MINNEAPOLIS — The Futures are returning to the United Premier Soccer League. After a one-year hiatus, the Rookery is headed to the UPSL’s Division 1 this summer. It is a reunion that both aligns with Minneapolis City SC’s goals for player development, and offers a quest for promotion.

From 2021 through 2024, City’s junior side excelled in the league’s Premier Division, earning a combined 36-7-5 record while losing only once during regular-season play. The fledgling Crows finished atop the Midwest West Conference standings in three of four campaigns, and thrice reached the national playoffs, including a 2021 appearance in the quarterfinals. And most-importantly, graduated a number of players into Minneapolis’ senior team.

Not having competed in league play in 2025 means City’s second squad will have to climb its way back up to the UPSL’s top flight. And, in succeeding Jerimiah Johnson and Josh Roy, new Futures head coach Alex Hosler has been charged with engineering both his players’ and team’s ascent.

“Ultimately, I believe in Minneapolis City’s vision for filling the gap between youth club soccer and then proper soccer,” said Hosler. “In my day job as a college coach, I run into young 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds who aren’t ready to compete in men’s soccer yet. So, helping be a part of the solution — which is amateur soccer, specifically for younger players ­— to allow them to learn how to play men’s soccer, is something I’m passionate about.”

For Hosler, that primary goal dovetails neatly with City’s hopes for a return to the UPSL Premier Division via promotion.

“If we are fulfilling our mission, which is providing an environment for these younger players to play, we believe that will attract top talent,” Holser offered. “We believe the way we have built the roster for this summer, where we’re developing younger players, with a lot of high school guys in the team, gives them the opportunity to be successful in a performance environment.”

In 2024, Holser led Crown College in Saint Bonifacius, Minn. to its first-ever winning season in NCAA play, with the Polars finishing fourth in the UMAC this past year. And, it was a non-conference game this past September against former Crows co-head coach Tudor Flintham’s St. John’s team that got the pair talking, and led to Holser’s introduction to City.

Club president Adam Pribyl expanded upon the return to the USPL’s importance to City’s mission of player development.

“When we started Minneapolis City SC, the goal was simple: build better environments for players in Minnesota,” said club president Adam Pribyl. “Over time, our Futures program has become one of the most important development spaces for young players in the state, and those players need meaningful competition as they continue to grow. Rejoining UPSL Division 1 is about continuing that pathway. It gives our emerging players a place to compete, learn, and test themselves all summer long. If we’re serious about developing the next generation of Minnesota players, we have to keep creating opportunities for them to play.”

As to why the about face after a season away, Pribyl was direct.

“Each year we fine-tune our structure to make sure we’re creating environments that challenge players and push their development forward. When Casey Holm joined City as Sporting Director last season, he helped build a roster that elevated the club into the top eight teams in the country in USL League Two.

“Raising the level of the first team also raises the responsibility we have to the next generation of players. That means continuing to invest in the development environments and competitive opportunities available to young Minnesota players so they can grow into roles on our USL2 roster — one that has increasingly become a breeding ground for Division I and professional careers.”