Peoria City is an American soccer club from Peoria, Illinois, that plays in the Great Plains Division in USL League Two. The team's colors are Whiskey City Copper, black and Peoria City Red.[1]
History
The club was founded by former K–W United owner Barry MacLean along with John Dorn[2] with then Franklin Pierce head coach Ruben Resendes serving as the inaugural head coach.[3] The club was announced as a new expansion club, set to begin play in the 2020 season,[4] however, their entrance was delayed to 2021, as the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] Their entrance was further delayed, with the team announcing in January 2022 that they would begin play in the 2022 season.[6]
Peoria City played their first match on May 14, 2022, where a crowd of 1,114 were in attendance to watch a 2–2 draw against Minneapolis City SC.[7] On July 15, Peoria City qualified for the USL League 2 playoffs with the second seed in the division after it won the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Thunder Bay Chill.[8] The team lost 3–1 in the first round of the playoffs to Chicago FC United at Atwood Stadium in Flint, Michigan.[9]
2024 Season
In their third year, Peoria City went on a remarkable "Cinderella run" finishing the season with a record of 12-4-5 after winning four straight playoff games. Peoria was chosen to host the USL2 National Championship game which drew a record crowd of over 3,100 people. Peoria lost in the Championship final 3-2 to Seacoast United, to claim the National Runner-up.[10]
Club culture
The team's first supporters group is "The 309", named for the local 309 area code, which organizes fans at matches and pre-game events.[11] Games feature a family friendly atmosphere complete with food trucks, tailgating and unique entertainment at various games.
