West Michigan Edge
West Michigan Edge was an American soccer team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.
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| Full name | West Michigan Edge | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Edge | ||
| Founded | 1995 | ||
| Dissolved | 2008 | ||
| Ground | EK Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| Chairman |  Bob Dykstra | ||
| Manager | Stephen Herdsman | ||
| League | USL Premier Development League | ||
| 2008 | 5th, Midwest Division | ||
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The team played its home games at EK Stadium on the campus of East Kentwood High School in nearby Kentwood, Michigan. The team's colors were red, white and blue.
The club also fielded a team in the USL’s Super-20 League, a league for players 17 to 20 years of age run under the United Soccer Leagues umbrella.
History
The team played as Grand Rapids Explosion from 1995 to 1998, before changing names to West Michigan Explosion prior to the 1999 season, and adopting their final moniker in 2000.
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 4 | USISL Premier League | 6th, Central | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 1996 | 4 | USISL Premier League | 6th, Central Northern | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 1997 | 4 | USISL PDSL | 4th, North Central | Division Semifinals | Did not qualify | ||
| 1998 | 4 | USISL PDSL | 7th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 1999 | 4 | USL PDL | 7th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 2000 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Great Lakes | Conference Semifinals | Did not qualify | ||
| 2001 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 2002 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 2003 | On Hiatus | ||||||
| 2004 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 2005 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 2006 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 2007 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Great Lakes | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
| 2008 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Midwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | ||
Head coaches
Erwin van Elst (1995)- Tim Hendrickson (1996)
- Aric Dershem (1997)
- Mark "Moose" Noorzai (1997)
Carl Whitehouse (1998)- Jamie Huff (1999–2000)
- Joey Barone (2005–2006)
- Mark Bell (2007)
- Stephen Herdsman (2008)
Stadia
- Velting Field; Grand Rapids, Michigan (1995)
- no home games (1996)
- Calvin College; Grand Rapids, Michigan (1997–98)
- Holland Municipal Stadium; Holland, Michigan 1 game (1998)
- Lowell High School; Lowell, Michigan 1 game (1998)
- Cornerstone College; Grand Rapids, Michigan (1999)
- East Grant Rapids Middle School; East Grand Rapids, Michigan (2000)
- Holland Municipal Stadium; Holland, Michigan (2004)
- Stadium at Forest Hills Central High School; Grand Rapids, Michigan (2005–2007)
- Stadium at Mona Shores High School; Muskegon, Michigan 1 game (2005)
- Stadium at Cornerstone University; Grand Rapids, Michigan 4 games (2007)
- East Grand Rapids Memorial Field; Grand Rapids, Michigan 2 games (2007)
- Stadium at Crestwood Middle School; Kentwood, Michigan 1 game (2007)
- EK Stadium; Kentwood, Michigan (2008)
Average Attendances
- 2008: 125
- 2007: 89
- 2006: 298
- 2005: 412