The 2021 National Premier Soccer League season was the 19th season of the National Premier Soccer League and part of the 109th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer in the United States. The 2020 season was cancelled after five weeks of play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Miami FC, the defending league champions from 2019, left in the previous off-season and joined the National Independent Soccer Association and later the USL Championship.
The regular season started on May 1 and concluded on July 17. In total, 76 teams participated this season with a further 14 playing in conferences that decided not to participate in the summer season.
Format changes The 2021 season saw a number of changes with many in part due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Both the Northwest and Golden Gate Conference will not take part in traditional summer season. The NPSL later announced the Golden Gate teams would play a regular season schedule, but with it commencing in June and ending in August meaning none of the teams would be eligible for the postseason or U.S. Open Cup berths. Due to this, the South Region's Lone Star Conference joined the west for 2021 allowing two separate conferences to compete for the regional title.
The changes made ahead of last season, such as the renaming of the Northeast Region to the "East Region", the Southeast Conference's move to the East, and the renaming of the East Conference to the "Rust Belt Conference" all remained in effect. The Gulf Coast Conference, which was created ahead of 2020, will play its inaugural season in 2021.
Teams Note: Teams that are italicized previously played in the NPSL and are returning from hiatus.
Incoming teams Appalachian FC (Boone, NC) Arkansas Wolves FC (Little Rock, AR) Contra Costa FC (Concord/Walnut Creek, CA) Florida Roots Futbol Club (Panama City, FL) Georgia Storm Soccer Academy (Carrollton, GA) Irving FC (Irving, TX) Joy St. Louis Park (St. Louis Park, MN) Katy 1895 FC (Katy, TX) New York Shockers (Albany, NY) Oakland Stompers (Oakland, CA) OKC 1889 FC (Oklahoma City, OK) Panathinaikos Chicago (Chicago, IL) Reign FK (Bartlesville, OK) Sioux Falls Thunder FC (Sioux Falls, SD) Southern States SC (Hattiesburg, MS)
Departing teams Fort Wayne FC (Fort Wayne, IN)(joined USL League Two) Kalamazoo FC (Kalamazoo, MI)(joined USL League Two) Little Rock Rangers (Little Rock, AR)(joined USL League Two) Maryland Bobcats FC (Montgomery County, MD)(joined the National Independent Soccer Association) Project 51O (Oakland, CA)(joined USL League Two) Toledo Villa FC (Toledo, OH)(joined USL League Two)
Teams on hiatus Austin United FC (Austin, TX) Charlottesville Alliance FC (Charlottesville, VA) Inter Nashville FC (Nashville, TN)
Name changes Georgia Storm Soccer Academy to Georgia Storm East Bay FC Stompers to Oakland Stompers
Unknown status teams A.S. Los Angeles (Whittier, CA) Club Atletico Saint Louis (Saint Louis, MO) Club Xolos USA U-23 (Riverside, CA) High Desert Elite FC (Adelanto, CA) Muskegon Risers SC (Muskegon, MI) Nashville United (Nashville, TN) New York Athletic Club S.C. (Westchester County, NY) Oxnard Guerreros FC (Oxnard, CA) Ozark FC (Springdale, AR) Rhode Island Reds FC (Johnston, RI)
2021 Teams Note: Teams lined out are on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic but still listed on the league website.
West Region Division TeamGolden Gate Conference Academica SC Contra Costa FC El Farolito FC Davis Napa Valley 1839 FC Oakland Stompers Sacramento Gold FC Sonoma County SolNorthwest Conference Crossfire Redmond International Portland Select FC OSA Seattle FC PDX FC Spokane Shadow SC Tacoma StarsLone Star Conference Coyotes FC Denton Diablos FC FC Brownsville Fort Worth Vaqueros FC Irving FC Katy 1895 FC Laredo Heat SC Midland-Odessa Sockers FCSouthwest Conference ASC San Diego FC Arizona FC Golden State Las Vegas Legends FC Temecula FC Midwest Region Division TeamGreat Lakes Conference Carpathia FC FC Columbus FC Indiana Milwaukee Torrent Panathinaikos ChicagoNorth Conference Dakota Fusion FC Duluth FC Joy St. Louis Park LaCrosse Aris FC Med City FC Minneapolis City SC Sioux Falls Thunder FCRust Belt Conference Cleveland SC Erie Commodores FC FC Buffalo Pittsburgh Hotspurs Rochester Lancers Syracuse FC
South Region Division TeamGulf Coast Conference AFC Mobile Florida Roots Futbol Club Jacksonville Armada U-23 New Orleans Jesters Pensacola FC Port City FC Southern States SC Tallahassee SCHeartland Conference Arkansas Wolves FC Dallas City FC Demize NPSL OKC 1889 FC Reign FK Tulsa AthleticSunshine Conference Boca Raton FC Central Florida Panthers SC Miami Dutch Lions FC Miami United FC Naples United FC Storm FC East Region Division TeamKeystone Conference Atlantic City FC Electric City Shock SC FC Monmouth FC Motown First State FC Hershey FC Torch FC West Chester United SCMid-Atlantic Conference FC Baltimore Christos FC Frederick Northern Virginia United FC Philadelphia Lone Star FC Virginia Beach City FCNorth Atlantic Conference Boston City FC Greater Lowell Rough Diamonds Hartford City FC Kingston Stockade FC New York Shockers Valeo FCSoutheast Conference Appalachian FC Georgia Revolution FC Georgia Storm LSA Athletico Lanier Metro Louisville FC North Alabama SC
Standings and results
West Region
Lone Star Conference
Southwest Conference
Midwest Region
Great Lakes Conference
North Conference
Rust Belt Conference
South Region
Gulf Coast Conference
Heartland Conference
Sunshine Conference
East Region
Keystone Conference
Mid-Atlantic Conference
North Atlantic Conference
Southeast Conference
Playoffs Note: Games are hosted by the highest seed unless noted otherwise
West Region Conference playoffs
Lone Star Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
Southwest Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
South Region Conference playoffs
Gulf Coast Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
Heartland Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
Sunshine Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
East Region Conference playoffs
Keystone Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
Mid-Atlantic Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
North Atlantic Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
Southeast Conference playoffs
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
Regional and National playoffs
Bold = winner* = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
Regional Quarterfinals
Regional Semifinals
Regional Finals
National Semifinals
2021 NPSL National Championship
Championship MVP: Trevor Amann (DEN)
Return to Play Series In early 2021, the NPSL announced the "Return to Play Series" which was originally meant to act as a series of competitive matches ahead of the 2021 summer season between league members. However, following the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertain nature of west coast conferences the format was altered to act as a separate competition from the summer season. The eight members of the Golden Gate Conference were later announced as participants in the "Golden Gate Competition" with a round robin format scheduled over June and July.
Golden Gate Competition
Playoffs Note: Games are hosted by the highest seed unless noted otherwise
Bold = winner * = after extra time, ( ) = penalty shootout score
References
External links Official National Premier Soccer League website