DC Hyper Dominate Peak XI, Arkansas Wolves Fall to LA Force in NISA Pro Cup Matchday 1
The two Eastern clubs in the competition have talented players but mixed results in a tournament day that has positives and negatives for the state of NISA.
NISA returned to action for the first time in over a year on October 13, with their Pro Cup hosted at the Michigan Stars Soccer Complex a showcase of why the league should regain professional sanctioning in 2026 and become a restored 3rd division where clubs with big dreams, but not necessarily the same funds or facilities as USL or NEXT Pro teams, can join and help grow the game in the United States. There were a lot of positives in this effort to impress US Soccer, but negatives that reminded fans of the former NISA regime occasionally plagued the first 4 games of the group stage.
Let’s quickly break down the games themselves, focusing on the performances and results of two Southeast teams, Arkansas Wolves and DC Hyper.
Game 1: Modesto City FC 0-4 Northern Colorado Hailstorm
This is where the familiar problems of NISA made an appearance, a bad look for the first game of the tournament. At an odd 9:00am start time, California’s Modesto City arrived with only 9 players to face off against former USL1 side and Jäegermeister Cup champions Northern Colorado Hailstorm (who were initially set to host the tournament before losing access to the Future Legends Complex). After an initial strong effort from the undermanned Modesto side, NoCo scored four goals from exploiting space in the final third. Bamadele Esan opened the scoring with a brace, Travis Ward added the third, and Carlos Valenzuela’s 45th minute goal was the last of the game. The second half was not played, as after Modesto picked up a few injuries, the match was abandoned.
Although the broadcast said NISA would make a statement on the incident, they have not (another reminder of previous NISA failures). Modesto are still set to play Sin City FC today at 2:30pm EST.
Game 2: Arkansas Wolves 2-4 Los Angeles Force
The most entertaining game of the matchday quickly reminded viewers of the quality of soccer NISA could bring. Josue Cartagena opened up scoring for the Force in the first half after precisely placing a free kick off the inside of the right post. Another goal would not be scored until the 82nd minute, after multiple great saves from both goalkeepers and as the Wolves were applying pressure for an equalizer. A great passing sequence in the box saw the ball selflessly given up to Joel Quist to make it 2-0, and then Micheal Salazar was played in behind off a free kick to make it 3-0 four minutes later. Two minutes after that, Arkansas would get their first professional goal off a header from a corner by George Almeida, but Brian Ortega made it 4-1 for LA in the 91st minute, exploring a tired Wolves defense to ice the game. Arkansa’s best goal came in the 94th minute, where Daisuke Otsuka was played through after a long switch of play from the midfield to the right wing. He’d settle the ball comfortably and power a half-volley past the keeper.
If the Wolves had finished earlier chances, this game could have been much different, but it was the longtime NISA club that came away with all 3 points.
Game 3: Capo FC (3) 1-1 (2) Sin City FC
This game was a physical battle with not many key chances. Capo showed much improvement from their first NISA Pro side in 2024 and were rewarded with a penalty in the 37th minute, scored by Jonathan Estrada. Sin City would hang around until David Villanueva scored a penalty of their own in the 80th minute. Like the Leagues Cup or MLS NEXT Pro, this tournament goes straight to penalties to award an extra group stage point for the shootout victor; Capo was that winner 3-2 after multiple key saves.
Game 4: DC Hyper 2-0 Peak XI FC
DC were one of the most dominant teams in the entire tournament from matchday one, and were rewarded for their chance creation with an own goal off a corner in the 50th minute. Seventeen minutes later, a rapid ball driven across the box would be buried by the streaking Fabio Jr for the 2nd goal and insurance in the easy victory. A lot of credit should be given to the DC Hyper social media team, who was very active during and after the match promoting goals and the tournament overall. It was a contrast to the NISA account, who were sporadically active and only posted occasional highlights. While the standard for graphics on social media and TV production on the National Soccer Network is high and a good sign for wanting sanctioning back, other elements of tournament promotion were not up to par, disappointing when the level of play was solid and sometimes great!
The next matchday in the group stage starts today, with Arkansas Wolves facing off against DC Hyper in a Southeast matchup at 2:30pm EST. The LA Force matchup against Peak XI is currently underway.
Current Standings:
Group A -
DC Hyper: 3 Points (+2 GD, 0 GA)
LA Force: 3 Points (+2 GD, 2 GA)
Peak XI FC: 0 Points (-2 GD, 2 GA)
Arkansas Wolves: 0 Points (-2 GD, 4 GA)
Group B -
Northern Colorado Hailstorm: 3 Points (+4 GD, 0 GA)
Capo FC: 2 Points (0 GD, 1 GA)
Sin City FC: 1 Point (0 GD, 1 GA)
Modesto City FC: 0 Points (-4 GD, 4 GA)