Did you know that in 2005, South Jersey had a women’s and men’s soccer team? Team Dynamics had founded a brand-new women’s soccer team called the Atlantic City Diablos that would play in the Women’s Professional Soccer League beginning with the 2006 season. They were a member of the WPSL’s South Division in the Eastern Conference. The Diablos set up shop at St. Augustine High School’s Fr. Stephen J. LaRosa Field in Richland, NJ.
In 2006, the Diablos won the South Division in their inaugural season with an 8-1-1 record; however, they were eliminated in the playoffs. In 2007, Team Dynamics founded the men’s Diablos team in the National Premier Soccer League. The men’s team finished in second place in the NPSL Northeast Conference with a record of 5-1-4 but did not qualify for the playoffs. For the women, they would be placed in the Mid-Atlantic Division and once again win the division with a record of 8-2. This time they would reach conference finals before being eliminated by the New England Mutiny 2-1.
For the 2008 season, the Diablos franchise began to wind down. The men’s team finished in last place in the Mid-Atlantic Division. The men’s team would then fold after the season. For the women’s team, they would settle for third place with a 7-3-2 record and not qualify for the playoffs.
In the women’s final season in the WPSL in 2009, the league made changes to the Eastern Conference, putting fourteen teams in one division. Head coach Matt Driver gave up his coaching duties to focus on the Philadelphia Independence. This left George Rhea and Greg Ruttler to coach the women’s team. The Diablos would finish in eleventh place with a record of 3-5-2 before folded up shop for good.
The WPSL’s Atlantic City Diablos were the more successful team bettering the men’s NPSL’s Atlantic City Diablos with winning records. One could only wonder had these teams moved closer to Atlantic City, mainly playing at Surf Stadium or Atlantic City High School if they could’ve existed a little longer instead of playing in Richland, NJ. The other option would’ve been changing the name to the Richland Diablos to connect to the community.
Fans want to connect to their teams, that is where they build a relationship by coming out to the games, buying their merchandise, and supporting the players. They want the team to do well and see the players go on to have successful soccer careers. When the public doesn’t even know there is a team, the team finds little to no support. Especially when the teams play in an area not known for soccer. The Diablos may have had a short life but did give if only for a moment college students and graduates the opportunity to play the game they love.
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