Lansing Ignite FC
Lansing Ignite FC was a professional soccer team based in Lansing, Michigan, United States. The club began play in the newly-formed USL League One in 2019 and ceased operations following their inaugural season.
History
The formation of USL League One (originally announced as USL Division III) was first announced in April 2017, and league officials began touring the country looking for candidate cities for new soccer clubs. The city of Lansing was already home to Lansing United, an amateur soccer team in the National Premier Soccer League. In 2018, United moved from NPSL to the Premier Development League, another amateur league often considered the fourth tier of American soccer. The move was seen as a step towards establishing a professional team, as the PDL is managed by United Soccer Leagues, the same organization that manages League One as well as the second-tier United Soccer League.
In September 2018, the Lansing State Journal reported that the owners of the Lansing Lugnuts, a local minor league baseball team, had presented plans to Lansing City Council for a professional soccer team to play at Cooley Law School Stadium, also home to the Lugnuts. On October 8, the city council unanimously approved the plans, which are expected to cost the city $1 million over the course of a five-year contract. This also signaled the end of the Lansing United men's team, as United owner Jeremy Sampson became the new club's general manager; however, Lansing United Women would continue to operate as planned.
On October 25, 2018, USL League One officially announced Lansing Ignite FC as its ninth founding member team, to begin play in 2019. On November 14, 2018, Lansing Ignite FC announced Nate Miller as the inaugural head coach. On March 19, 2019, Lansing Ignite FC announced an affiliation agreement with Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.
Lansing played their first USL League One match on 30 March 2019, beating Richmond Kickers 3–2 at City Stadium, Richmond. Lansing finished their first season with a 12–6–10 record, good for second place in USL League One. They fell in the playoff semifinal to Greenville Triumph SC, 1–0. On October 14, 2019, midfielder Marshall Hollingsworth posted on Instagram that the Ignite would be folding and that all players had been released from their contracts. Team President Nick Grueser said that the team would not give an update on the team's future until after the conclusion of the League One final.
On October 21, 2019, it was officially announced by USL League One that, despite a successful first season performance-wise, the Ignite would not be returning for the 2020 season.
In 2020, Lansing Common FC, was formed as a supporter-owned team. They began play in 2021 as part of the Midwest Premier League.
Sponsorship
Players
First team roster
- As of match played March 30, 2019
Coaching staff
2019 season
Preseason friendlies
| February 27 | Indy Eleven | 1–2 | Lansing Ignite | Westfield, Indiana |
| 2:00 PM EST |
| Report |
| Stadium: Grand Park Indoor Arena Attendance: 300 |
| March 3 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 2–0 | Lansing Ignite | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 12:00 PM EST |
| Report | Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: Closed door |
| March 8 | Lansing Ignite | 7–0 | Davenport Panthers | Brighton, Michigan |
| 1:00 PM EST | Report | Stadium: Legacy Center Attendance: 200 |
| March 15 | Lansing Ignite | 3–0 | Western Michigan Broncos | Brighton, Michigan |
| 1:00 PM EST | Report | Stadium: Legacy Center Attendance: 418 |
Midseason friendlies
| April 16 Capital Cup | Lansing Ignite | 4–0 | Michigan State Spartans | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EST | Botello Faz 28'Saint-Duc 50'N'For 62'Bruce 88' | Report | Stanley  54'Pimlott 66' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 3,338 |
| September 24 | Lansing Ignite | v | Chicago Fire SC Reserves | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium |
| September 28 | Lansing Ignite | v | Livonia City FC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium | |||
| Note: Originally scheduled to play Grand Rapids FC. Change announced on September 4. | ||||
USL League One
Standings
Rules for classification: 1) total wins; 2) total goal differential; 3) total goals scored; 4) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 5) disciplinary points; 6) coin toss or drawing of lots
Results summary
Source: USL
Results by round
Results
| March 30 1 | Richmond Kickers | 2–3 | Lansing Ignite | Richmond, Virginia |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 5,936 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
| April 6 2 | Greenville Triumph SC | 2–1 | Lansing Ignite FC | Greenville, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Report |
| Stadium: Legacy Early College Attendance: 4,014 Referee: Jasmine Peralta |
| April 13 3 | Lansing Ignite | 3–1 | Richmond Kickers | Lansing, Michigan |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Report | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 3,369 Referee: Danielle Chesky |
| April 26 4 | Lansing Ignite | 0–2 | Toronto FC II | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stoneman 45+1' Moshobane 80' | Report | Petrasso11' Mohammed 24'Campbell 39'Okello 53'Ovalle 85' (pen.) | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 1,895 Referee: Nickrod Fateh |
| April 30 5 | FC Tucson | 2–0 | Lansing Ignite | Tucson, Arizona |
| 9:00 PM | Jambga27' Somersall 38'Spencer 49'Vega 57'62' | Report | Fricke 49' | Stadium: Kino North Stadium Attendance: 702 Referee: Karen Abt |
| May 4 6 | Richmond Kickers | 2–2 | Lansing Ignite | Richmond, Virginia |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Chin32' Shanosky 75'Jackson 90' | Report | Cerda 24' Stoneman 27'Lopez-Espin 58'Fricke 70' | Stadium: City Stadium Attendance: 2,947 Referee: Matt Franz |
| May 11 7 | Lansing Ignite | 1–1 | Greenville Triumph SC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Lopez-Espin76' | Report | Boland 36' Polak 58'Ward 68' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 1,725 Referee: Adam Kilpatrick |
| May 18 8 | Lansing Ignite | 2–2 | North Texas SC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Mentzigen54', 56' Bruce 65',  90+5'Saint-Duc 72'Stoneman 89' | Report | Tessmann 35' Jatta 51'Pepi 83'A. Rodríguez 87', 90+2'Almaguer 89' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,149 Referee: Calin Radosav |
| May 25 9 | Tormenta FC | 0–0 | Lansing Ignite | Statesboro, Georgia |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Miccaletto 42' Knutson 59' | Report | Cleveland 73' | Stadium: Eagle Field Attendance: 1,697 Referee: Joshua Encarnacion |
| June 1 10 | Forward Madison FC | 0–1 | Lansing Ignite | Madison, Wisconsin |
| 8:00 PM EDT | Banks 39' Núñez 90+7' | Report | Moon47' Stoneman 51'Cerda 80' | Stadium: Breese Stevens Field Attendance: 4,271 Referee: Brad Jensen |
| June 8 11 | Toronto FC II | 3–0 | Lansing Ignite | Toronto, Ontario |
| 4:00 PM EDT | Hundal29' Ovalle 48'Dorsey 66'Bunk-Andersen 80'Perruzza 90+1' | Report | Stadium: BMO Training Ground Referee: Myriam Marcotte |
| June 15 12 | Greenville Triumph SC | 1–1 | Lansing Ignite | Greenville, South Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Seiler66' | Report | Moon30' Saint-Duc 90+3' | Stadium: Legacy Early College Field Attendance: 2,715 Referee: Matthew Corrigan |
| June 19 13 | Lansing Ignite | 1–0 | Toronto FC II | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Saint-Duc 28',61' Bruce 87' | Report | Mingo 27' Srbely 89' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,287 Referee: Becky Pagan |
| June 22 14 | Lansing Ignite | 2–0 | Orlando City B | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Moshobane 28' Moon 51'Bruce 59'Coiffic 68' | Report | Bagrou 30' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 4,818 Referee: Chris Ruska |
| June 29 15 | North Texas SC | 3–1 | Lansing Ignite | Frisco, Texas |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Tessmann 43' Montgomery 57'Damus 59',73'Rodriguez 71' | Report | Moon 59' Cleveland 74'Faz 83' | Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 632 Referee: Marco Vega |
| July 6 16 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | 1–1 | Lansing Ignite | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Cisse 12' Walls 55' | Report | N'For25' Fricke 30'Coiffic 45'Moon 57' | Stadium: David Stanton Field Attendance: 1,766 Referee: Michael Smith |
| July 9 17 | Lansing Ignite | 3–2 | Forward Madison FC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | N'For17' Mentzigen 90+2', 90+3'Bruce 90+5' | Report | Smart32', 50' Bennett 63'Banks 90+4' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 1,871 Referee: Kevin Fikar |
| July 13 18 | Lansing Ignite | 2–2 | FC Tucson | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Moshobane26' (pen.),49' Williams 50' | Report | Howell34' Jones 52' (pen.)Hauswirth 73' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 4,348 Referee: Gabriele Giusti |
| July 19 19 | Toronto FC II | 3–3 | Lansing Ignite | Toronto, Ontario |
| 4:00 PM EDT | Perruzza35' Dorsey 38'Bunk-Andersen 78'Romeo 81', 84' | Report | Faz41' (pen.) Fricke 51'Gomez 54' | Stadium: BMO Training Ground Referee: Giancarlo Pavone |
| July 27 20 | Tormenta FC | 1–1 | Lansing Ignite | Statesboro, Georgia |
| 8:00 PM EDT | Knutson 16' Saint-Vil 21'Kadono 88'Micaletto 90'Morrell 90+3' | Report | Mentzingen12', 45+3' Coiffic 35'Stoneman 60'Carr 90+3' | Stadium: Eagle Field Attendance: 1,785 Referee: Nickrod Fateh |
| July 31 21 | Lansing Ignite | 2–0 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Moshobane32' Mentzigen 50'Faz 84' | Report | Kendall-Moullin 10' Pineda 45+1' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,215 Referee: José Lara |
| August 3 22 | Lansing Ignite | 3–0 | Orlando City B | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Moshobane8' N'For 14'Mentzingen 84' | Report | Tablante 37' Thiago 50'Amer 87' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 3,285 Referee: Carter Brochu |
| August 16 23 | Orlando City B | 1–2 | Lansing Ignite | Montverde, Florida |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Forbes 13' Tablante 42'Bagrou 71' | Report | Gomez22', 82' Coiffic 28'Mentzingen 54' | Stadium: Montverde Academy Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| August 22 24 | Lansing Ignite | 4–1 | North Texas SC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Faz8',69' Moon 31'N'For 50'Moshobane 71' | Report | Rayo 65' Rodriguez 76'Romero 86' (pen.) | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,757 Referee: Luis Arroyo |
| September 6 25 | FC Tucson | 0–5 | Lansing Ignite | Tucson, Arizona |
| 10:30 PM EDT | Wheeler-Omiunu 28' Venter 62'Batista 76' | Report | Moon 12' Faz 16',26'Moshobane 33',90+3'Williams 60' | Stadium: Kino North Stadium Attendance: 708 Referee: Omeed Azadpour |
| September 14 26 | Lansing Ignite | 4–3 | Chattanooga Red Wolves | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Mentzingen8' Moshobane 18',90'Moon 30', 79'Gomez 60'Carr 77' | Report | Zguro3', 60' Hurst 17',54'Amponsah 35'Beattie 43' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,994 Referee: Calin Radosav |
| September 21 27 | Lansing Ignite | 1–1 | Tormenta FC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Moon45+1' | Report | Dennis 19' Arslan 34'Rowe 67' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,489 Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| October 5 28 | Lansing Ignite | 0–1 | Forward Madison FC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 PM EDT | N'For 20' Fricke 59'Moshobane 73'Williams 87' | Report | Omsberg 31' Banks 43'Núñez 66'Paulo Jr. 68'Díaz 81'Leonard 90+4' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,412 Referee: José Lara |
USL League One Playoffs
| October 12 Semifinals | Lansing Ignite FC | 0–1 | Greenville Triumph SC | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 p.m. (EDT) | Coiffic 70' Cerda 74'Cleveland 87' | Report | Clowes 37' Mohamed 45+2'Polak 46'Bermudez 59'Gómez 79' | Stadium: Cooley Law School Stadium Attendance: 2,340 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
U.S. Open Cup
| May 8 1st Round | Lansing Ignite FC  | 2–1 | AFC Ann Arbor | Lansing, Michigan |
| 7:00 pm EDT | N'For29',72' | Report | Alexis 40',66' | Stadium: Lansing Catholic High School Attendance: 100 Referee: Nicole Green |
| Note: Kickoff time and venue changed from 7:00 p.m. at Cooley Law School Stadium due to inclement field conditions. | ||||
| May 15 2nd Round | Indy Eleven  | 1–0 | Lansing Ignite FC | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Newton 21' Enevoldsen 51',57'Watson 62'Walker 88'Kelly 90+2' | Report | Stoneman 62' | Stadium: Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl Attendance: 853 Referee: Adam Behrens |
Final roster
Final team roster
As of January 10, 2019.
Year-by-year
^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from league matches only.
Head coaches
- Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.