Akron City Football Club is an American soccer club based in Akron, Ohio, United States.
Founded in 2021, the men's team plays in USL League Two, a pre-professional league that is part of the United Soccer League system. The team originally played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national semi-pro league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest Region. The team plays its home games at Green Street Stadium on the campus of St. VincentâÂÂSt. Mary High School in Akron. The team's colors are sky blue, red and white.
The club was launched on September 16, 2021, when seasoned sports business executive, Nick Turchan, fronted an ownership group to bring minor league soccer to Akron. While previous efforts by other ownership groups to establish a sustainable soccer club in the city had been unsuccessful, Turchan oversaw the formation of Akron City FC with a focus on long-term stability and community integration. The club was established with the goal of building a durable organization that would become a permanent part of AkronâÂÂs sports landscape.
Akron City FC joined the NPSL as an expansion franchise in 2021 and took part in its first competitive season in 2022. Kia Zolgharnain was named as the technical director and was responsible for player acquisition for the new team. Akron City played their first NPSL game on May 14, 2022. In front of 1,051 fans, the team secured a 2âÂÂ1 victory over Pittsburgh Hotspurs.
The team would not win again until its final game on July 15, 2022 against the Erie Commodores. Kia stepped down as head coach after three games for medical reasons and assistant coach Jay Stepp assumed head coaching duties for the reaming of the season. Cedric Tschami was elevated to top assistant. Despite the team's final record, four of their losses were by one goal and they played to four draws. One of those draws was against eventual Rust Belt champion and Midwest Region finalist Cleveland SC, avenging their two worst losses of the season. In that game, Akron City FC scored early and held a 1-0 lead for over 70 minutes before conceding the equalizer in the 86th minute.
Despite the results on the field, the 2022 season was a great building block for the future. The team drew over 1,000 fans twice and averaged 625 fans for the season, well above league averages. The team secured 19 sponsorships, proving the business community was on board with the cities newest sports asset.
In December 2024, Akron announced it was joining USL League Two for the 2025 season.
Akron City FC completed its inaugural USL League Two season with a record of 5 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses, finishing third in its division. Despite competing against more established clubs, the team posted a strong overall performance and remained in contention throughout the season, widely viewed as a successful debut campaign at the USL League Two level. The club also set a single-match attendance record, drawing more than 1,700 fans for a home match against Cleveland Force SC, reflecting growing community support and increased interest following the move to USL League Two.