Spice City FC planning to heat things up in MASL 2 come 2024-25 season

Indoor soccer fans have a million reasons to be excited about the latest addition to Major Arena Soccer League 2. 

The Danbury Ice Arena alongside partners of Spice City Futbol Club, LLC have announced Danbury’s newest professional sports team – Spice City FC. The team will participate in Major Arena Soccer League 2 and will play seven home games on turf at the Danbury Ice Arena in Connecticut beginning in winter of 2024-25.

The organization will add to the existing ice arena offering of Hat Tricks hockey while celebrating Danbury’s multicultural flavor and delivering family friendly, affordable entertainment. The Danbury Ice Arena, like most arenas across the country, is preparing an operations team that will flip the switch from ice to turf overnight to bring soccer to the forefront of the 3,000 seat arena.

The name, Spice City, and its playful jalapeno logo, is a nod to a multicultural city with an edge to it. A spice; a simultaneous sweetness; and hotness, that consistently delivers a welcoming, fun yet surprising experience.

Mayor of Danbury, Roberto Alves, stated, “Bringing an M2 team to Danbury is an exciting time for our city. As a big soccer fan myself, you will see my family in those seats cheering on Spice City FC. This partnership has our attention and support – and we’re confident the residents of the City of Danbury will get behind this team like they have every team that has called the Arena home. We’re excited to also welcome more people downtown to experience all we have to offer.”

Matt and Adriana Svanda, also owners of Newtown Pride FC in Newtown, Connecticut, have spearheaded the effort in Danbury.

“Bringing a fast paced, energy driven brand of soccer to Danbury is something we think is a perfect fit for this city," said owner and general manager Matt Swanda. "The game of soccer is a true passion of ours and we try and use it as a catalyst of good. We’re confident that in partnership with the Danbury Ice Arena, we will be able to bring an incredible experience and different brand of soccer to fans both new and old.”

In 2023, it was Newtown Pride FC who took America by surprise creating an instantly iconic national soccer memory with their win in the inaugural million-dollar winner-take-all TST tournament. The Pride will be partaking in this years TST tournament in June to be aired on ESPN.

“Spice City FC will offer a great compliment to Danbury Hat Tricks hockey while giving fans an opportunity to not only see great hockey on ice; but also a great brand of soccer on turf!,  said Herm Sorcher, Partner of Diamond Properties who owns the Danbury Ice Arena. “We are committed to private partnerships that will advance our space; bring more people to the arena and prove that our arena is multidimensional and can pivot to accommodate opportunities like this one.”

Commissioner of MASL 2, Chris Economides said Newtown's next big soccer move to join the league speaks volumes for where the second tier of the American indoor soccer pyramid is headed.

 “We’re excited and proud to welcome Spice City FC to our M2 family. There are some incredible teams in the East Division, and we’re anxiously awaiting their first goal in Danbury this winter," Economides said. “We’re more intrigued to see how their front office puts together a team that’s competitive in a league that boasts organizations like the Rochester Lancers, Utica, Baltimore and Orlando. We know that Spice City FC is committed to excellence both on and off the field, and couldn’t be more thrilled that they’ll be strong stewards of our league.”

Kyle Lyddy, President of Operations for the organization, said the MASL 2 franchise was  a natural extension of the club.

 “Partnering with Herm Sorcher and the Danbury Ice Arena is the perfect setting to launch our brand to bring people together,’ Luddy noted. “What better place than Danbury; bringing a global game to a city with a diverse set of individuals and cultures. Our mantra “You Belong Here” is a call to excite people to get in the building to witness high energy goals and a fast-paced brand of soccer we can all rally around. Our team is planning to create an atmosphere that is one of the best in minor league sports – it is our commitment that you won’t just be coming to a soccer game - but an event. And while MASL 2 will bring us to cities like Rochester, Utica, Baltimore and Orlando, we’re  we’re excited to add Danbury to the East to showcase our home turf.”

Onua Obasi will be the head coach. Obasi, who has extensive experience within the MASL as a player, is committed to Spice City FC. Obasi has played with the Baltimore Blast, Utica City FC and the Empire Strykers, appearing in 78 total games in the Major Arena Soccer League, with 22 goals and 25 assists.

“I’m thankful for the Svanda family for trusting me in this role and am excited to get to work. My commitment is to building a team that our city can be proud of, and deliver a brand of soccer that fans will be excited to be in their seats at kickoff for," Obasi said.

Tickets are on sale now at SpiceCityFC.com with season ticket options available for just $79 for a seven-game home schedule.