Enter the Dragons
Dothan United takes the field for their first league match
photo credit: Dothan United Facebook page
Today's focus team is on one of Alabama's USL2 expansion teams, Dothan United. The Dragons play on the road at Southern Soccer Academy at 6:00 Central time.
Dothan United has hit the ground running. If you follow their social media (Instagram and Facebook, but no Twitter), you've seen how active they've been throughout the Spring. The club bills themselves as semi-pro, but the look and feel is that this might as well be a well-run professional organization.
It should be no surprise that the Dragons look like they have a lot of things figured out. Where some clubs are announced a year or so before they begin play, Dothan announced themselves at the beginning of the year. Their principal owner is Steve Donner. Mr Donner's background actually started in professional hockey, where he was part of the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) organization, as the VP of Sales and Marketing. That team's first year in the league saw them land attendance that was the second-highest in the league. We eventually returned to his hometown of Rochester, NY and was the founder and owner of several minor league sports franchises there. Notable among those was the Rochester Rhinos. During their heyday, the Rhinos saw attendance numbers well over 10,000 fans, starting play in the A-League (a precursor to USL). Over the years, Mr Donner has been involved in starting up multiple minor league sports teams, mostly hockey, and different cities. Now, he's landed in Dothan, AL and has his new venture moving fast.
Photo credit: Craig Smith Photography, Dothan United Facebook page. Starting 11 for friendly vs Brave SC
Among the moves that appears to paying immediate dividends is the choice of head coach. John Reynolds takes over the team after a successful tenure at Southern States Soccer in Hattiesburg, MS. SSS is a great club on the field, and has a purpose-built stadium and facility. Reynolds has come in and assembled a team that alresdy sppears primed to be competitive. They've played two friendlies against quality opponents, and have had great showings. Most recently, they faced off with fellow USL2 club Brave SC, and came out with a 0-0 draw. Brave is an established club whose most recent season saw them make into the US Open Cup. In the 2023 season, they reached the semi-finals of the USL2 playoffs.
Photo credit: Craig Smith Photography, Dothan United Facebook page. Strong crowd ar friendly vs Brave SC
Dothan United has arrived, and means business. With a supporters group called the Circle City Inferno cheering them on, they're ready to make some serious noise in the league in this first season.