USL League Two season, the Menace embarked on what would be a historic 2021 season. Winning their first nine consecutive games, the Menace spent most of the season on top of the league rankings. Falling just once at an away game in Chicago, the Menace finished the season 11-1-0 as both Heartland Division Champions and USL2 Regular Season Champions. The Menace entered the playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed, and dominated Texas United 5–0, followed by a tense 1–0 victory over Flint City to qualify for the Central Conference Final. Sticking to their winning ways, the Menace triumphed over Kalamazoo FC 2–1 to claim the Central Conference Title. Just two days later, the Menace faced Portland Timbers U23 in the National Semifinal and emerged with a 2–0 victory. In the final playoff match of the 2021 season, the Menace put one goal past NC Fusion U23, which was enough to secure their second league title. Each of their playoff matches were hosted at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines, with the league final breaking both a club and league attendance record with 7,342 fans in attendance. Manel Busquets was named MVP of the match. In 2022, the team once again made a run in the playoffs after completing an undefeated regular season under first year Head Coach Dean Johnson. However, the team ultimately fell to Flint City in the Elite 8 round in penalty kicks. USL Pro Iowa On September 18, 2019, Menace owner Kyle Krause announced plans to bring a USL Championship team to Des Moines, pending construction of a downtown stadium. Said USL President Jake Edwards, “There is very strong local ownership and a huge appetite for professional soccer. All that’s remaining now is the development of a soccer-specific stadium, and once that occurs, we look forward to delivering a professional soccer club that this community can be proud of.” On January 27, 2022, USL officially awarded Des Moines a USL Championship expansion club, set to play its inaugural season in 2024. Players Notable former players This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, USL2, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team. Tomas Boltnar, a two-time (2002, 2003) PDL MVP from the Czech Republic, is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, with 73 goals. He retired from competitive