PA Classics adding NPSL team in 2022

Another Pennsylvania team is joining the National Premier Soccer League for the 2022 season.

Lancaster County club Pennsylvania Classics announced Tuesday plans to join the league next season. It’s the first expansion announcement for the national amateur league for next summer.

“Making a commitment to the NPSL in advance of the season will give Pennsylvania Classics a great runway to promote their team, engage sponsors, and position them to have a successful launch,” NPSL Managing Director Cindy Spera stated in a news release. “We’re confident that they will hit the ground running and have great success on and off the field in their inaugural season.”

The team will be led by club president and co-founder Doug Harris and will play at a 2,000-seat venue at Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pa.

“We chose the NPSL because we were impressed with the quality of this well-run organization and the level of play and competition that will be afforded to our players,” Harris stated in the news release.

PA Classics is known for producing a number of high level college and professional players since Harris co-founded the club with current director of coaching Steve Klein. The most notable is of course Christian Pulisic, but players like DC United midfielders Russell Canouse and Drew Skundrich both spent time playing for PA Classics at the youth level.

If all existing teams return next season, PA Classics will give the league eight teams in Pennsylvania and six from the east. Four eastern PA teams competed in the eight-team Keystone Conference this past season — West Chester United, Hershey FC, Torch FC and Electric City Shock — and Philadelphia Lone Star competed in the five-team Mid-Atlantic Conference.

Tuesday’s announcement stated that PA Classics will compete in the East Region but didn’t identify the conference.