The USL Premier Development League will expand to Las Vegas for the 2014 season, with the new team’s name embracing their desert town’s roots: the Mobsters.
When the new franchise – owned and operated by Las Vegas attorneys Geoffrey Hawkins and Martin Melendrez – joins the fourth-tier league, it will represent the highest level of professional soccer in Nevada.
“The addition of Las Vegas is another important step for the PDL as its profile continues to grow throughout the southwest,” USL president Tim Holt said in a statement. “With established clubs in Arizona, California and Utah, a Nevada-based club allows for further regionalization of a conference that already features some of the most competitive teams in the PDL."
Las Vegas will compete in the Western Conference and play a 14-game schedule with home games at the 2,500-seat Peter Johann Memorial Field on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Announcements regarding the coaching staff and tryouts will be made in the coming weeks.
