FC Buffalo is entering their third season in the National Premier Soccer League.  The NPSL is roughly on the same level as the USL-Premier Development League under the USL-Pro.  USL-Pro, the third division, is the league the Rhinos play in and FC Buffalo is an amateur team in the the de facto fourth division of American soccer.

FC Buffalo, nicknamed the Blitzers, joined the NPSL in 2010 and played in the Northeast Conference Keystone Division for two seasons.  Their divisional rivals last year included the Erie Admirals (Erie, PA), FC Sonic Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, PA), Reading Revolution (Reading, PA), AC Crusaders (Egg Harbor Township, NJ), Pocono Snow (East Stroudsburg, PA), Buxmont Torch (Souderton, PA), and New Jersey Blaze (Monmouth Junction, NJ).

For the 2012 NPSL season, FC Buffalo and former divisional rival Erie Admirals join several expansion teams in the newly created Great Lakes Division of the Midwest Conference.  The expansion teams are AFC Cleveland (Cleveland, OH), Detroit City FC (Detroit, MI), and Greater Binghamton FC (Binghamton, NY).

FC Buffalo, like most NPSL sides, draw much of their roster from local colleges.  For this reason, the season doesn’t start until the end of May.  In 2010, FC Buffalo played 12 league matches between May 29 and July 11.  The team’s 13 games in 2011 were during a similar time frame, May 22 to July 17.  This year the regular season runs from May 13 until July 6, with divisional playoffs to follow. Continue reading →