Rochester FC primed to become community's amateur soccer focus

May 17—ROCHESTER — Year two figures to be a lot more seamless than year one.

It was last spring that Rochester amateur men's and women's soccer franchise Rochester FC made a big switch, going from the United Premier Soccer League to USL League Two, considered by many to be just one rung below professional soccer.

It is professional soccer that Rochester FC owners Midhat Mujic, Muharem Dedic and Dr. Rafael Sierra hope to eventually land in Rochester. Mujic is the team president, Dedic its sports director and Sierra its vice president of operations.

But establishing professional soccer in Rochester seems at least four years away; the biggest obstacle is getting the financial backing to build a soccer stadium, regarded as a prerequisite by the Rochester FC owners in order to house a pro team.

The Bosnian-born Mujic and Dedic, and Colombian-born Sierra, are trying to stay patient with their professional aspirations. There is a season to attend to right now, with the Rochester FC men's team hosting the St. Croix Legends at 7 p.m. Saturday at Rochester Regional Stadium and its women's team hosting the Milwaukee Bavarians at 4 p.m. Sunday at Rochester Regional Stadium.

There are also a pair USL Academy teams (19-under) to run, one boys and one girls, those squads filled with local players.

So yes, plenty on the plates for these three. The men's and women's players began arriving from various colleges and countries one week ago, them staying with host families until their seasons conclude in mid-July.

"Things are a lot more comfortable this year," said Mujic, who this past offseason bought out Rochester's most successful amateur franchise ever, Med City FC, ending a seven-year run for the Mayhem and its owner Frank Spaeth. That leaves Rochester FC as the only high-level men's team in Rochester, giving them the soccer focus.

"Last year, there was a lot of new paperwork to do," Mujic said. "That is part of the process when you're jumping from a lower (level) team to almost a professional team."

Rochester FC's men's team finished with four wins, two draws and six losses last year, while its women's team went just 1-11.

Dedic, who is in charge of the recruiting for this soccer operation, says convincing players to come play for Rochester FC was particularly tough last year. That was mostly due to his teams having no history in the USL League.

Now that they have one year behind them, that's helped.

"Joining the USL in general, it's been a huge success for us," Dedic said. "But for a brand-new startup club playing on that level, it's tough to get athletes here at first. They want to know your history (in the league), they want to look at the standings. So, last year, we took pretty much whatever we could (in terms of talent)."

This offseason has been different. Dedic says that on both the Rochester FC men's and women's sides, he's landed about four former professional players, as well as a number of players who've competed on their country's national teams. He says that's a big uptick from a year ago.

Mujic believes the Rochester FC women's team is about to make a big jump.

"We have high expectations for them," Mujic. "If you come out to a game, I think you'll see a big difference (from a year ago)."

Deb Nichols has been hired as the Rochester FC women's coach. Nichols, a former Rochester Community and Technical College women's soccer coach, has most recently been working as an Olympic Development coach in North Carolina.

"I love doing this," Nichols said. "So, when I got this opportunity, I didn't even think twice. It is nice to come back here and see how soccer has developed (in Rochester)."

The Rochester FC men have rehired Sebastian Narvaez, a native of Colombia, as their head coach.

Narvaez likes the mix of players on his team.

"I think it's going to be a really good season for us," Narvaez said. "We have some guys back from last year and some new guys who are going to bring experience to the way of playing that we've (already established). Our style is to control the ball."

A major goal for Rochester FC owners is to make this season a better experience for fans and players alike, as well as to more regularly get into the Rochester community.

Mujic says with the newness of everything last year, there was little chance to hit on the finer things of running a franchise at this level, one that hopes to eventually rise to the professional ranks.

There have already in the last week been trips by the Rochester FC players to a pair of Rochester elementary schools, them taking time out to play games with the students and introduce themselves. An afternoon volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House will also soon be in the works.

Mujic wants to see every aspect of their operation taken up a notch. A variety of food trucks at games, diversified halftime entertainment, free admission to games for kids 18 and under, a partnership with Little Thistle Brewing for pre-game parties, a new mascot, and better travel accommodations for his players are all in the works.

Rochester FC men's and women's season schedules.