Forest City London - History

History

Forest City London joined the USL Premier Development League in 2009, and played their first ever game on May 29, 2009, against Cleveland Internationals. London won the game 2–1, with the first goal in franchise history being scored by Kevin Zimmermann. London's debut season was a generally positive one; they remained unbeaten over the course of their first ten games, and enjoyed seven wins, including a 3–1 victory on the road against the Cincinnati Kings, a 5–0 thrashing of Kalamazoo Outrage that featured a brace from midfielder Thomas Beattie, a 3–1 win on the road against traditional powerhouse Michigan Bucks in which Zimmermann added another two goals to his tally, and a comprehensive 4–1 victory in the return fixture against Cleveland at the end of June. London's first loss – their first defeat in franchise history – was a 3–1 drop to the Indiana Invaders at the beginning of July, and it initiated a complete reversal of fortune for the team, who did not win another game all season, and dropped down the divisional standings. They ultimately finished third in the Great Lakes Division, seven points behind divisional champions Kalamazoo, and faced off against Chicago Fire Premier in the first round of the playoffs; unfortunately for London their stay in the playoffs was brief, as they lost 1–0 to the Illinoisans on a goal by Andre Akpan. Kevin Zimmermann and Alan McGreal were London's top scorers in their debut season, with 9 and 7 goals respectively, while Anthony Di Biase contributed 4 assists.