The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. It is the successor of the Men's Premier Soccer League, a regional league originally based in the Western United States, which has now expanded nationwide to encompass teams from 29 states. The league's motto is "A National League with a Regional Focus".

History

The National Premier Soccer League began in 2003 as the Men's Premier Soccer League (MPSL) initially as an offshoot of the Women's Premier Soccer League, and marked the first instance of a women's soccer league spawning a men's league. The league's first two champions were the Arizona Sahuaros, who had defected to the MPSL from the USL D-3 Pro League, and the Utah Salt Ratz.

The league expanded into the Midwest in 2005 with the addition of several new teams and a new conference, and changed its name to National Premier Soccer League to reflect its new national footprint; a team from the expansion conference – Detroit Arsenal – won the league in its first year after its eastward expansion. The NPSL expanded further in 2007 with the addition of a new Northeast Conference and five new teams from the eastern United States. The first team from the East to win the national NPSL title was the Pennsylvania Stoners in 2008. The league has since continued to expand, adding more teams throughout the entirety of the country.

Since its inception, the league has managed to place at least one team actively playing under its banner into U.S. Open Cup competition. Though the showing of the NPSL in US Open Cup play was typically only one or two teams in its first six years, the 2009 and 2010 cups have seen four and three, respectively, NPSL teams in each tournament. The recent success of the NPSL in USASA qualifying has encouraged a movement by which the league could have automatic berths in the final tournament. The furthest a team from the NPSL has reached in the US Open Cup during the professional era (1997 and onward after the entry of MLS teams) has been the third round. However, the Brooklyn Italians have won the US Open Cup outright before the existence of either MLS or the NPSL.

Although no team has ever won the league twice, the Miami FC camp has won the championship twice as a club. Its reserve team (Miami FC 2) won the 2018 title, and its first team (Miami FC) won the 2019 championship.

Status

Officially the USSF does not recognize formal levels of the soccer pyramid below the professional 3rd tier. The USSF does not officially recognize distinctions between amateur soccer leagues in the United States. However, the USASA sanctions affiliated, but separately run, national leagues that are recognized in practical terms as playing at a higher level than the USASA state association leagues; for example, they receive automatic berths to the US Open Cup. In November 2022, USASA announced it had established a Tier 1, which would be its top national tier. This designation would be based on financial stability and sustainability. After 20 years of association with USASA, NPSL would become their first Tier 1 league.

The National Premier Soccer League attracts top amateur talent from around the United States. NPSL does not have any age limits or restrictions, thus incorporating both college players and former professional players alike.

美國 - NPSL 是一個美國足球聯賽的錦標賽,也被稱為美國國家足球聯賽。這個錦標賽是美國最高級別的業餘足球聯賽之一,吸引了來自全國各地的球隊參賽。該聯賽的目的是提供一個平台,讓業餘球隊能夠展示他們的技術和才華,並與其他球隊競爭。

美國 - NPSL 的比賽通常在夏季進行,並持續數個月。參賽球隊來自不同的城市和州,代表著他們所在地區的足球實力。這些球隊由各種不同的球員組成,包括年輕的有潛力的球員、業餘球員和一些有職業經驗的球員。

美國 - NPSL 的比賽場地遍布全國各地,包括大型體育場和小型足球場。觀眾可以在這些場地觀看比賽,並支持他們所喜愛的球隊。比賽的氛圍熱烈而激動人心,球迷們為自己的球隊加油打氣,並期待著看到精彩的進球和比賽。

美國 - NPSL 的錦標賽吸引了大量的足球愛好者和球迷,並為他們提供了一個欣賞高水平足球的機會。這個錦標賽也為年輕的球員提供了一個展示自己才華的平台,有可能被職業球隊發掘和招募。無論是球迷還是球員,參與美國 - NPSL 都是一個令人興奮和難忘的經歷。