Chicago-based soccer club RWB Adria will have a new home in 2015. They will participate in the inaugural season of the Great Lakes Premier League, set to open play in May. The league made an official announcement today via Twitter unveiling the participating teams for the 2015 season.
Also joining RWB Adria in the league will be another Croatian club: Croatian Eagles, based out of Milwaukee. Rounding out the 'original five' in the GLPL are three Michigan teams, with Grand Rapids FC, Oakland United FC, and AFC Ann Arbor all in for the inaugural season.
We're excited to introduce you to our clubs in the coming days & look forward to a great inaugural season! #GLPL2015 pic.twitter.com/PrBTLsyPzL
— Great Lakes PL (@greatlakesPL) January 31, 2015
League meetings took place last weekend in Grand Rapids where league by-laws were presented and voted upon and participating teams were finalized. The Great Lakes Premier League was started by some of the founders of participating clubs, namely Grand Rapids FC’s Matt Roberts, who wanted to create a new league after GRFC’s application into the USSF fourth-tier National Premier Soccer League was denied.
RWB Adria has enjoyed success in Michigan in the past. In the opening round of the 2014 US Open Cup, RWB Adria traveled to Detroit to meet NPSL powerhouse Detroit City FC, grinding out a win after drawing at 2 after extra time (4-1 in penalty kicks). In the second round, they defeated longtime USL PDL side Michigan Bucks, 1-0, again after extra time on the road. So playing in Michigan? Not a huge deal to the Red, White and Blue.
RWB Adria will move from the National Soccer League of Chicago to the Great Lakes Premier League in the spring. Schedules for the upcoming season are still yet to be announced, but all teams will play each other in a home-and-home series.