The New Jersey Ironmen were an American

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

team. They originally joined the Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2007–08 season. When the MISL ceased operations a year later, they joined the

Xtreme Soccer League The Xtreme Soccer League (XSL) was an indoor soccer league that began play in December 2008. Four teams from the former Major Indoor Soccer League participated in the first XSL season: the Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and New ...

. The team played at the

Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...

, sharing the facility with the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

and the

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

men's basketball team.Stephenson, Colin
"Indoor soccer team set to play in Prudential Center"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to ''The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of wh ...

'', June 20, 2007. Accessed June 20, 2007. "The new team, which will be called the New Jersey Ironmen, will become the third sports tenant in the arena, joining the Devils and Seton Hall men's basketball.... The Ironmen already have hired one of the most successful coaches in the history of the league, Omid Namazi, a two-time MISL Coach of the Year." Omid Namazi, recognized twice as MISL Coach of the Year, was the coach of the team. The Ironmen won their first game against the

Orlando Sharks The Orlando Sharks were a professional American indoor soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, United States. Founded in 2007, by Buena Vista Corporation the Chairman Mr. Sham Maharaj acquired the franchise early 2006. the first game was played ...

, 7–4, on October 27, 2007. The team won its first home, 8–6, game on December 1, 2007 against the

Detroit Ignition The Detroit Ignition were an American indoor soccer team that has played three seasons, most recently 2008–09. In April 2006, Greg Bibb, president of Hantz Group Sports and Entertainment, introduced the teams as a new Major Indoor Soccer Leag ...

. Former New York Cosmo

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...

acted as honorary captain for the opener.New Jersey Ironmen
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Tab Ramos Tabaré "Tab" Ramos Ricciardi (born September 21, 1966) is an American former soccer player and current head coach of Hartford Athletic in the USL Championship. Over his thirteen-year professional career, Ramos played as a midfielder in Spain, ...

, who played on the MetroStars from 1996 to 2002, was honorary captain for the second home game.

Giovanni Savarese Giovanni Savarese (born July 14, 1971) is a Venezuelan football manager and former player, who is the head coach for the Portland Timbers. Club career Professional Breakthrough Savarese made his professional debut at 15, with Venezuelan club ...

, who is the all-time leading goal scorer for the Metros, was the honorary captain for the fourth home game. The

Empire Supporters Club The Empire Supporters Club, or ESC, is one of the oldest supporters clubs in Major League Soccer and the largest supporters club dedicated to the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. History The club was founded in 1995 by members of the New ...

, the main supporters club for the

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

, was present at every Ironmen home game. New York area Voice Actor/Narrator/Host/Actor Ed Kalegi was the in-house voice of the team and handles the Public Address Announcing at all Home games. New York area Voice Actor/Corporate Trainer/Public Speaker Ric Sperrazza was the voice of the team's radio commercials for the 2007–2008 season. In the 2008–09 season, The Ironmen played in the Xtreme Soccer League (XSL) and finished in second place. On July 3, 2009, the XSL announced that it was suspending operations for one year. It has yet to resume play.

Last squad

Year-by-year

Head coaches

Omid Namazi Omid Namazi ( fa, امید نمازی; born December 8, 1964) is an American retired soccer defender who is currently an assistant coach and the director of scouting for USL Championship club Hartford Athletic. Namazi played professionally in ...

(2007–2009)

Arenas

(2007–2009)

References

External links

Official websiteIronmen Supporters and BlogUnofficial Fan Myspace
{{NewYorksports 2007 establishments in New Jersey 2009 disestablishments in New Jersey Association football clubs disestablished in 2009 Defunct indoor soccer clubs in the United States Association football clubs established in 2007 Indoor soccer clubs in the United States Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) teams Soccer clubs in New Jersey Sports in Newark, New Jersey Xtreme Soccer League teams