# 2020–21 Maryland Bobcats FC season

The 2020–21 Maryland Bobcats FC season was the club's first in the National Independent Soccer Association and first as a professional team.

## Overview

Following an application in late July 2020, Maryland Bobcats FC was admitted into the National Independent Soccer Association on October 13, 2020. The team had previously been members in leagues such as the United Premier Soccer League, where it went undefeated and won a national championship in fall 2019, and the National Premier Soccer League. Prior to officially joining NISA, Maryland competed in the inaugural NISA Independent Cup as a member of the NPSL and took part as a member of the Mid-Atlantic Region. Additionally, the team played a friendly against NISA member Chattanooga FC following the conclusion of the fall 2019 season.
On August 14, 2020 Maryland also joined in the Eastern Premier Soccer League, an amateur league affiliate of NISA, and began fielding a reserve team in it in spring 2021.
On March 24, 2021, former Nigeria women's national football team manager Samuel Okpodu was named head coach for 2021.

## Roster
### Players

    As of May 22, 2021
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
| 1 | GK | Joel Isyaq | Nigeria |
| 2 | DF | Philip Blystone | United States |
| 3 | DF | Morian Moussi | United States |
| 4 | DF | Dylan Ogletree | England |
| 5 | DF | Javon Dawkins | United States |
| 6 | MF | Pilawe Patrick Pato | Togo |
| 7 | DF | Medo Wilfred | United States |
| 8 | MF | Sammy Kahsai | Ethiopia |
| 9 | FW | Tunde Akinlosotu | United States |
| 10 | FW | Kay Banjo | United States |
| 11 | MF | Bryce Orsini | United States |
| 12 | MF | Bryan Argueta | El Salvador |
| 13 | MF | Emilio Torres | United States |
| 14 | FW | Elton Joe | Liberia |
| 15 | DF | Richard Forka | United States |
| 16 | DF | Davey Mason | United States |
| 17 | FW | Adam Yingling | United States |
| 18 | MF | Kingsley Onwuka | Nigeria |
| 19 | DF | Luis Galo Osorio | Honduras |
| 20 | MF | Eduardo Jiménez | Panama |
| 21 | MF | Yaya Fane | Ivory Coast |
| 22 | MF | Alex Kao | France |
| 23 | FW | Levi Houapeu | Ivory Coast |
| 24 | MF | Andy Alvarado | United States |
| 25 | DF | Jake Dengler | United States |
| 26 | MF | Josselin Possian | United States |
| 27 | FW | Khalid Balogun | United States |
| 28 | GK | Daniel Olofinsua | United States |
| 29 | MF | Samuel Edoung-Biyo | Cameroon |
| 30 | GK | Christian Caulker | Sierra Leone |
| 47 | FW | Taylor Gray | United States |
| 77 | MF | Nico Brown | United States |
| 94 | DF | Trey Cooper | United States |
| 99 | FW | James 'Pele' Sesay | Sierra Leone |

### Staff

Technical staff :
| Head Coach | Samuel Okpodu |

## Transfers
### In

| # | Pos. | Player | Signed from | Details | Date |
| 10 | FW | Kay Banjo | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 1, 2021 |
| 15 | DF | Richard Forka | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 2, 2021 |
| 14 | FW | Elton Joe | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 3, 2021 |
| 9 | FW | Tunde Akinlosotu | FC Baltimore Christos | Free transfer | February 4, 2021 |
| 16 | DF | Davey Mason | Loyola Greyhounds | Free transfer | February 5, 2021 |
| 23 | MF/FW | Levi Houapeu | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 8, 2021 |
| 11 | MF/FW | Bryce Orsini | Wakefield A.F.C. | Free transfer | February 9, 2021 |
| 6 | MF | Patrick Pato | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 10, 2021 |
| 2 | DF | Philip Blystone | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 11, 2021 |
| 20 | FW | Eduardo Jiménez | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 12, 2021 |
| 22 | MF | Alex Kao | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 15, 2021 |
| 8 | MF | Sammy Kahsai | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 16, 2021 |
| 94 | DF | Trey Cooper | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 17, 2021 |
| 30 | GK | Christian Caulker | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 18, 2021 |
| 1 | GK | Joel Isyaq | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 19, 2021 |
| 29 | MF | Samuel Edoung-Biyo | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 22, 2021 |
| 77 | FW | Nico Brown | Loyola Greyhounds | Free transfer | February 22, 2021 |
| 99 | MF | James 'Pele' Sesay | NTX Rayados | Free transfer | February 23, 2021 |
| 12 | MF | Bryan Argueta | Germantown City FC | Free transfer | February 24, 2021 |
| 18 | DF | Kingsley Onwuka | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 24, 2021 |
| 19 | DF | Luis Galo Osorio | Tatung F.C. | Free transfer | February 25, 2021 |
| 7 | DF | Medo Wilfred | Vandrezzer FC | Free transfer | February 25, 2021 |
| 5 | DF | Javon Dawkins | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 26, 2021 |
| 24 | MF | Andy Alvarado | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 26, 2021 |
| 3 | DF | Morian Moussi | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | February 27, 2021 |
| 4 | DF | Dylan Ogletree | C.D. Fuerte San Francisco | Free transfer | February 27, 2021 |
| 28 | GK | Daniel Olofinsua | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | March 1, 2021 |
| 13 | MF | Emilio Torres | Maryland Bobcats FC (UPSL) | Free transfer | March 1, 2021 |
| 17 | FW | Adam Yingling | Ohio Wesleyan Battling Bishops | Free transfer | March 17, 2021 |
| 26 | MF | Josselin Possian | SV Darmstadt 98 | Free transfer | March 19, 2021 |
| 21 | MF | Yaya Fane | Philadelphia Lone Star FC | Free transfer | April 8, 2021 |
| 25 | DF | Jake Dengler | Loudoun United FC | Free transfer | May 11, 2021 |
| 27 | FW | Khalid Balogun | FC Baltimore Christos | Free transfer | May 26, 2021 |
| 47 | FW | Taylor Gray | Maryland Bobcats FC II | Free transfer | May 27, 2021 |

## Competitions
### NISA Independent Cup

Prior to joining NISA, the Bobcats were announced as one of the 11 non-association teams taking part in the inaugural NISA Independent Cup on July 1. The regional tournament acted as both a pre-season and chance to "provide a platform for professional and amateur independent clubs to play together on a national stage."
Maryland was drawn into the Mid-Atlantic Region alongside the New York Cosmos, NISA expansion side New Amsterdam FC, and fellow NPSL side FC Baltimore Christos.
On July 24, NISA announced that the Mid-Atlantic Region tournament was postponed due to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Maryland and the subsequent closing of the Maryland SoccerPlex to professional sports. On July 28, NISA announced a majority of the region's games would be played at Evergreen Sportsplex in Leesburg, Virginia. Following a weather postponement that forced the Bobcat's final game to be played at a neutral site, the team won the Mid-Atlantic Region title on October 10 when the Cosmos and FC Baltimore played to a 2–2 draw allowing Maryland to finish atop the table via goal differential.

#### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Maryland Bobcats FC (C) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 5 |
| 2 | FC Baltimore Christos | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 5 |
| 3 | New York Cosmos | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | New Amsterdam FC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 1 |

#### Matches
### 2020 Fall Season

Initial details for the NISA Fall 2020 season were released on June 4, 2020. Maryland did not take part in the fall in an official capacity.

### 2021 Spring Season
#### NISA Legends Cup

NISA announced initial spring season plans in early February 2021, including starting the season with a tournament in Chattanooga, Tennessee with a standard regular season to follow. The tournament, now called the NISA Legends Cup, was officially announced on March 10 and is scheduled to run between April 13 and 25. All nine NISA members teams taking part in the Spring were divided into three team groups and played a round robin schedule. The highest placing group winner automatically qualified for the tournament final, while the second and third highest finishing teams overall played one-another in a semifinal to determine a second finalist.
The Bobcats were drawn into Group 1 alongside Michigan Stars FC and the returning San Diego 1904 FC.

##### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Chattanooga FC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 | Advance to Legends Cup final |
| 2 | Detroit City FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 4 | Advance to Legends Cup semifinal |
| 3 | San Diego 1904 FC | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | Advance to Legends Cup semifinal |
| 4 | Los Angeles Force | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 3 | |
| 5 | Michigan Stars FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 6 | California United Strikers FC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 7 | Maryland Bobcats FC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 1 | |
| 8 | Stumptown AC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 1 | |
| 9 | New Amsterdam FC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 | |

##### Group 1 results

| vte Home \ Away | MAR | MIC | SDG |
| Maryland Bobcats FC | — | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Michigan Stars FC | | — | 1–1 |
| San Diego 1904 FC | | | — |

##### Matches
#### Regular season

The Spring Season schedule was announced on March 18 with each association member playing eight games, four home and four away, in a single round-robin format.

##### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Detroit City FC (Y, X) | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 20 | Advance to season final |
| 2 | Los Angeles Force | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 18 | Advance to spring final |
| 3 | Stumptown AC | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 15 | |
| 4 | California United Strikers FC | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 13 | |
| 5 | Maryland Bobcats FC | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 11 | |
| 6 | Chattanooga FC (Z) | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 8 | Advance to spring final |
| 7 | San Diego 1904 FC | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 17 | −9 | 7 | |
| 8 | Michigan Stars FC | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 | −7 | 5 | |
| 9 | New Amsterdam FC | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 4 | |
* ↑ If either 2020 Fall Champion Detroit or 2021 Legends Cup runner-up Chattanooga finish the spring season in first place, or both teams finish in the top two, the spot in the spring final will go to the next best team.

##### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: June 26, 2021. Source: Match reports

##### Matches
### U.S. Open Cup

As a team playing in a recognized professional league, Maryland would normally be automatically qualified for the U.S. Open Cup. However, with the 2021 edition shorted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NISA has only been allotted 1 to 2 teams spots. On March 29, U.S. Soccer announced 2020 Fall Champion Detroit City FC as NISA's representative in the tournament.

## Squad statistics

    As of Match played June 19, 2021

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Legends Cup | Legends Cup | Spring Season | Spring Season |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | GK | NGA | Joel Isyaq | 4 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 |
| 28 | GK | USA | Daniel Olofinsua | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | SLE | Christian Caulker | 7 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 5+1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | DF | USA | Philip Blystone | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA | Morian Moussi | 7 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 5+2 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Dylan Ogletree | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Javon Dawkins | 11 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 6+2 | 0 |
| 7 | DF | USA | Medo Wilfred | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | USA | Richard Forka | 2 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | USA | Davey Mason | 6 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | HON | Luis Galo Osorio | 1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | USA | Jake Dengler | 6 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 6+0 | 0 |
| 94 | DF | USA | Trey Cooper | 6 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 6 | MF | TOG | Pilawe Patrick Pato | 8 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ETH | Sammy Kahsai | 5 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | USA | Bryce Orsini | 5 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | SLV | Bryan Argueta | 11 | 2 | 2+1 | 1 | 8+0 | 1 |
| 13 | MF | USA | Emilio Torres | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | NGA | Kingsley Onwuka | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | PAN | Eduardo Jiménez | 3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | CIV | Yaya Fane | 8 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | FRA | Alex Kao | 10 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 7+0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | USA | Andy Alvarado | 3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | USA | Josselin Possian | 11 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 8+0 | 0 |
| 29 | MF | CMR | Samuel Edoung-Biyo | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 77 | MF | USA | Nico Brown | 8 | 1 | 3+0 | 1 | 3+2 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | FW | USA | Tunde Akinlosotu | 6 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | USA | Kay Banjo | 6 | 3 | 2+0 | 1 | 4+0 | 2 |
| 14 | FW | LBR | Elton Joe | 2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | USA | Adam Yingling | 4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | CIV | Levi Houapeu | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | USA | Khalid Balogun | 3 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 1 |
| 47 | FW | USA | Taylor Gray | 5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 |
| 99 | FW | SLE | James 'Pele' Sesay | 10 | 6 | 2+0 | 1 | 7+1 | 5 |
| Left during season ||||||||||

### Goal scorers

| Place | Position | Number | Name | Legends Cup | Spring Season | Total |
| 1 | FW | 99 | James 'Pele' Sesay | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| 2 | FW | 10 | Kay Banjo | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | MF | 12 | Bryan Argueta | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | MF | 27 | Khalid Balogun | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | MF | 77 | Nico Brown | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | Legends Cup | Legends Cup | Spring Season | Spring Season | Total | Total |
| 5 | DF | Javon Dawkins | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Tunde Akinlosotu | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | Bryan Argueta | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Davey Mason | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | Yaya Fane | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | Alex Kao | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Jake Dengler | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | Josselin Possian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | Christian Caulker | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 47 | FW | Taylor Gray | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 77 | MF | Nico Brown | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 94 | DF | Trey Cooper | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 99 | FW | James 'Pele' Sesay | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 |