Inter Nashville FC preps for 2020 season, tryouts in March
As one hikes north along the Mill Creek Greenway Trail in Antioch, the woods suddenly open up and you see multiple grass soccer pitches spread out before you. Just across the street, a 3000-seat turf soccer stadium appears as if from nowhere. Nestled nicely next to the stadium is an extensive building which houses three indoor soccer pitches. What you have stumbled across is the International Indoor Soccer Complex, and just one of its many claims to fame is the fact that it is the home pitch for Inter Nashville FC, Nashville’s entry into the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).
Inter Nashville FC was formed in 2017, when Nashville FC (NFC) was acquired by Nashville SC and moved to the USL. This transition created a hole in the Nashville soccer pyramid that former NFC player and Coach Rich Askey, along with Reyes Construction owner Pedro Reyes, decided to fill.
Rich is a former player from the English development leagues who sailed across the pond to attend Martin Methodist on a full soccer scholarship some 12 years ago. While excelling at MM, he also spent four years playing for the Metros before becoming their head coach. When the Metros folded, Rich heard the NFC siren call and joined the team first as a player and then as a coach for the last two years of the team’s existence. His accomplishments are all the more impressive when one considers that at the same time he was building his own successful business, Super Science Tennessee, which seeks to promote education in science through entertaining presentations and events.
Pedro came to Nashville from El Salvador many moons ago, and eventually started his own highly successful residential construction company. A man with a heart for his community both here and in El Salvador, Pedro has given back to both communities. In El Salvador he built a medical clinic in honor of Dona Maria Nieves Reyes in Quacoteci, El Salvador. In the US he built the International Indoor Soccer Complex to provide a place for kids of all ages to play soccer.
With Rich acting as GM and Pedro providing the leadership as owner, these two outstanding community lights founded Inter Nashville FC. In no time they had Inter Nashville operating at the highest level of play in the NPSL. In just their first season, Inter Nashville made it to the national quarter finals of the NPSL – and since then they have made the conference playoffs every season.
This year’s team promises to be another exciting squad. With a new coach in former Mexican pro player Gilberto Cruz and returning stars like Chuka Aruh, Pato Gomez, and Victor Tsado, the team begins with a foundation that any NPSL team would envy. Still there are positions to fill, and every year 75 to 100 of the best amateur players in the country vie to be one of the 30 competitors who will be talented and fortunate enough to don the blue and white. In years past the team has represented its name well as over 15 different nationalities have taken the pitch for Inter Nashville. This multi-flavored stew reflects Nashville’s own diverse nature and is probably one of the reasons the city has so thoroughly embraced the team.
But Inter Nashville does more than put exciting NPSL action on the pitch. Recognizing the obvious benefits of soccer and competition in the development of character and confidence in our children, Inter Nashville also sponsors youth camps at the complex and is involved in soccer outreach to various local area schools.
If you are looking for a great place to see some exciting semi-pro soccer while enjoying savory food and pulse pounding music – all for a very reasonable price (adult tickets are $10 but kids 16 and under get in for free) – then check out the upcoming season of Inter Nashville (schedule to be published soon).
Also, if you are a budding talent and want to test yourself against some of the best players in Nashville and possibly earn a roster spot, then come out to the International Indoor Soccer Complex on March 7th and 8th to participate in final tryout for Inter Nashville’s 2020 season.
For more information on the tryout, or the team in genera,l click on the following link to Inter Nashville’s Facebook page.