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<\/p>\nThe 2026 FIFA World Cup may be coming to an end, but soccer is just getting started in Cape Coral.<\/p>\n
The reason: Cape Coral City FC, a new semi-professional soccer club, that has begun preparing for its inaugural season in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL). The team will field a roster of roughly 30 players when it begins play in late August.<\/p>\n
Julian Nasser, one of the club\u2019s founders, has lived in Cape Coral for 25 years. He said the lack of a soccer club for adults was a motivating factor to start one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of clubs that work with kids but there are no clubs that focus on the young adults in this area,\u201d he said. \u201cYou never know what kind of impact we can make in their lives just by having this (club). They can actually come here, practice, come to the games and have something to look forward to. I think it\u2019s very important for the community to take pride in what’s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded in 2011, the UPSL is the largest pro-development league in the United States, featuring over 300 clubs nationwide. The league has two divisions \u2014 Division I and the Premiere Division \u2014 and clubs can move up or down among divisions depending on their on-field performances.<\/p>\n
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Provided by Julian Nassar\/Cape Coral City FC<\/p>\n
Cape Coral City FC crest.<\/p>\n
Cape Coral City FC will play its inaugural season in the Premiere Division in the Florida West Division, a division of clubs between the Tampa and Fort Myers areas. And while Cape Coral FC is a semi-professional club, Nasser said he wants to instill a club culture comparable to those of professional clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe talent is here, so we just have to make sure that we build the culture first,\u201d Nasser said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we need to work on right now, making sure that these guys know what it takes to play professionally and to act professionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club provides an opportunity for young soccer players with aspirations to play professionally.<\/p>\n
For players like David Alexander, the newly founded club represents an opportunity years in the making. The 21-year-old, born in Ethiopia and adopted by a family in Indiana, played on academy teams growing up, but stopped when he moved to Cape Coral at 15 due to the lack of a competitive club in the area. Now, he\u2019s one of the 30 players on the club\u2019s inaugural roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s amazing, not because I live here, but because this is the first season for most of us playing together,\u201d Alexander said. \u201cThe World Cup has been happening, so everybody\u2019s into soccer right now, and to see soccer here growing that much is amazing. I just can\u2019t wait to see what the future brings.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sport\u2019s recent popularity and opportunity to play are some of the reasons Brandon Harness brought his 17-year-old son to try out for the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a good opportunity for a lot of the kids who are not gonna do the college route or actually missed out on it from high school,\u201d Harness said. \u201cI hope it brings more recognition to the kids and the adults that are out here trying to make it to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brandi Herrey, the mother of a youth soccer player aged 15, shared similar views.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is very special,\u201d she said of the newly founded club. \u201cMy son\u2019s opportunities have just exploded because now he\u2019s not just confined to one club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Club officials said the club will play its first home matches at local high schools while working with the city to make the new Festival Park, which is expected to open this summer, its permanent home.<\/p>\n