Olé, Olé, Olé! Semi-Pro Soccer Returns

The New Haven United Football Club kicked off its inaugural season in the Elm City Friday — with a Dixwell press conference celebrating the return of semi-pro soccer to town. 

That press conference took place at the art gallery NXTHVN at 169 Henry St. 

The team’s owner, Jason Price, is a co-founder of NXTHVN. Price spoke on Friday along with Mayor Justin Elicker and representatives from the team.

“These guys can play — for real,” Price said, gesturing to the crew alongside him. 

New Haven United, which is a semi-professional soccer club in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), features elite players from 14 different countries — including Jamaica, Spain, and Portugal. Many hail from Division I colleges. 

The team’s first game is an away game on Sunday, in Queens. Their first home game is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, against Hartford City Football Club. All home games will be played at Yale’s Reese Stadium at 75 Central Ave.

Players, staff, and reporters alike milled about at Friday’s press conference, enjoying pizza and ​“swag bags” among wall art. Footage of a recent ​“friendly match” played on two separate screens. Rain poured outside, though spirits were high. 

Elicker, who said he has played some soccer in his day, noted that the sport has little barrier to entry. ​“All you need is a ball to play,” he said. It’s one of the most ​“equitable.” That changes as players grow older and more skilled, and the sport becomes more ​“pay-to-play” — making it harder for talented players to compete. 

“It’s about New Haven, but it’s also about choosing people out there, that are at different universities around the nation, that have the skill and may not have had the exposure that they need to enter pro,” Elicker said.

Price echoed the aim of making soccer more equitable and said that the New Haven soccer franchise will host free camps and clinics for local girls and boys. He thanked Torrco, a wholesale distributor of HVAC supplies, for their sponsorship of jerseys for the team, as well as Bridgeport’s Generation Z Soccer for their partnership.

This isn’t the first time in recent years that New Haven has had a semi-pro soccer team. The city previously was home to the Elm City Express.

Why will the New Haven United Football Club succeed when Elm City Express ultimately folded? ​“I’m the financial backer,” Price said in response. ​“I promise to keep it alive.” Also, it’s a team effort. He said he knows that if something were to happen to him, a collaborator would step in. 

“The movement never died, just the name,” Price said about Elm City Express. ​“It’s not about us. It’s about the community.” 

Head Coach Kledis Capollari agreed. Having met Price during his days coaching the soccer team Hartford Athletic, he said that when he got the call from Price, he ​“jumped on it without asking any details.” He believes in their ​“energetic, young” team, which has a passion for contributing to the city. ​“That’s gonna be our primary goal: How can we help the city of New Haven become better than it is?”

Aleksei Armas, who hails from Long Island, NY, is one of the new soccer team’s players. He said that he moved into his New Haven apartment just two days before. 

He said he’s most excited to build a team culture. At 20 years old, he’s one of the older members of the team, which includes players as young as 16, 17. He wants to be a ​“role model.” And, most importantly, ​“I want to win.”

Armas will be going into his senior year of college in the fall, and he wants to go pro one day. His dad, one of his own role models, played for the Chicago Fire and US national team. ​“I’m very competitive in everything I do,” he said. 

“I’m a little nervous,” he said about the team’s first game on Sunday against Osner’s FC in Queens. ​“Nerves are good for game day.”

Another new team member, Renford Morgan, 21, is feeling ​“very confident” ahead of Sunday’s game. He’s from Jamaica and began playing soccer when he was 4 years old. ​“That’s all I really know how to do,” he laughed. 

Morgan said it’s hard to get this far in soccer in Jamaica. He moved to the U.S. four years ago. He used to play for Hartford Athletic and lived in Windsor until his move last week to New Haven. He’s most excited for the community, the culture they’re hoping to create, and the passion they all have.

Meanwhile, Assistant Coach Facundo Talín first came to Connecticut from his home country of Argentina when he received a full scholarship to play for Central Connecticut State University in 2005. He played internationally for 21 years in clubs in Romania, Argentina, Italy, Bolivia, and the US. He still plays professionally in Italy, but has finished his season.

Talín met Price four years ago when he was coaching his son in a local program, and Price encouraged him to come back to Connecticut. With his experience, he thinks he can help the players understand that anything is possible if you ​“work hard and trust yourself.”

“I’m so excited,” he said about the first game. He’s not nervous at all. ​“I love the adrenaline. I love it.”

The team urged New Haveners to support the team by coming out to games. Tickets for May 14’s home game can be bought here. They cost $9 for youth and $12 for adults. A season pass is $55.