Some of you may have known that former Rampage player Kenan Malicevic had kept a the Rampage United outdoor franchise going as the Cedar Rapids Inferno, playing at Mount Mercy University’s new field turf stadium. Meanwhile, former players Bobby Hurwitz and former MASL All-Rookie goalkeeper Rainer Hauss have laid down roots. Hurwitz started a soccer training business in suburban Benton County, and Hauss splits time between coaching there and as an assistant at Cornell College. NOW there has been an interesting development. After the Inferno’s league has shut down for the season, Hurwitz and Hauss announced they are starting a new team to play later in the summer, Iowa Raptors FC. They have already announced that they will use Clark Field at Coe College for their “outdoor season”. So how does this relate to indoor? Well, for one take a look at the pic in this announcement: 🚨PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT🚨We are happy to announce Pat Kelly has joined the Raptors! We are excited to see him out on the field this summer!Player bios coming soon on our website! TUNE IN TOMORROW AT NOON FOR ANOTHER BIG PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT! #cedarrapids #marion #iowacity pic.twitter.com/2Wxui9ENGG— IowaRaptorsFC (@IARaptorsFC) April 13, 2020 So there are a few interesting clues that point to an indoor season coming up... 1) Obviously the word “outdoor” in the announcement is an eyebrow raiser. 2) All of the players announced to have signed so far have previous MASL experience: Pat Kelly, Pacheco, and Perez (another signing will be announced this afternoon). 3) There is a new arena being completed in Coralville, Mediacom Xtream Arena. Coralville is the next door neighbor to Iowa City on the Cedar Rapids side, which is where suburbs are booming. The arena is 20 minutes from CR, and a couple minutes from Iowa City (it’s actually very close to Carver Hawkeye Arena). It has already been named the new home of Iowa Hawkeyes Volleyball, BUT they have had a helluva time attracting a minor league hockey franchise. Cedar Rapids and Dubuque already have USHL teams, Des Moines has the AHL, and the Quad Cities the SPHL. Lots of options for hockey within two hours each way. 4) The co-owners of the Rampage, that own Mirage Properties and the Microtel Inn are back with this team. Travel accommodations and player housing will not be a problem. Their daughter has been named acting GM and Director of Community/Fan Relations. She held has held this position with the River Kings. 5) So, they also have a relationship with the River Kings, the indoor football team that bought the franchise from Kokalis. That franchise has bought new turf, and I believe the arena still has the goals. So a return to the US Cellular Center is not out of the question. 6) Finally, though they released this info about outdoor to little fanfare, there is supposed to be a major press conference and announcement coming this summer. So stay tuned!
The plot thickens... 🚨PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨2 MORE RAPTORS, JONNATHAN PACHAR AND @Kickinit3 INKED! Help us in giving these two a a warm welcome!!#cedarrapids #cedarrapidsiowa #iowaraptors #raptorsfc #bcsports #soccer #iowasoccer #easterniowa #iowa #bentoncounty #linncounty #johnsoncounty #marion pic.twitter.com/FjnTmuNPO1— IowaRaptorsFC (@IARaptorsFC) April 15, 2020
I don’t think the Infernos league folded? According to Union Dubuque they all voted to cancel the 2020 season. I hope CR returns. They were a fun team to watch.
No, the Midwest Premier League, and the Cedar Rapids Inferno, are going to be back next season. In fact, the Inferno may still looking to play an exhibition season outdoors. Ideally they stay with the Spring, early summer schedule next season, while Iowa Raptors do their outdoor season in later summer. They can definitely co-exist, especially if (like Rampage United) they work as summer support and training for the indoor team. Also, the Iowa Raptors announced Hummel as their uniform supplier. Hummel just happened to be the supplier of Orlando SeaWolves. Another coincidence?
I was recruited by my old teammate at the University of Iowa to play a weekend tournament through his league in the Chicago area (and in turn he played on my team out here for the Cedar Rapids Open Cup) and Hummel sales were working the rec leagues there with deals to entice the captains to get their team kits through them. It worked because that’s who he went through for his and my teams. Seems like they’re working to establish a foothold in the niche indoor market.
So former MASL short-handed goals leader, Bobby Hurwitz, and former MASL All-Rookie goalkeeper, Rainer Hauss officially added themselves to the roster. But in even bigger news, they have announced a local TV deal for live game broadcasts. KCRG is the local ABC affiliate and easily the highest rated local news and digital off-shoot. 9.2 has become a hub for area sports including Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins single-A) baseball, Cedar Rapids Roughriders, Waterloo Blackhawks, and Dubuque Fighting Saints hockey. Definitely a step up from a few odd hour replays on MC22 cable that the Rampage got: Iowa Raptors getting ready for inaugural season | KCRG Sportshttps://t.co/mXaBPIW93v— KCRG Sports (@KCRG_Sports) June 22, 2020
Here...we...go. “Major announcement” live on KCRG 9.2 and Facebook Live... The Iowa Raptors FC are hosting a press conference with news that’ll impact the future of soccer in CR. This event will be on July 8th at 3:00 PM, kindly being hosted by our sponsor @RamadaCr Tune into our Live Facebook Stream that will be going throughout the entire conference! pic.twitter.com/CSjy3gsgMR— IowaRaptorsFC (@IARaptorsFC) July 6, 2020
Cedar Rapids’ return to indoor confirmed: Iowa Raptors will be part of USL League Two. Des Moines Menace is a member. Assume be in same division as DM, Green Bay, Peoria, St. Louis, Kaw Valley, Thunder Bay ... Raptors also plan to have an indoor team at some point.— Jeff Johnson (@jeje66) July 8, 2020
UPDATE: Loving this slow, grass roots based approach, targeting the growing southwest suburbs of Cedar Rapids (Atkins, Vinton, Benton County, etc.) as a place to establish a youth program. More interestingly, they have acquired land. As the former co-owners of the Rampage, the Microtel owners appear to be developing housing units (could very well serve as future player housing) as well as an indoor facility that is referred to in this piece as a "gym". Indoor turf has been purchased and is about to be installed. Lots of sponsors coming on board from that area too: Hurwitz is a former professional player whose career led to Iowa and eventually laid his roots down in Atkins. He helped create the Iowa Raptors club, which plays at nearby Cedar Rapids Prairie High School with both its mens and womens team. Because of Atkins’ proximity to Cedar Rapids, the city of over 2,000 people seemed the best place to expand to. Atkins also has several soccer fields on the west side of town. “A couple of former professionals, our entire teams and myself provide high-level instruction to kindergarten through high level they won’t get from other recreation leagues,” Hurwitz said. “There is a huge interest just in the Benton Community School District alone, which has 400+ kids at all levels.” [..] BC Sports also recently announced they have acquired seven acres of land in Atkins north of city hall. According to their website, the first phase of construction will be “multiple” four-unit townhouses with development to begin in 2022. The second phase will consist of a gym, commercial units and apartments on the second/third floors. Development of phase two is expected in 2023. https://www.communitynewspapergroup...cle_dcc23008-a0b4-5722-8502-4146dc204589.html
No. Pandemic hindered ownership monetarily, as did Linn County/Cedar Rapids virus measures. I'm honestly glad. They've won two regional championships in the last two years in the UPSL. I want it stable, and I want indoor back (if those two things can coexist).
ICYMI, Welcome @IARaptorsFC to the MASL 2! Read: https://t.co/U5yu1wjikn pic.twitter.com/8ie0TAefBo— MASL 2 (@M2ArenaSoccer) May 23, 2022