The 2026 FIFA World Cup may have come to an end, but soccer is just getting started in Cape Coral.
The reason: Cape Coral City FC, a new semi-professional soccer club, that has begun preparing for its inaugural season in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL). The team will field a roster of roughly 30 players when it begins play in late August.
Julian Nasser, one of the club’s founders, has lived in Cape Coral for 25 years. He said the lack of a soccer club for adults was a motivating factor to start one.
“There’s a lot of clubs that work with kids but there are no clubs that focus on the young adults in this area,” he said. “You never know what kind of impact we can make in their lives just by having this (club). They can actually come here, practice, come to the games and have something to look forward to. I think it’s very important for the community to take pride in what's happening.”
Founded in 2011, the UPSL is the largest pro-development league in the United States, featuring over 300 clubs nationwide. The league has two divisions — Division I and the Premiere Division — and clubs can move up or down among divisions depending on their on-field performances.
Cape Coral City FC will play its inaugural season in the Premiere Division in the Florida West Division, a division of clubs between the Tampa and Fort Myers areas. And while Cape Coral FC is a semi-professional club, Nasser said he wants to instill a club culture comparable to those of professional clubs.
“The talent is here, so we just have to make sure that we build the culture first,” Nasser said. “That’s what we need to work on right now, making sure that these guys know what it takes to play professionally and to act professionally.”
The club provides an opportunity for young soccer players with aspirations to play professionally.
Players in Cape Coral City FC
For players like David Alexander, the newly founded club represents an opportunity years in the making. The 21-year-old, born in Ethiopia and adopted by a family in Indiana, played on academy teams growing up, but stopped when he moved to Cape Coral at 15 due to the lack of a competitive club in the area. Now, he’s one of the 30 players on the club’s inaugural roster.
“It’s amazing, not because I live here, but because this is the first season for most of us playing together,” Alexander said. “The World Cup has been happening, so everybody’s into soccer right now, and to see soccer here growing that much is amazing. I just can’t wait to see what the future brings.”
The sport’s recent popularity and opportunity to play are some of the reasons Brandon Harness brought his 17-year-old son to try out for the club.
“It’s a good opportunity for a lot of the kids who are not gonna do the college route or actually missed out on it from high school,” Harness said. “I hope it brings more recognition to the kids and the adults that are out here trying to make it to another level.”
Brandi Herrey, the mother of a youth soccer player aged 15, shared similar views.
“This is very special,” she said of the newly founded club. “My son’s opportunities have just exploded because now he’s not just confined to one club.”
Club officials said the club will play its first home matches at local high schools while working with the city to make the new Festival Park, which is expected to open this summer, its permanent home.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.
