PEORIA, IL (May 4, 2022) – While the roster for the inaugural season of the Peoria City USL League Two franchise will have a distinct international flavor, the first roster additions announced for Wednesday all come from two of the area’s high school soccer powers.
The first four players announced for the 2022 Peoria City roster are Morton High School alum Wes Gibson (SIU Edwardsville) and a trio of Peoria Notre Dame stars: McKay LaHood (DePaul), Noah Madrigal (Marquette) and Myles Sophanavong (SIU Edwardsville).
Roster additions will continue to be announced throughout the next nine days leading up to the franchise’s debut game Saturday, May 14 (7:00 p.m.) versus Minneapolis City SC at Bradley University’s Shea Stadium.
While single-game ($5 GA, $25 premium fieldside) and season tickets ($25/$125) now are available for sale online at PeoriaCitySoccer.com, tickets and t-shirts also will be available for purchase in person during the team’s two upcoming Five Bars Fan Events: Saturday (9:00 a.m.) at The Fox Pub and Cafe during the restaurant’s final Fox Footy & Fry-up and Bearded Owl Tap Takeover, which will feature the debut of Peoria City Pils; and Wednesday, May 11 (6:00 p.m.) at The Fieldhouse Bar and Grill.
Peoria City last month announced the formation of the Five Bars Pub Club, an association of five local establishments which will host Peoria City events and soccer-themed promotions throughout the year. The first Five Bars fan event was April 21 at W.E. Sullivan’s Irish Pub & Fare in Peoria Heights and the two additional pub club members are Bearded Owl Brewing and Pour Bros. Craft Taproom.
Following the team’s debut May 14 versus Minneapolis City, the other five Peoria City home games are scheduled for Friday, May 27 (Des Moines Menace); Friday, June 3 (St. Croix SC); Wednesday, June 22 (Des Moines Menace); Friday, July 1 (FC Manitoba) and Sunday, July 3 (Thunder Bay Chill). All six games are slated for 7:00 p.m. CT kickoffs at Bradley University’s Shea Stadium.
Five Bars is a reference to the design of the Peoria City badge, which incorporates six diagonal lines to form the borders of five wider bars. The lines symbolize the six Illinois River crossings into the Peoria city limits, while the five bars represent Peoria’s five city council districts.
ABOUT USL LEAGUE TWO
A part of United Soccer Leagues, LLC, which also operates the USL Championship, USL League One, Super Y League and the new USL Academy, USL League Two is the top pre-professional soccer league in North America, offering a summer platform for aspiring professionals across the United States and Canada. League Two is the defined and proven pathway for players to progress to the ranks of professional soccer, while its clubs become fixtures in the communities where they operate. More than 70 percent of all MLS SuperDraft selections since 2010 have League Two experience, including 66 alumni chosen in 2018 and 61 in 2019. Werder Bremen’s Josh Sargent, Inter Miami CF’s DeAndre Yedlin, and Atlanta United’s Brad Guzan are among the many U.S. National Team players to have competed in USL League Two before making their professional debuts.
