San Diego Flash was an American soccer team based in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1998, the team returned to competitive play in 2011 and most recently played in the Southern Conference of the West Division of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. For the 2001 season the team was known as San Diego F.C.. The team originally spent four years playing in the A-League, but spent almost a decade away from competitive soccer following its withdrawal from that league in 2001. Spearheaded by the efforts of former English Premier League footballer Warren Barton with former Flash player, Jerome Watson as assistant coach, general manager Travis Chesney and former US national team striker Eric Wynalda, the team returned to the field as an exhibition team in 2010 leading to its return to competitive league play in 2011. The Flash dissolved before the 2018 NPSL season, dissolving with the passing of the team owner. History A-League Flash (1998–2001) The original Flash played in the A-League between 1998 and 2001, having acquired the franchise from the defunct Colorado Foxes. The club's founders were president Yan Skwara and Vice-president/general manager Sam Kaloustian, and during the A-league years its head coaches included Ralf Wilhelms, Costa Skouras, Papo Santos, and Colin Clarke. The club averaged approximately 2,500 fans per game when playing its home games at Southwest College and San Diego Mesa College. The largest crowd for a Flash match was 6,500 at Mesa College for a US Open Cup match against Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy in 2000. In 2001, the La Jolla Nomads took over operation of the team and renamed it San Diego FC. The Flash were fairly successful during their short stint in the league, winning the Pacific Division in 1998 and 1999, finishing second in 2000 and 2001, progressing to the quarter finals of the A-League playoffs in 2001, and reaching the third round of the US Open Cup on two separate occasions. After the 2001 season the team folded due to management and financial problems. Rebirth and the NPSL (2010–2015) The club was resurrected in 2010 by a new ownership group, the San Diego Soccer Partners, Inc., which is headed by former Flash part owner Clenton A. Alexander, former English Premier League footballer and Fox Soccer Channel analyst Warren Barton, and former US national team striker Eric Wynalda.