Western Mass Pioneers, New England Mutiny kick off seasonsDate: 5/16/2023 LUDLOW — The Western Mass. Pioneers and New England Mutiny have both begun their seasons with hopes of having deep playoff runs.
Both teams call Lusitano Stadium home. The stadium, located at 400 Winsor St., is modeled after European stadiums to provide the ultimate soccer viewing experience, as spectators feel they are part of the action.
The Pioneers hosted a friendly against the KO Elites FC on May 12 and opened their regular season up on the road on May 16 with their home opener slated for Saturday, May 20.
The Mutiny’s home opener was on May 13 and their season will conclude on July 8.
Both teams are semi-professional; their rosters are filled with college players who are looking to improve their game and potentially play for their national team or professional league.
Operations Manager Brandon Smith added, “Outside of Vermont, we are the best attended team in [USL League 2]. There is a lot of buzz here coming to a game, so everyone please come out.”
According to General Manager Joe Ferrara, in terms of attendance, the Pioneers are top 10 and the Mutiny are No. 1.
The Pioneers were founded in 1997 and the team will be celebrating its 25 year anniversary at Lusitano Stadium.
Last season, the Pioneers went 11-3 including a 10-game winning streak at the end of the year that got them to the second round of the playoffs.
They lost 1-0 to Vermont Green FC in the conference semifinals.
The team is hoping to have a season like 2021, where they were the Northeast Division and Eastern Conference champions.
“Our goals every year are to qualify for the open cup, try and win the championship and try and make the playoffs,” Smith said.
Speaking to Reminder Publishing before the opener, team captain Nico Oberrauch said he was looking forward to getting the season started.
“I can’t wait for the season. We want to win the most games we can and raise our numbers from last year. The last two years we have been doing good and want to make the playoffs and work from there,” Oberrauch added.
This is Oberrauch’s third year with the league, which Smith added is rare.
“That’s rare in our league, too, because we are professional, mostly college players, so players come and go, so it is nice to have a returning player. [Oberrauch] really buys in to the coach’s philosophy and what we try to do here on the field.”
The Pioneers moved to the USL League 2 in 2010, which is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league system.
Smith added that a team-high two players were drafted to Major League Soccer last year from the Pioneers.
“We are a pre-professional league so we are doing our best to have a competitive and win games while also seeing our players improve,” he added.
The Pioneers’ schedule features 14 games, seven at Lusitano Stadium and seven on the road.
The top two teams from their division make the playoffs.
For the first time this year, tickets will also be available electronically for fans who want to purchase tickets beforehand.
Obberrauch added that playing in Ludlow is exciting.
“The environment at the games is really nice. The stadium is always filled with people passionate about the team,” he said.
For more information about the club or schedule, visit wmpioneers.com.
Ferrara is entering his third season as the general manager of the Western Mass. Pioneers and 24th season for the New England Mutiny.
The New England Mutiny was founded in 1999 and Ferrara said they are one of the most successful and storied franchises in the history of the sport of women’s soccer.
He added, “We are one of the longest pre-professional women’s team in the country and it has been a great experience with both teams.”
The Mutiny finished first in the New England Division last year with a record of 9-1.
They lost a heartbreaker in the East Conference semifinal by a score of 2-1 against FC Buffalo, giving up a goal in the 89th minute.
Ferrara said that the goal of the team is of course to win a championship because they are so close every year.
“It is just a matter of getting over the hump this season,” he added.
The team won the National Championship in 2000 as a member of the amateur women’s league, won the Eastern Conference championship in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2013 and reached the WPSL National Finals in 2004 and 2007.
The New England Mutiny are looking forward to this season and look to go further than last year.
Ferrara said, “The core of the roster is back, and we are excited. We are represented by nine Western Massachusetts towns, so the philosophy is much different. There is a lot of internationals on the men’s side. On the women’s side we are a bit more local but also have some players who play on their national teams.”
The Mutiny’s schedule features eight regular season games, four at home and four on the road.
The team became a founding member of United Women’s Soccer in 2016, which was a new national league created when the USL W-League and WPSL leagues folded.
After winning the title, the organization accepted promotion to the WPSL and rebranded itself from the Springfield Sirens to the New England Mutiny in 2002.
There were two historic moments that place the Mutiny on the national and international stage for women’s soccer.
In 2004, the Mutiny played the Women’s National Team of China in a World Cup preparation match, and nearly upset the fifth-ranked team in the world in front of 3,000 fans in Agawam.
The New England Mutiny also became the first and only minor league team in U.S. Soccer history to defeat a professional women’s soccer team when it defeated the Boston Breakers by a 2-1 score in 2012.
For more information and the schedule for the Mutiny, visit mutinysoccer.com.
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