MARION, Iowa — Eight years after starting with almost nothing, the Inferno are number one in the entire Midwest Premier League.
“This team has never been ranked number one in power rankings across multiple states. This is well over 50 clubs that are now in the league across I think 6 or 7 different states in the Midwest. We’ve broken top 10 before, but never to be number 1,” said head coach Kenan Malicevic, who started the club in 2018.
For families and soccer fans near Marion, the ranking is proof that high-class soccer is being built in the area.
“We’re proud but we’re hoping that this is just a testament for the younger generations to look up to what we’re doing right now because the goal is to grow soccer,” Malicevic said.
Logan Teagarden was with the team its inaugural season. He said he is proud to see their growth.
“Now we’re competing for that top spot and holding that top spot,” Teagarden said.
The Inferno sit 4-0 on the season. They have scored 12 goals and allowed one. Teagarden said the roster has never been deeper.
“This is probably the most depth that we’ve had in terms of our roster. It benefits us at practice and it benefits us for who has to make the 18-man team each game day,” he said.
Half of their goals have come from Ian Kearney, who was just named the Heartland Conference Player of the Month.
“They’ve been making me look really good honestly. I’ve been put in some really good situations to score. I’ve had plenty of chances, could have even scored more with how attacking we’ve been playing and really the great teammates that I’ve had,” Kearney said.
The team will face its toughest competition so far this season on the road. The Inferno are set to travel to Milwaukee Saturday for a game against Bavarian United SC.
“In different leagues, they’ve won national championships. in our league, they’ve had divisional championships. They have a lot of proof to back up how good they’ve been and the tradition that they’ve built,” Teagarden said.
Before they hit the road, the Inferno are not just watching the World Cup — they are drawing inspiration from it.
“All of us are loving the U.S. for sure, a bunch of us are from different countries right. We have our main love, but as a unit we are hoping the unit goes really really far,” Kearney said.
From nothing to number one, the Inferno say the ranking is a milestone, not a finish line.
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