By Brian Foley, Special to OnMilwaukee   Published Dec 18, 2018 at 5:01 PM

On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Torrent, billed as "the only men’s outdoor soccer team that uses professional players in Milwaukee," announced it will join 10 other clubs in the first-ever National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) Founders Cup competition.

The 11 founding members include: New York Cosmos, Miami United FC, Chattanooga FC, Detroit City FC, ASC San Diego, Cal FC, California United Strikers FC, FC Arizona, Miami FC, Milwaukee Torrent and Oakland Roots.

The Founders Cup will begin next August and run through November 2019. It will be followed by a traditional league schedule from the spring to the fall in 2020, featuring all 11 clubs. The format, rosters and schedule for the Founders Cup will be announced at a later date.

The Cup competition will be split into two regions in order "to better build rivalries and maximize interest." The Torrent will join Chattanooga FC, Detroit City FC, Miami FC, Miami United FC and the New York Cosmos in the East region.

"It is an honor to be a part of this new league with all professional players and be among such strong and dynamic soccer clubs," Torrent owner Andreas Davi said in a press release. "We are thrilled to create a new experience for our fans, players and community."

The NPSL features nearly 100 teams in four regions and 13 conferences across the country. The upcoming 2019 Founders Cup will elevate 11 prominent clubs and ultimately establish a high-level league in 2020. All 11 teams are making a full-time commitment to its market and will include professional players, coaches and staff.

On Tuesday, Milwaukee also announced its new head coach hiring, Carlos "Cacho" Córdoba, a former Argentine player. Córdoba played for and coached the Milwaukee Wave, the local indoor soccer team. He also served as the head coach of the Miami Fusion (now defunct) and an assistant of the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas), both of Major League Soccer.

This is the first season in the Torrent’s three-year history that Davi will not be the team’s head coach.

"I was very fortunate to coach some of the very best players in the world such as Valderrama, Sergio Agüero and Diego Maradona," Córdoba said. "I’m excited to be coaching professional players in Milwaukee and bringing my experience as both a coach and a player to the Milwaukee Torrent."

The Torrent finished 3-5-4 in 2018, sixth in the Great Lakes Conference. The team plays at Hart Park Stadium in Wauwatosa.