EAGAN, Minnesota – Salvo SC has joined the WPSL as a 2019 expansion club, bringing one of the country’s top youth clubs into the largest women’s soccer league in the world, the league announced Tuesday.

The club brings a strong, experienced front office staff for its inaugural season in what is shaping up to be a competitive conference featuring two additional Minnesota expansion clubs and a rebranding of another Minneapolis-based club.

Peter Rivard, the WPSL club’s technical director, is a former North American Soccer League assistant with Minnesota United FC and also serves as a United States Soccer Federation national staff instructor. Lisa Wolf is the overall club’s executive director and team president.

Greg Wheaton will be the club’s coach for its inaugural WPSL season. Wheaton has coached the University of Northwestern (St. Paul) soccer for the past 19 seasons.

“Salvo SC’s mission is to develop outstanding people through the game of soccer,” Rivard said. “Our WPSL team provides our community the opportunity to show our girls what they can aspire to be as women. And for our women, it provides them an opportunity to compete in the largest women’s league in the world while contributing to the holistic environment of a youth soccer club.

“Salvo SC looks forward to providing opportunities for women to play, coach, referee, and lead a team in the WPSL.”

Home matches will be at Northwestern. Season tickets are $50 for club members (includes supporter T-shirt), $40 for tickets only, and $10 for individual match tickets.

The club will have two Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul conference opponents in Maplebrook Fury (rebranded from Minnesota TwinStars) and Fire SC 98, both longtime rivals with Salvo SC within youth soccer.

Salvo SC join CAFC Ospreys (Frederica, Delaware), EGA Omaha, Alamo City SC (San Antonio), Wake FC (Raleigh, North Carolina), ASC San Diego, EPIC Sport Management (Victoria, British Columbia), Indios Denver FC, FC Arizona Women (Mesa, Arizona), Charlotte Eagles, Philadelphia Lone Star FC, North Alabama SC, Utah Royals FC Reserves, Orlando Kicks FC, Salsa Women SC (Torrance, California), Spokane SC Shadow, NJ Wizards FC Cedar Stars, OPSA Magic (Baltimore) and PacNW Women (Seattle) as announced 2019 expansion clubs.

The WPSL is in its 22nd season and is the largest women’s soccer league in the world with more than 100 clubs from coast-to-coast. WPSL rosters feature elite collegiate, post-collegiate, international and standout prep student-athletes. Many of the United States’ most accomplished women’s players have played in the WPSL, including household names such as Alex Morgan, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain.

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