Full name | St. Louis Lions Soccer Club |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Lions |
Founded | 2006 |
Stadium |
Tony Glavin Soccer Park Cottleville, Missouri |
Capacity | 6,200 |
Owner | Tony Glavin |
Head Coach | Tony Glavin |
League | Premier Development League |
2016 | 5th, Heartland Division Playoffs: DNQ |
Website | Club home page |
St. Louis Lions is an American soccer team based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 2006, 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 the Tony Glavin Soccer Complex in nearby Cottleville, Missouri, where they have played since 2006. The team's colors are green and white.
The Lions also field a team in the USL’s Super-20 League, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under the United Soccer Leagues umbrella.
In 2011 the Lions officially became a partner with Celtic Football Club, which will see Tony Glavin's youth academy of every age partnering with Celtic coaches to further their individual training as well as establishing connections with not only Celtic but further worldwide footballing organizations.
The St. Louis Lions entered the PDL in 2006 under the leadership of Scottish-born former professional Tony Glavin, who played for Queen's Park in Scotland in the 1980s and for the old St. Louis Steamers in the Major Indoor Soccer League. The first couple of games were difficult for the Lions, as they struggled to find their feet in the PDL. They lost their opening fixture 2-0 to Des Moines Menace, and despite a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Sioux Falls Spitfire, finished their first month in competition with just four points on the board. However, the 0-0 tie with Colorado Springs Blizzard on May 28 initiated an astonishing 12-game unbeaten streak which stretched to the end of the season. The Lions were rampant, tallying several impressive victories (3-0 over West Michigan Edge, 5-1 over Cleveland Internationals), and keeping their home at the Tony Glavin Complex a fortress. Despite this, the Lions just failed to make the playoffs, beaten into fourth place in the Heartland Division by their strong opponents -but nevertheless, 7 wins and 27 points in their debut season was a promising beginning for the franchise. Strikers Lawrence Olum and Tommy Heinemann were the top scorers with 17 goals between them.