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| Full name | Sunflower State Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020; 5 years ago (2020), as Sunflower State FC |
| Stadium | The Pembroke Hill School |
| Owners | Joey Lipoff Andrew Lentell Salvatore Sesti Charles Salazar Nick McDonald |
| Head Coaches | Men's Coach: Nick McDonald Women's Coach: Jose Ramos |
| League | USL2 WPSL |
| 2024 | Men's Heartland: 5th Women's Heartland: 4th |
| Website | https://www.sunflowerstatefc.com/ |
Sunflower State FC is a men's and women's semi-professional soccer team based inOverland Park, Kansas whose men's team competes in theUSL League Two as a member of the Great Plains Division and whose women's team competes in theWomen's Premier Soccer League as a member of the Heartland Division.
The club was originally founded inKansas City, Kansas in 2020 and competed in theUnited Premier Soccer League and theMajor Arena Soccer League 3. The club eventually merged with Ozark FC in 2022, taking its place in theNPSL.
The team colors are yellow, black, and white.
Originally the founding members began playing in Kansas City adult leagues as Queso Blanco. Over the first two years competing in the most competitive amateur adult leagues and tournaments in the area the club found substantial success, winning 10 first and second place trophies. Throughout the years interest in the team began to grow. This led to the development and transition to Sunflower State FC and beginning semi-pro competition in theMASL 3 andUPSL in 2020-2021.
The clubs first season saw them competing in the Midwest South conference in theUnited Premier Soccer League. They finished their season with a 3-2-3 record finishing in 3rd place with 11 points.
On January 10, 2022, the NPSL announced that Ozark FC had come to an agreement with Sunflower State FC to merge clubs, relocate toKansas City, Kansas, and keep the club name of Sunflower State FC.[1]
In early 2022 the club announced that it would be starting a women's team. The team was to be coach by Jose Ramos who had previously played with the men's team in theMajor Arena Soccer League 3. The club played their first season in the USL League 2.
In the club's debut season in the NPSL they moved their home field toRockhurst University and played in the Heartland Conference finishing the regular season with a 5-4-3 record finishing in 3rd place with 18 points and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in their history. They were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round losing 4-2 againstOKC 1889 FC.
On January 11, 2023 it was announced that Sunflower State FC's women's team would be joining theWomen's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) for the 2023 season.
For the men's 2023 season, Sunflower State was moved to the Gateway Conference. They finished their season with a record of 4-5-1 finishing in 3rd place with 13 points and missing out on the playoffs.
The women's debut season in the WPSL saw them competing in the Central Heartland Division. They finished the season with a record of 3-1-6 coming in 4th place with 10 points.
For the club's men's 2024 season they once again competed in the Gateway Conference. This season saw the beginning of the KC derby between Sunflower State and the KC Sol who had joined the conference for this season. Sunflower State finished the season with a record of 3-4-3 coming in 5th in their conference with 12 points and missing out on the playoffs by one position.
The women's 2024 season saw Sunflower State finish with a record of 4-3-3 coming in 4th place with 15 points.
On November 25, 2024 is was announced that the club's men's team would be joining theUSL League Two. The club will also be playing their home games atThe Pembroke Hill School.
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President | Joey Lipoff |
| Vice President | Salvatore Sesti, and Charles Salazar |
| Director of Marketing | Salvatore Sesti |
| Director of Finance | Charles Salazar |
| Director of Coaching/Head Coach | Nick McDonald |
Last updated: January 10, 2022
Source:NPSL
| Season | Domestic League | U.S. Open Cup | CONCACAF CL | Average Attendance | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Conference | Pos. | Playoffs | ||||
| 2017 | NPSL | 10 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 36 | 6 | Heartland Conference | 6th | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 50 |
| 2018 | NPSL | 10 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 1 | Heartland Conference | 6th | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 400 |
| 2019 | NPSL | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 24 | 12 | Heartland Conference | 4th | vs Tulsa | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 400 |
| 2022 | NPSL | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 20 | 18 | Heartland Conference | 3rd | vs OKC 1889 FC | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | 100 |
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Record (W–L–D) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2019 | 7:00 p.m. | Little Rock Rangers | War Memorial Stadium – Little Rock, Arkansas | L 1–3 | 0–1–0, 0 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| May 18, 2019 | 3:00 p.m. | Tulsa Athletic | Veteran's Park – Tulsa, Oklahoma | L 1–3 | 0–2–0, 0 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| May 25, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Demize NPSL | Cooper Sports Complex – Springfield, Missouri | D 1–1 | 0–2–1, 1 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 1, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Little Rock Rangers | Har-Ber High School – Little Rock, Arkansas | W 2–1 | 1–2–1, 4 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 8, 2019 | 6:00 p.m. | Club Atletico St. Louis | St. Louis University High School – St. Louis, Missouri | L 0–5 | 1–3–1, 4 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 15, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | FC Wichita | Har-Ber High School – Little Rock, Arkansas | D 1–1 | 1–3–2, 5 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 19, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Tulsa Athletic | Har-Ber High School – Little Rock, Arkansas | L 0–3 | 1–4–2, 5 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 22, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Demize NPSL | Har-Ber High School – Little Rock, Arkansas | D 0–0 | 1–4–3, 6 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 29, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | Club Atletico St. Louis | Har-Ber High School – Little Rock, Arkansas | W 7–0 | 2–4–3, 9 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| July 6, 2019 | 7:30 p.m. | FC Wichita | Stryker Soccer Complex – Wichita, Kansas | W 3–1 | 3–4–3, 12 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| July 10, 2019 | 5:30 p.m. | Tulsa Athletic | Veteran's Park – Tulsa, Oklahoma | L 2–6 | 3–5–3, 12 points | Playoff – Heartland Conference |
| May 12NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 1–3 | Little Rock Rangers | Little Rock, Arkansas |
Alex Buckley 60' | Report | Guadron 7' Benema 54'Watson 87' | Stadium:War Memorial |
| May 18NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 1–3 | Tulsa Athletic | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Matheus Ferreira 53' | Report | Diallo 32',56' Kazeem 78' | Stadium:Veteran's Park |
| May 25NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 1–1 | Demise NPSL | Springfield, Missouri |
| Jacob Zamarron 14' | Report | Hernandez 57' | Stadium:Cooper Sports Complex |
| June 1NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 2–1 | Little Rock Rangers | Springdale, Arkansas |
| Jacob Zamarron 80' Quinton Carey 90' | Report | Doyle 45' | Stadium:Har-Ber High School |
| June 8NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 0–5 | Club Atletico St. Louis | St. Louis, Missouri |
| 0 | Report | Lopez 2',35' Kante 62',79',89' | Stadium:St. Louis University High School |
| June 15NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 1–1 | FC Wichita | Springdale, Arkansas |
| Report | Own Goal 5' Arndt 75' | Stadium:Har-Ber High School |
| June 19NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 0–3 | Tulsa Athletic | Springdale, Arkansas |
| Report | Nzojyibwami 1' Garcia 14',44' | Stadium:Har-Ber High School |
| June 22NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 0–0 | Demize NPSL | Springdale, Arkansas |
| Report | Stadium:Har-Ber High School |
| June 29NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 7–0 | Club Atletico St. Louis | Springdale, Arkansas |
| Giovani Bejarano 4' Jacob Zamarron 50',61',87'Quinton Carey 68',78'Gonçalo Verissimo 81' | Report | Stadium:Har-Ber High School |
| July 6NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 3–1 | FC Wichita | Wichita, Kansas |
| Lalo Castro 7' Jacob Zamarron 85'Alex Buckley 90' | Report | Gomes 15' | Stadium:Stryker Soccer Complex |
| July 10Heartland Conference Semi-Final | Ozark FC | 2–6 | Tulsa Athletic | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Jacob Zamarron 80',90' | Report | Garcia 15',44' Habib 52'Ruiz 60'Riveros 89',90' | Stadium:Veteran's Park |
All times are Central Standard unless otherwise stated
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Record (W–L–D) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | FC Wichita | Trinity Stadium –Wichita, Kansas | L 0–5 | 0–1–0, 0 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| May 12, 2018 | 2:00 p.m. | Tulsa Athletic | Veteran's Park – Tulsa, Oklahoma | L 0–3 | 0–2–0, 0 points | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| May 19, 2018 | 6:00 p.m. | Saint Louis Club Atletico | St. Mary's High School –Saint Louis, Missouri | D 1–1 | 0–2–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| May 26, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Demize NPSL | Veteran's Park –Rogers, Arkansas | L 1–4 | 0–3–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 2, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | FC Wichita | Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium –Springdale, Arkansas | L 0–1 | 0–4–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 9, 2018 | 7:30 p.m. | Demize NPSL | Cooper Stadium –Springfield, Missouri | L 0–2 | 0–5–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 16, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Little Rock Rangers | War Memorial Stadium –Little Rock, Arkansas | L 1–2 | 0–6–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 23, 2018 | 6:00 p.m. | Little Rock Rangers | Har-Ber High School –Springdale, Arkansas | L 0–1 | 0–7–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| June 30, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Tulsa Athletic | Sugar Creek Soccer Park –Bella Vista, Arkansas | L 1–2 | 0–8–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| July 7, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. | Saint Louis Club Atletico | Veteran's Park –Rogers, Arkansas | L 1–2 | 0–9–1, 1 point | NPSL Heartland Conference |
| May 5NPSL Heartland Conference | FC Wichita | 5–0 | Ozark FC | Wichita, Kansas |
| 7:30 p.m. | Landaverde 22',39' Sosa 75'Robbins 79'Andoh 89' | NPSL Report | Stadium:Trinity Academy |
| May 12NPSL Heartland Conference | Tulsa Athletic | 3–0 | Ozark FC | Tulsa, Oklahoma |
| Joe Garcia 5' Damieon Thomas 40',49' | Report | Stadium:Veteran's Park |
| May 19NPSL Heartland Conference | Saint Louis Club Atletico | 1–1 | Ozark FC | Saint Louis, Missouri |
| Walsh 6' | Report | Castro 44' | Stadium:St. Mary's High School |
| May 26NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 1–4 | Demize NPSL | Rogers, Arkansas |
| Borges 7' | Report | Guelly 9',50' Rogers 31'Darko 72' | Stadium:Veterans Park |
| June 2NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 0–1 | FC Wichita | Springdale, Arkansas |
| Report | F. Tayou 68' | Stadium:Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium |
| June 9NPSL Heartland Conference | Demize NPSL | 2–0 | Ozark FC | Springfield, Missouri |
| Pedro Machado 15' Moore 41' | Report | Stadium:Cooper Stadium |
| June 16NPSL Heartland Conference | Little Rock Rangers | 2–1 | Ozark FC | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Gaudron 45',47' | Report | Gonzales 67' | Stadium:War Memorial Stadium |
| June 23NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 0–1 | Little Rock Rangers | Springdale, Arkansas |
| Report | Caba Cordova 68' | Stadium:Har-Ber High School |
| June 30NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 0–1 | Tulsa Athletic | Bella Vista, AR |
| Report | Ryan Alpers 9' | Stadium:Sugar Creek |
| July 7NPSL Heartland Conference | Ozark FC | 1–2 | St. Louis Club Atletico | Rogers, AR |
| Matheus Alves 30' | Report | Pandelis Popgeogiev 3' Eric Lopez 50' | Stadium:Veteran's Park |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Name | Position | From | University | Games Started | Games played | Minutes Played | Goals Scored | Caution | Send Off | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucas Almeida | D | São Paulo, Brazil | Sacred Heart | 5 | 5 | 450 | 1 | |||
| Matheus Alves | F | Salvador, Brazil | Sacred Heart | 6 | 7 | 511 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Leo Araujo | F | Springdale, AR | Neosho County Community College | 2 | 43 | Did not finish season | ||||
| Erol Banuelos | M | Rogers, AR | Rogers State University | 4 | 6 | 329 | ||||
| Guilherme Barbosa | M | São Paulo, Brazil | John Brown University | 5 | 7 | 462 | 1 | Heartland Conference All Conference Team Second XI South Region Conference Starting XI | ||
| Joel Barroso | GK | Springdale, AR | Crowder College | 1 | 2 | 135 | ||||
| Giovanni Bejarano | D | Medellin, Colombia | John Brown University | 3 | 3 | 250 | Injured | |||
| Hunter Brunson | GK | Baton Rouge, LA | 1 | 1 | 90 | Did not finish season | ||||
| Alex Buckley | D | Liverpool, England | Oklahoma City University | 6 | 6 | 540 | ||||
| Marco Cardona | F | Medellin, Colombia | John Brown University | |||||||
| Lalo (Jose) Castro | M | Bentonville, AR | Oral Roberts University | 4 | 6 | 451 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Jarrod Cooper | F | Owasso, OK | Rogers State University | 1 | 6 | 167 | 1 | |||
| Vitor Cositorto | M | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Neosho County Community College | 2 | 5 | 215 | ||||
| Alejandro Dominguez | M | San Jose Guayabal, El Salvador | Neosho County Community College | 2 | 2 | 152 | Did not finish season | |||
| Leonardo Gomes | F | Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil | Neosho County Community College | 6 | 8 | 518 | 1 | |||
| Amilcar Gonzalez | F | Springdale, AR | John Brown University | 9 | 9 | 729 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Orsy Gonzalez | D | Springdale, AR | Eastern Illinois University | Injured | ||||||
| Manuel Heredia | GK | Lima, Peru | Allianza Lima | 6 | 7 | 540 | ||||
| Adam Holt | GK | Tulsa, OK | John Brown University | 3 | 3 | 225 | ||||
| Shameus Jaegar | D | Springdale, AR | Huron University | 4 | 7 | 323 | 1 | |||
| Tucker Johnston | M | Ft. Smith, AR | Ouachita Baptist University | 1 | 3 | 133 | 1 | Injured | ||
| Daniel Marulanda | M | Medellin, Colombia | John Brown University | 3 | 5 | 237 | ||||
| Hazeley Pyle | D | St. John's, Antigua & Barbuda | John Brown University | 1 | 32 | Did not finish season | ||||
| Cobi Rivera | D | Rogers, AR | 2 | 2 | 128 | |||||
| Daniel Rivera | D | Rogers, AR | Eastern Oklahoma State College | 8 | 10 | 740 | ||||
| TJ Rodriguez | M | Ft. Smith, AR | Central Baptist College | 4 | 7 | 389 | ||||
| Vinicius Sanchez | D | São Paulo, Brazil | Oklahoma Wesleyan University | 7 | 9 | 701 | ||||
| Irvin Sosa | D | Fayetteville, AR | John Brown University | 2 | 3 | 200 | Did not finish season | |||
| Tre Thomas | M | Wichita, KS | Southwestern College | 2 | 5 | 247 | Did not finish season | |||
| Santiago Vanegas | D | Rionegro, Colombia | John Brown University | 10 | 10 | 900 | Heartland Conference All Conference Team Second XI |
| Baseball |
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