West Michigan Edge was an American

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 ...

team based in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Founded in 1995, the team played in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

(PDL), the fourth tier of the

American Soccer Pyramid The United States soccer league system is a series of professional and amateur association football, soccer leagues based, in whole or in part, in the United States. Although sometimes called the American soccer pyramid, teams and leagues are no ...

, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league. The team played its home games at

EK Stadium EK, Ek or ek may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Eastern Kentucky Railway (with reporting mark EK), now-defunct railway * Eastman Kodak (formerly with NYSE ticker symbol EK), US-based photography company, formerly * Ek Commando Knife Co ...

on the campus of

East Kentwood High School East Kentwood High School (EKHS) is a public high school located just outside the city of Kentwood, Michigan, United States. It is part of the Kentwood Public Schools district, working together with the Crossroads High School, an alternative ...

in nearby

Kentwood, Michigan Kentwood is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 54,304 as of the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the northwest by Grand Rapids and is the third most-populated municipality in the Grand Rapids metropolit ...

. The team's colors were red, white and blue. The club also fielded a team in the USL's

Super-20 League USL Youth, formerly known as the Super Y League, is a youth association football, soccer league with teams from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1999, the league is affiliated with United States Soccer Federation, U.S. Soccer and used ...

, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

umbrella.

History

The team played as Grand Rapids Explosion from 1995 to 1998, before changing names to West Michigan Explosion prior to the 1999 season, and adopting their final moniker in 2000.

Year-by-year

Head coaches

* Erwin van Elst (1995) * Tim Hendrickson (1996) * Aric Dershem (1997) * Mark "Moose" Noorzai (1997) * Carl Whitehouse (1998) *

Jamie Huff Jamie is a unisex name. Traditionally a masculine name, it can be diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names and is of Scottish English origin. It is also given as a name in its own right. Since the mid-20th century it has been used a ...

(1999–2000) * Joey Barone (2005–2006) * Mark Bell (2007) * Stephen Herdsman (2008)

Additional Coaches & Members

* Ben Pirmann (2007 - 2008).

Stadia

* Velting Field;

(1995) * no home games (1996) *

Calvin College Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reforme ...

; Grand Rapids, Michigan (1997–98) **

Holland Municipal Stadium Holland Municipal Stadium was a 5,322-seat American football stadium located in Holland, Michigan. Built in 1979, Hope College purchased Holland Municipal Stadium from the City of Holland in 2012 and renamed the facility, where the Flying Dutchme ...

;

Holland, Michigan Holland is a city in Ottawa County, Michigan, Ottawa and Allegan County, Michigan, Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the West Michigan, western region of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula, the city is si ...

1 game (1998) ** Lowell High School;

Lowell, Michigan Lowell is a city in Kent County of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,783 at the 2010 census. Lowell is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area and is about east of the city of Grand Rapids. The city is mostly surrounded by ...

1 game (1998) *

Cornerstone College Cornerstone College is an independent, Lutheran, co-educational, secondary, day school, located at Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills south-east of Adelaide, South Australia. The College is a non-selective school, currently catering for appro ...

; Grand Rapids, Michigan (1999) * East Grant Rapids Middle School;

East Grand Rapids, Michigan East Grand Rapids is a city in Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. , the population was 11,371. The city is part of the Grand Rapids metropolitan area, including Grand Rapids, Michigan, Grand Rapids ...

(2000) * Holland Municipal Stadium; Holland, Michigan (2004) * Stadium at

Forest Hills Central High School Forest Hills Central High School is located in Ada Township, Michigan, near Grand Rapids. It is one of three high schools in the Forest Hills Public Schools system. The district also includes Forest Hills Eastern High School and Forest Hills N ...

;

(2005–2007) ** Stadium at

Mona Shores High School Mona Shores High School is a public high school in Norton Shores, Michigan, United States. It serves grades 9-12 for Mona Shores Public Schools. History Mona Shores Public Schools was formed by merging five K-8 school districts into one K-12 dist ...

;

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

1 game (2005) ** Stadium at

Cornerstone University Cornerstone University is a private evangelical Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Cornerstone University has undergraduate and graduate programs, two seminaries ( Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and Asia Biblical T ...

;

4 games (2007) ** East Grand Rapids Memorial Field;

2 games (2007) ** Stadium at Crestwood Middle School;

1 game (2007) *

;

(2008)

Average Attendances

*2008: 125 *2007: 89 *2006: 298 *2005: 412

References

{{Reflist

External links

West Michigan Edge
Soccer clubs in Michigan Sports in Grand Rapids, Michigan USISL teams Defunct Premier Development League teams 1995 establishments in Michigan 2008 disestablishments in Michigan Association football clubs established in 1995 Association football clubs disestablished in 2008