The Calgary Mustangs (formerly the Calgary Storm and Team Calgary) were a soccer team in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

that played in the semi-professional

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

in 2001 and the professional

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

from 2002 to 2004.

History

In 2001, the Calgary Storm was formed to play in the semi-professional

. They finished as the regular season champions and in the playoffs advanced to the Championship final, where they finished as runner-ups after being defeated by the

Westchester Flames Westchester Flames is an American soccer team based in New Rochelle, New York, United States. Founded in 1999, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team plays its home games at City Park Stadium, w ...

. In 2002, the Storm moved to the professional

. In their debut professional season, the Storm finished last in their division failing to qualify for the playoffs. During the season, the season was complicated by player walkouts, a coach's firing, financial problems that forced several players to play without being paid, and some games being played without substitutes available. In 2003, the team once again continued to struggle in the standings, once again finishing last in their division. During the season, team owner Michael Vandale resigned as team owner citing personal issues and mounting financial losses, handing over the operation of the team to the

United Soccer Leagues United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

, who would seek a new ownership group. The USL managed the team for the remainder of the season, with funding pooled from the other 18 A-League franchises, who approved the decision to take over operation of the team, with the team finishing the season under the name Team Calgary. For 2004, a new ownership group consisting of Storm head coach Thomas Niendorf, John Torode, and Juergen Hanne were granted the rights to the franchise, choosing to operate the franchise as a non-profit organization. The team continued in the USL A-League, changing its name to the Calgary Mustangs for the 2004 season (a previous team in the Canadian Professional Soccer League had operated as the Calgary Mustangs in 1983). Following another last place finish, the Mustangs halted operations following the 2005 season, initially planning to return for the 2006 season, however, they ultimately never returned. The team never acquired a significant profile in the Calgary sports marketplace and never had great fan support. The USL PDL Calgary Storm averaged 2,003 fans per game at

Foothills Stadium Foothills Stadium, formerly Burns Stadium, is a stadium in Calgary, Alberta. It is primarily used for baseball, and was formerly home to the Calgary Cannons Triple-A (baseball), AAA baseball club until September 2002, when the team relocated to Al ...

. In their final season the team's average attendance was just 1,258 at 35,650 capacity

McMahon Stadium McMahon Stadium is a Canadian football stadium in Calgary, Alberta. The stadium is owned by the University of Calgary and operated by the McMahon Stadium Society. The stadium is between the downtown core and the University of Calgary, north of ...

Year-by-year

Honours

* USL PDL Regular Season Champions:

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

Reserve Team

After the Storm moved to the A-League from the PDL following the 2001 season, the club established a second team in the PDL known as the Calgary Storm Select, later known as the Calgary Storm Prospects in 2003. After the first team was taken over by the league mid-season in 2003, the reserve team was disbanded, with the

Abbotsford Rangers Fraser Valley Mariners is a Canadian soccer team based in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northwest Divis ...

who were operating a provisional league member taking over the remainder of their fixtures.

References

{{Soccer in Calgary Defunct soccer clubs in Canada Soccer clubs in Alberta Mus United Soccer League teams based in Canada Defunct Premier Development League teams A-League (1995–2004) teams Association football clubs established in 2001 Association football clubs disestablished in 2004 2001 establishments in Alberta 2004 disestablishments in Alberta