Des Moines United FC will move up to Major Arena Soccer League 2 this season

TAMPA, Fla. – Des Moines United  FC – last year’s Major Arena Soccer League 3 midwest division regular season champions – will be moving up to Major Arena Soccer League 2 play for the 2022-23 season, Commissioner Chris Economides has announced.

M2 will kick off its sixth season of action the weekend of Dec. 10-12, with the San Diego Sockers 2 back to defend their league title. Each M2 team will play a 12-game regular season.

“We’re excited to see the MASL pyramid working as intended,” Economides noted. “Show success at one level, and then move to the next is exactly what we want, and Des Moines United FC  is the latest example of that. They are a very good side that will challenge many of the teams in M2 this year.”

Economides said more  announcements about additional M2 franchises will be made in the coming weeks as the league works to complete its lineup of teams and set a 2022-23 schedule. 

United owner Darwin Salas – owner of several Des Moines radio stations including La Q Buena 106.9, the No. 1 rated Latino station in Iowa, and who has spent over two decades in the entertainment and promotions business – said the jump to a higher level of play will be good for the franchise.

“Des Moines is a market that has been growing exponentially over the past years, with tremendous diversity and love for soccer,” Salas noted. “Bringing professional indoor soccer to our market is an honor and a great responsibility, and Des Moines United FC has what it takes to compete at the M2 Level and even become an M1 team in the near future.  We would like to invite the entire community of Des Moines to continue supporting our team and help us conquer our dream to become M2 champions this coming season.   

Des Moines United FC have several players expected to suit up who have Major Arena Soccer League experience, including Rapha Nascimento, who played for both the Florida Tropics and St. Louis Ambush, Nascimento was also a member of Brazil’s 2021 National Arena Soccer team. He will be joined by Charles Bales, who played previously with the Cedar Rapids Rampage, which will also be returning to M2 this winter. 

In fact, some 10 different nationalities are represented on the roster, which also includes Juan Nunez, a professional Liga MX player champion with Los Cholos  de Tijuana Mexico. Juan Fernandes Jr., a former professional player in Brazil who has spent 25 years a the head man for several universities and clubs, will serve as coach.

The team’s  history dates back to 2017 when it was a futsal side based in Des Moines.  In 2018, the United were the U.S. Futsal Midwest Regional Champions        

and went to become a World Futsal Finalist at ESPN World of sports complex in Orlando, Florida. They were members of the Major Futsal League during the 2018-19 year, and in 2021 were the United Premier Soccer League Midwest champions, finishing in the top 8 in the U.S. They played one season at M3 before moving to M2 this year. 

Additional information can be found at desmoinesunited.com or m2soccer.com.