San Diego 1904 FC

San Diego 1904 FC was an American professional soccer team based in San Diego, California.^[2] In December 2021, the team was absorbed by Albion San Diego, which effectively took over 1904's membership in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).^[3]

San Diego 1904 FC

Nickname(s)	1904 FC
Founded	2016
Dissolved	2021
Stadium	Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center Chula Vista, California[1]
Capacity	3,700
League	National Independent Soccer Association
Fall 2021	10th place
Website	http://1904fc.com
Home colors Away colors

History

The name 1904 was suggested by a fan, and refers to S and D, the nineteenth and fourth letters of the alphabet (also, the letters S and D resemble the numbers 9 and 0 in the club logo).^[4] Commenters on social media pointed out that the number could also be seen as a reference to a joke in the film Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (in which Burgundy falsely asserts that San Diego was "discovered by the Germans in 1904"), leading journalists to suggest that reference may have been intentional.^[5][6][7]

The club's founders include soccer players Demba Ba and Eden Hazard.^[8] The club intended to build a soccer stadium in Oceanside, approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of downtown San Diego.^[9]

The team was originally announced to make its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2018.^[10] However, due to the cancellation of the 2018 NASL season, the expansion team withdrew from the NASL and attempted to reach an agreement to join the United Soccer League in 2019.^[11][12] On June 7, 2018, it was revealed that 1904 FC's exclusive negotiating window had elapsed without agreement in place to join USL.^[13] On September 6, 2018, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA), a planned Division III league, confirmed that San Diego 1904 FC was the league's first member club.^[14] NISA has applied to the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) for sanctioning as a Division III league to start play in 2019.^[15] The club played at 70,561-seat capacity SDCCU Stadium for the Fall 2019 NISA season.^[16]

On August 29, 2019, Alexandre Gontran was announced as the club's first head coach.^[17]

In the spring, the team announced it would move to Lincoln High School within the city.^[18]

On July 28, 2020, the team announced it would go on hiatus for the Fall 2020 NISA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic and un-sustainability that would come from playing behind closed doors.^[19] On September 2, NISA and the team both confirmed it would be returning for the Spring 2021 season.^[20] This continued into 2021 when the team was announced as one of nine participating teams in both the Spring season and NISA Legends Cup tournament.^[21] On July 7, it was announced that 1904 FC had withdrawn from the 2021 NISA Independent Cup, with the league citing that the club had opted for a "different route to prepare for the fall season".^[22] In December 2021, the team announced it would be taken over by Albion San Diego.^[3]

Stadiums

• SDCCU Stadium; San Diego, California (2019)
• Lincoln High School; San Diego, California (2020)
• Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center; Chula Vista, California (2021)^[1]

Year-by-year

Season	League	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	Pts.	Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup	Top goalscorer		Manager
													Name	League
2019–20	NISA	Fall - West Coast[lower-alpha 1]	3rd	6	2	0	4	9	15	6	Did not qualify	Second round	Lorenzo Ramirez Jr.	3	Alexandre Gontran
		Spring[lower-alpha 2]	5th	2	0	2	0	2	2	2	Cancelled		Joseph Patrick Pérez Ozzie Ramos	1
2020–21		Fall	Did not play
		Spring	7th	8	2	1	5	8	17	7	Did not qualify	Cancelled	Cesar Romero Jr	2	Scott Morrison
2021		Fall	10th	18	2	3	13	17	37	9	Cancelled		Edward Benito	3

1. The Fall 2019 NISA season had eight teams split into two separate conferences, East Coast and West Coast
2. Spring season cancelled before completion^[23]

References

1. "Spring Season | National Independent Soccer Association". Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
2. Zeigler, Mark (October 18, 2017). "San Diego's NASL soccer team unveils name". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
3. Mark Zeigler (December 15, 2021). "San Diego pro men's soccer team 1904 FC merges with youth club Albion". www.sandiegouniontribune.com. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
4. "About 1904 FC". 1904 FC. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
5. Gartland, Dan (October 18, 2017). "Is San Diego's NASL Team Named for an Anchorman Reference?". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
6. "San Diego's NASL team name is NOT an 'Anchorman' reference, unless it is". FourFourTwo. October 18, 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
7. Hamblin, Abby (October 17, 2017). "Is San Diego's new soccer team's name an 'Anchorman' reference, or not?". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
8. "Founders". San Diego 1904. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
9. Ziegler, Mark (October 25, 2017). "New pro soccer team to build stadium in ..." San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
10. "NASL Announces Expansion Club in San Diego For 2018 Season". North American Soccer League. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
11. Zeigler, Mark (February 27, 2018). "San Diego's 1904 FC soccer team to join USL after NASL cancels season". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
12. "1904 FC Ownership Group Issues Official Statement on Tuesday". 1904 FC. February 27, 2018. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
13. "USL denies expansion application for San Diego pro soccer team 1904 FC". Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
14. Kivlehan, Chris (September 6, 2018). "NISA Tones Down Visionary Rhetoric As It Seeks USSF Sanctioning". Midfield Press. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
15. Kivlehan, Chris (September 4, 2018). "NISA Submits Application for Division III Pro League Sanctioning". Midfield Press. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
16. Zeigler, Mark (July 17, 2019). "San Diego soccer team 1904 FC is back, with new league and giant stadium". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
17. "1904 FC announces head coach". San Diego 1904. August 29, 2019. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
18. "1904 FC Announces Home Opener, NISA Spring Schedule". 1904 FC. January 28, 2020. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
19. Zeigler, Mark (July 28, 2020). "San Diego 1904 FC will skip fall soccer season". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
20. Trujillo, Héctor. "Regresará San Diego 1904 para la Temporada 2021". Noticias Locales, Policiacas, sobre México y el Mundo | El Sol de Tijuana | Baja California. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
21. "NISA Launches into Spring With Tournament in Chattanooga". www.nisaofficial.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
22. NISA Official [@NISALeague] (July 7, 2021). "NISA club SD 1904 FC is opting for a different route to prepare for the fall season and will not participate in the Independent Cup. The Southwest Region will consist of three teams in a round-robin format:Atletico Olympians (Ariz.),Cal United Strikers (NISA),FC Arizona (Ariz.)" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
23. Kennedy, Paul (April 28, 2020). "NISA cancels spring season, sets sights on August start to fall championship". www.socceramerica.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.

External links

• Official website