The Des Moines Menace has been Iowa’s premier soccer team since 1994. With the support of a passionate and loyal following, Menace Soccer is committed to providing fans with fun, family-friendly entertainment. Through its youth programs, the Menace organization continues to grow the game of soccer here in the central Iowa community.


Part of the PDL
        Playing in the Premier Development League (PDL), the team focuses on the training and advancement of amateur soccer players who aspire to play professionally. With 64 teams across North America, the PDL is an entry level of the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The Menace is part of the Heartland Division of the PDL’s Central Conference.   The team competes against divisional foes from Denver, Colo., Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, Mo., Springfield, Mo., Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada,, and Thunder Bay, Ontario., Canada. 
        The North American soccer landscape is similar to professional baseball’s minor leagues, with its own equivalents of Single-A (the PDL), Double-A (USL-PRO) and Triple-A competition (North American Soccer League). Though it is not directly affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS), the PDL, USL-PRO and NASL serve as talent pipelines for MLS teams. 

Achieving Success
        The organization takes pride in its track record of developing winning teams and top-level talent. Since the team’s inaugural 1994 season, the Menace has reached the PDL playoffs 11 times, advancing to the final four three times. The Menace’s banner year came in 2005, a season punctuated by a dramatic win over the El Paso Patriots to claim the PDL Championship. The Menace’s list of alumni in the professional ranks includes more than 50 former players who have gone on to play in the pros, including more than 20 who have played for Major League Soccer teams. Click here for more details on Menace history through the years.

Ownership and Front Office
        Kyle Krause, CEO and President of Kum & Go L.C., acquired majority ownership of the Menace in 1998. The Menace organization’s offices are part of the West Des Moines office building that houses Kum & Go convenience stores, Liberty Bank, Solar Transport and Amici Espresso. For contact information for the members of the Menace front office, click here.



        Laurie Calloway, Neathan Gibson and Kevin Schalk coach the Menace's PDL team and lead the coaches of the Menace Academy youth teams. Calloway, the organization's Director of Soccer and PDL head coach, is a former MLS head coach who has played and coached in more than 1,000 pro matches. Gibson, who serves as the Menace Academy's Director of Coaching and the PDL team's assistant coach, played professionally in the MLS and four foreign countries. Schalk, the Director of Coaching for Menace West, a Grimes-based branch of the Menace Academy, is the PDL team's goalkeeping coach. He was a goalie for the United States' U15, U17 and U21 national teams and played professionally for the Charleston Battery. For contact information for the Menace coaches, click here.


Development at All Levels
        The Menace Soccer Foundation, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, encourages the interest and participation of youth soccer. The foundation consists of the Junior Menace, Youth Academy, youth tournaments and camps and clinics. For beginners ages 3-9, the Junior Menace develops the fundamental skills and love of soccer. A higher level of competition is found in the Menace Youth Academy, which is a select year-round program that focuses on improving players ages 10 and up in a fun and challenging environment. The Menace also hosts four annual youth tournaments for boys and girls, U11-U19, as well as various camps and clinics to provide even more opportunities for soccer athletes to improve their skills throughout the soccer season.