In mid-March, Hollywood United Hitmen announced a last-minute change in league affiliation for the 2011 season, joining the National Premier Soccer League after playing two seasons in the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League. Three weeks later, the PDL announced the addition of LA Blues 23 as a replacement.
Hollywood United Hitmen have been a major force in the greater LA soccer scene much of the last decade while the Blues are new on the men’s side of the game after dominating in the women’s. Ironically, the two organizations were previously partnered together in 2010.
The HUH side is the feature team of the Hollywood United Football Club that is famous for numerous celebrities and former internationals playing on its teams over the years as well as participating in the club’s many charity events.
| Famous Faces @ HUFC |
| Musicians: Ian Astbury (The Cult), Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard), Paul Cook (Sex Pistols), Billy Duffy (The Cult), Steve Jones (Sex Pistols), Ziggy Marley, Christian Olde-Wolbers (Fear Factory) and Robbie Williams (Take That) |
| Television/Movies: Danny Cannon, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Anthony LaPaglia, Ralf Little, Donal Logue, Gilles Marini, Dermot Mulroney, Michael Raymond-James, Brandon Routh, Jason Statham |
| Ex-Internationals: Richard Gough, John Harkes, Vinnie Jones, Alexi Lalas, Frank Leboeuf, Eric Wynalda |
As an independent team, the side qualified for the US Open Cup in 2008 through the USASA Region IV tournament, going 3-0-0 with victories against three NPSL teams. They then shocked many in the First Round of the US Open Cup by eliminating then USL First Division (pro second division) Portland Timbers in a 3-2 affair. They were then defeated by the USL-1 Seattle Sounders 6-0.
In the past two years, Hollywood finished in the top two of the PDL Southwest Division, but missed out on qualifying for the US Open Cup, finishing 1-2-1 in the group a year ago after narrowly missing out in 2009 at 3-1-0.
The LA Blues 23 are an extension of the new USL Pro side Los Angeles Blues, an automatic entrant into the US Open Cup. The Blues 23 will be a professional side playing in the PDL, allowing the players to serve as reserve players that can migrate between the rosters of the two teams similar to the Vancouver Whitecaps of MLS and previously USL First Division.
While the Blues 23 schedule currently remains what was originally slated for Hollywood United, according to club Vice President Charlie Naimo the club is exploring potential changes to accommodate doubleheaders with the professional third division side.
Naimo, the head coach of the USL Pro team, is well known for his success in the women’s game, particularly in the W-League. He has a 87-10-7 regular season coaching record with multiple teams, including three regular season championships and three W-League titles. In 2008, he led the expansion Pali Blues to a perfect record in the W-League and the league championship which he followed up with another unbeaten season and title in 2009.