSL College Draft by the

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women's ...

; signed in 2017 by the Breakers. Currently with

Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit is an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area that participates in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the W-League and cont ...

. * Stefan Cleveland selected as the #26 pick (Round 2, Pick 4) at the

2017 MLS SuperDraft The 2017 MLS SuperDraft was the eighteenth SuperDraft conducted by Major League Soccer. The SuperDraft is held each year in conjunction with the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. The first two rounds of the 2017 Su ...

by Chicago Fire; signed in 2017 by the Fire. * Chris Froschauer selected as the #43 pick (Round 3, Pick 2) at the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

; signed in 2017 by the Rapids. * Emillie Fillion signed in 2013 by

in the BeNe League in the Netherlands winning the championship; signed 2014 by

MSV Duisburg (women) Meidericher Spielverein 02 e. V. Duisburg, commonly known as MSV Duisburg, is a German women's football club based in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of German women's football. History The women ...

in the

Frauen Bundesliga The Frauen-Bundesliga (German for ''Women's Federal League''), currently known as the FLYERALARM Frauen-Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of league competition for women's association football in Germany. In 1990 the German Foo ...

in Germany. * Brittany Persaud signed in 2012 by ADO Den Haag in the BeNe League in the Netherlands ; signed 2013 by Alkmaar in the same league in the Netherlands . *

George Davis IV George Davis IV (born August 5, 1987) is the Director of the LouCity & Racing Foundation and an American former soccer player who previously played for Louisville City FC in the USL Championship. Early life Personal Davis was born in Dayton, Ohio ...

signed in 2011 by Dayton Dutch Lions; played

for

Los Angeles Blues Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship. The team plays its home games ...

, Orlando City SC, Richmond Kickers and currently with

Louisville City FC Louisville City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in Louisville, Kentucky. The team plays in the USL Championship, known through the 2018 season as the United Soccer League (USL), which is currently the second tier of th ...

. * Kyle Segebart signed in 2011 by Dayton Dutch Lions; signed in 2012 by

Team Wellington Team Wellington Football Club was a New Zealand semi-professional football club based in the suburb of Miramar in Wellington, New Zealand. They competed in the ISPS Handa Premiership. Team Wellington had traditionally been one of the most succe ...

in the ASB Premiership in New Zealand. * Julius Willie signed in 2011 by

AGOVV Apeldoorn AGOVV () is a Dutch association football club based in Apeldoorn. It was established on 25 February 1913. The club played in professional football from 1954 to 1971 and from 2003 to 2013. AGOVV's male first squad plays in 2022–23 in the Tweede ...

in the

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as t ...

in the Netherlands; signed 2011-12 by Dayton Dutch Lions. * Evan Schwartz signed in 2011 by Dayton Dutch Lions; signed by

Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur, commonly referred to as Víkingur or Víkingur Reykjavík (to distinguish them from Víkingur Ólafsvík) and internationally known as Vikingur F.C., is an Icelandic sports club based in the Fossvogur neighbourho ...

in the Úrvalsdeild in Iceland. * Bret Jones signed in 2011 by Dayton Dutch Lions. *

Eric Kissinger Eric Kissinger (born August 2, 1986 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American Soccer player who played for the Dayton Dutch Lions and Dayton Dynamo. He currently works as a teacher at The Miami Valley School. Playing Career Collegiate Kissi ...

signed in 2011 by Dayton Dutch Lions. *

Sébastien Thurière Sébastien Thurière (born January 6, 1990) is a Haitian footballer who last played as a midfielder for Penang in Malaysia Premier League. Early life Thurière was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. Prior to his professional career he played so ...

is a Haitian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played for the Dutch Lions in 2014. He last played for Penang in

Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League ( ms, Liga Premier) was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. The league replaced the former second-tier league, Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier Leag ...

Record

Overall (56-87-45)

*22-53-27 in USL PRO League Matches (0-1-0 Playoffs) *27-27-18 in USL PDL League Matches (0-1-0 Playoffs) * 7- 5 -0 in US OPEN CUP Matches

Year-by-year

Rank = Rank in the league; P = League Played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points; Playoffs = USL Pro Playoffs; Open Cup =

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

.
— = Did not Qualify; 1R = 1st round; 2R = 2nd round; 3R = 3rd round; 1/8 = Round of sixteen; CSF = Conference Semifinals; QF = Quarterfinals; SF = Semifinals; F = Final.

Top goal scorers in USL PRO

Top assists in USL PRO

Top appearances in USL Pro

Average attendance

Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html *2010: 1,274 (6th in PDL) *2011: 560 (USL Pro -only 9 games reported attendance, average taken from those) *2012: 716 (10th in USL Pro) *2013: 699 (USL Pro -only 10 of 14 games reported attendance, average taken from those) *2014: 533 (14th in USL Pro) *2015: 411 (PDL Great Lakes Division) *2016: 552 (PDL Great Lakes Division) *2017: 447 (PDL Great Lakes Division) *2018: 458 (PDL Great Lakes Division)

References

External links

*
USL League Two Page
{{Ohio Sports Association football clubs established in 2009 USL League Two teams Soccer clubs in Ohio 2009 establishments in Ohio Former USL Championship teams Sports in Dayton, Ohio Dutch Lions FC