Lansing United unites Lansing

Fans arrive holding Lansing United scarves, wearing Lansing United t-shirts and waving Lansing United flags. As the crowd fills the bleachers and screamed for their team, it's clear that something special is taking hold.
 
Lansing United fans are led in cheers and jeers by a rowdy group of supporters known as the “Sons of Ransom” (a reference to Lansing manufacturing icon Ransom E. Olds, founder of Oldsmobile).
 
Stefan McMillan, a local law student, and the SOR crew gather at a pub near Archer Stadium before each home game. After drinks, food and soccer talk, they grab their Lansing United flags and march to Archer Stadium, chanting and singing along the way.
 
Supporter groups have become as much a part of the game of soccer as the ball on the field. When he heard a new team was coming to Lansing, McMillan contacted the team founder and president Jeremy Sampson, who helped connect McMillan with his Sons of Ransom co-founders Richard Schenck and Eric Walcott. 
 
Schenck and Walcott each described themselves as soccer fans that were waiting for a local team to support.
 
“In order for a team like Lansing United to be successful, it needs to have a solid fan base,” said Walcott, who spends his days working as a legislative aide for a state representative. “A strong supporters group is an important part of making it a good environment not only for the players to enjoy, but also other fans.”
 
The SOR guys and gals bang drums, antagonize opponents and raise a generally good-natured ruckus throughout each game. Schenck, who works at Sparrow Hospital, said it didn’t take long before the crowd joined in.
 
“At the home opener, we had young ladies from the Rush soccer teams leading us in chants,” said Schenck. “It’s moments like that we want to create to make this historic first season one to remember.”
 
MSU connection
 
Five Michigan State soccer players are members of the Lansing United roster and MSU men’s soccer coach Damon Rensing encouraged each of them to consider playing. 
 
“We meet in January and April for individual meetings to look at all aspects of our players’ experience,” Rensing explained. “One of the topics in January is ‘What are your summer plans?’ Those student-athletes that were around the Mid-Michigan area we had Lansing [United] as our number one option for summer opportunities.”
 
Rensing believes that a deep bond could grow between Lansing United and his MSU program.
 
“I like the fact that the MSU players not only represent MSU, but the Lansing Community as well,” said Rensing. “Hopefully 5-10 years from now we will see kids who attended Lan U and Michigan State games proudly represent Lansing United and Michigan State.”
 
Local players
 
Who better to answer the question “Is Lansing a soccer town?” than the homegrown talent of the Lansing United roster?
 
Lansing United reserve goalkeeper Josh Kleinow, a Holt native, grew up playing soccer at the club level in Mid-Michigan. He said that opportunities in the area have grown a lot since he was a youth player.
 
“Back when I played club, there was only one team per age group, if that. Nowadays, there are three, maybe four teams per age group for club soccer.” said Kleinow, who recently transferred to Saginaw Valley State University after two seasons as the starting goalkeeper at Owens Community College in Toledo.
 
Jared Wilson-Santos worked his way up through the Lansing-area club levels before playing four years at Everett High School in Lansing. Now entering his third season playing soccer at Olivet College, Wilson-Santos says Lansing United has filled a void.
 
“Lansing has embraced it and you can tell through the support that Lansing United gets. It has come a long way and the people of this city were starving for something like this.”
 
Wilson-Santos and Kleinow both said that being the new team in town isn’t going to hold them back. Their goal is simple: Win.
 
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Kevin Duffy is a freelance writer for Capital Gains.

Photos © Dave Trumpie
 
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of Trumpie Photography.