Elm City Express Crowned Champs

Photos By Mark Smith/NPSL.com

Members of the Elm City Express revel in their victory after trouncing
Midland-Odessa (Tex.) FC, 5-0, in the NPSL championship match.

 NEW HAVEN–Without a minor league baseball or hockey team, New Haven has become a hotbed of minor league soccer. Case in point: the Elm City Express, New Haven’s entry in the National Premier Soccer League—professional soccer's equivalent of AAA baseball or AHL hockey—became the 2017 NPSL National Champions after trouncing Midland-Odessa (Tex.) FC, 5-0, before a jam-packed house at Reese Stadium at Yale University on Saturday night.

Elm City forward Tavoy “The Bull” Morgan and defender Quenton Swift tallied two goals apiece, while midfielder Daniel Oliveira also found the back of the Midland-Odessa net. Express midfielder Christian Hernandez finished with three assists.

“It’s massive for us,” said Elm City Express head coach and 2017 NPSL Coach of the Year Teddy Haley. “It started with the ownership group and the management group doing it the right way from the beginning, putting together a collection of players that bought into what we wanted to do and the vision of it.  The team worked really hard to get better every week and stay together, grow together.  We talked about going on a run and doing something special.”

The 3,112 fans in attendance represented the largest crowd for Elm City this season. 

Morgan’s two tallies came in the first half—the first in the 26th minute, and the second in the 45th minute. Smith’s scores came in the 76th and 90th minutes, while Oliveira came up big in the 80th minute of the match.   

Tavoy "The Bull" Morgan scored two first-half goals and was named
Mitre's Man of the Match in leading Elm City to the NPSL title.

Morgan was selected as Mitre Man of the Match after a vote from on-site media members. It was his fourth award of the season after winning Mitre Player of the Week (week of June 22), Third Team All-NPSL, and Northeast Region Best XI honors.

“It’s great to be around these amazing and talented guys,” said Morgan. “We push each other every day, on and off the field.  It’s a fun team.”

Despite the thumping, Midland-Odessa FC midfielder and captain Andrew Moullin was pleased with his team’s initial voyage in the NPSL.

“I’m super proud of the team. The coaching staff is unbelievable. It’s been an honor to be a captain of this team.”

The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is the largest organized men’s soccer league in the United States with 96 teams competing across the country in 2017. A direct derivative of the Men’s Premier Soccer League (MPSL), which was formed in 2002, the NPSL is a member league of the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and sanctioned by U.S. Soccer, the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States.

NPSL’s cooperative and turnkey ownership platform has led to its explosive growth, countless player development opportunities, and commitment to grow the game in the United States.  For more information about the NPSL, please visit npsl.com.

—Staff Reports