SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. — Friday at Alumni Field in Siloam Springs, the USL Arkansas Under 20 team got on the field for the first time since getting together in late July. Managing Director of the team Wes Harris says he is proud of their progress.
"We feel really strong about the core nucleus of the group that's coming together and started training about a few weeks ago and showing some really, really strong progress and starting to institute the type of culture and build around this team," Harris said.
While that team is getting started now, the main team won't see any action until 2026. Harris says everything is still on schedule.
"Everything remains on track for us trying to kick off in March 2026 so we're working really, really hard behind the scenes, and hope to have some announcements here in the next few months." Harris said.
That includes the stadium, which is still a few months away from a groundbreaking.
"Sometime in the first half of 2025 that will look to break ground on the stadium," Harris explained.
While the team has not come out with an official name yet, they are working hard with the community to choose a name that best represents Northwest Arkansas.
"We've worked really, really hard and made this a community driven project, as we've said from the beginning, soliciting thousands of responses to online and digital surveys. We held over 16 listening sessions across all four corners of Northwest Arkansas, having great discussions around what do they want out of this club, and what do they want in terms of a club identity and a brand," Harris said.
"We've collected all of that data and feedback and worked really, really hard and diligently with the community to hopefully put together a brand that the community can Be proud of and is representative of Northwest Arkansas." Harris added.
And the fans say they can't wait to bring USL Arkansas home to Rogers.
"It’ll be cool to kind of bring in a new sport that we're not, you know, it hasn't been really popular here in the US, but to be able to bring that to Northwest Arkansas is gonna be really cool," said Parker Dodson, a Northwest Arkansas resident.
"It's a great chance for anyone here locally that plays. It gives people another team to watch," added Samuel Pleet, another resident in Northwest Arkansas.
Luke Emmons, a young soccer fan in the area, says that he is ready to watch some professional soccer in his community.
"It'll be nice, like having players to watch and stuff, and having a pro team in Arkansas," Emmons said.
The USL Arkansas U20 team wasn’t able to get the win against John Brown University but they say they will get better as they continue to practice together throughout the year.
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