Des Moines Menace
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| Full name | Des Moines Menace Soccer Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Menace, Red Army |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Stadium |
Valley Stadium West Des Moines, Iowa |
| Capacity | 8,000 |
| Owner | Kyle Krause |
| Head Coach | Mike Matkovich |
| League | Premier Development League |
| 2016 | 1st, Heartland Division Playoffs: Conference Finals |
| Website | Club home page |
Des Moines Menace is an American soccer team based in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1994, the team plays in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Heartland Division of the Central Conference.
The team plays its home games at Valley Stadium, in West Des Moines, Iowa, where they have played since 2008. The team's colors are red, white and black.
The club also maintain an academy structure of youth teams and a women's team that participates in the WPSL.
Des Moines Menace began their competitive life as an expansion team in the old United States Interregional Soccer League (USISL), playing in the Midwest Division. They finished their first season with a 5-13 record, in seventh place behind divisional champions Minnesota Thunder. They dropped down to the USISL Premier League in 1995, and finished third in the Central Division with a 10-8 record behind divisional champs and Iowa neighbors Sioux City Breeze, qualifying for the post-season playoffs in the process. They dispatched the Austin Lone Stars 3-2 in overtime in the divisional semi-final, and then overcame Sioux City 1-0 in the Divisional Final to progress to the national finals tournament. Menace lost the national semi final 3-1 to Florida outfit Cocoa Expos, and they then lost the third place playoff to San Francisco United All-Blacks, but it set the wheels in motion for one of American amateur soccer's most storied franchises; Aaron Leventhal led the attack, scoring 10 goals on the season, while goalkeeper Casey Mann posted an impressive 1.73 GAA rating.
The 1996 campaign was disappointing for Des Moines, finishing with a 7-7 record in the Southern Division, in 5th place behind Austin Lone Stars, and out of the playoffs in the first round following a 1-0 defeat to the Lone Stars. The USISL Premier League became the PDSL in 1997, and again Des Moines finished the Central Division campaign in 4th place behind Nebraskan champs Lincoln Brigade with a 6-1-9 record. The playoffs were slightly more successful, as they surprisingly dispatched Lincoln 4-0 in the divisional semi finals, and overcame the Omaha Flames 6-0 in the divisional finals, before falling to 3-0 to the Mid-Michigan Bucks in the national quarter finals.
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