BY MIKE WARREN
EDITOR
MARSHFIELD — Just over a year ago, central Wisconsin was awarded a pre-professional soccer franchise, when the Wisconsin Conquerors were allowed to join Major Arena Soccer League 2 for the 2024-25 season.

“It’s been going really well,” said Dr. Alexander Eddo – who along with his wife Cerene co-owns the team – in our June 19 conversation. “The boys have been having a good time. And then also just trying to rally the community to realize what they have.”

The Conquerors are based out of Marshfield and the team will compete year-round. In the winter, the club will compete under the MASL2 (Major Arena Soccer League) indoor league. Those games will be played from November 2024 to April 2025 in Weston at the Greenheck Fieldhouse, which recently underwent a $35 million expansion, including a full-field indoor soccer component as part of a 130,000-square-foot project.

The summer team plays at Kenneth & Ardyce Heiting Community Stadium on the campus of Marshfield High School from May to August, and competes under the NPSL (National Premier Soccer League), a league that’s been growing soccer across the U.S. for over 20 years. NPSL is considered a Division 4 league under US Soccer and is essentially a stepping stone to the MLS and USL Championship leagues, the highest levels of play in the country.

“The NPSL, they’ve done a lot in trying to develop soccer across the nation, especially in rural areas,” Eddo told us.

Eddo, a doctor of pharmacy practicing in Marshfield, is the Conquerors founder and an avid soccer lover and former player who – at the age of 15 – was scouted by a Portuguese FIFA agent while growing up in Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean.

“Eventually, I came back from Portugal, got a soccer scholarship in the U.S., played NCAA in Tennessee (Tusculum University). These things stayed with me all my life,” said Eddo, now 42. “I had this dream, and I know that there’s a lot of young boys who have the same dream. How can you meet them and help give them a platform to attain their dreams? It’s a great platform.”

The soccer club was established in February 2023 and also serves the surrounding cities of Wausau, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids and Eau Claire. 

“They’re all forty-five minutes to an hour apart. Each community by itself might look small, but if you combine the market, you have a big pool, there are about two-hundred-thousand people here. Our fans are looking for opportunities to play and support sports in the central part of the state, and MASL2 was a perfect fit,” Eddo added.

The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point at Marshfield campus serves as the training site for the Conquerors, who have two home games left this summer. The Conquerors will host Des Moines United FC on Tuesday, July 2, followed by the final home match of the outdoor season on Saturday, July 6 vs. Gio’s Lions FC.

Tickets for all home matches are available at wisconsinconquerors.org/npsl-tickets or at the gate at Heiting Stadium, 1401 E. Becker Rd.

Meanwhile, the Conquerors are offering aspiring soccer players a chance later this summer to learn the game from two of the best who ever played – Brian Deane and Andrew Kiwomya. The Brian Deane Soccer Camp, presented by the Wisconsin Conquerors, will be held Aug. 2-3 at Greenheck FIeldhouse in Weston. The camp is for boys and girls ages 9 and older. The cost is $100. Participants will receive a personal development plan, a camp t-shirt, a parent Q&A and refreshments both days. For more information, visit www.wisconsinconquerors.org.