MUSKEGON – Stu Collins is not the type of coach who would be satisfied with a slow rebuild of his long-dormant team.

He wants to win now, so he put a lot of time and trouble into building a squad that he believes will be very good this summer.

His efforts could provide a very big bonus for Muskegon Risers fans who would have just been happy to see the men’s outdoor team compete again this summer after two years off.

The fans will have their team back on Friday night, when the Risers host the Milwaukee Torrent at Oakridge High School in their season opener – and that team just might be really, really good, according to Collins.

“This will be the most different and best ever Risers team that has ever played, by a long shot,” said Collins, a former Risers standout player who was head coach for a short time in 2019 and agreed to return this year.

“I had the opportunity to hand-pick the team. When Matt (Risers owner Matt Schmitt) asked me to come back, I asked for and received the resources I needed to recruit, above and beyond, and we’ve brought in a higher caliber of player.”

The Risers have had three scrimmages against quality opponents in recent weeks and came away with two wins and a tie.

The scrimmages told Collins that he has an abundance of depth on his roster, which totals more than 25 players. He admitted it will be difficult for him to choose which players should be in uniform every game, let alone start, since he’s only allowed to dress 18 per game.

“We are like 18 to 22 deep with no quality drop-off at all,” Collins said. “It’s an exceptional group. It will be unfair to leave any player out on Friday.”

There will be a lot of new things for Riser fans this summer, starting with the location of home games.

The Risers have moved their home field from Muskegon Catholic Central to Russell A. Erickson Stadium at Oakridge High School, where the field is artificial turf and suitable for high-level soccer.

The team will be competing for the first time in the National Premier Soccer League, which they joined in 2019 with the intention of playing a full league schedule in 2020, before COVID wiped out the season.

The NPSL is a sprawling, impressive 92-team league that stretches from coast to coast. It includes four regionals – East, South, Midwest and West – with 13 conferences operating in the various regions.

The Risers will compete in the Great Lakes Conference of the Midwest region. along with four other teams – Carpathia FC, FC Columbus, FC Milwaukee Torrent and Panathinaikos Chicago.

The team will play a 10-game regular season schedule, with five home games.

Most of the names on the roster will be different. In their last few years before going dormant due to COVID, the Risers fielded a roster with a lot of West Michigan talent, and many of those players became very familiar to fans.

There will be a few of the old players back, including veterans TJ Ifaturoti and Adam Knight, but most will be higher-caliber players from all around the world, most of whom have played or still play high-level college soccer in the U.S.

When asked to name somne players who are expected to be standouts this summer, Collins said the list of possible stars is too long to review. But he pointed out a handful that might do special things, and could end up being fan favorites.

The team captain will be Elliott Bentley, a native of Oakham, England who was captain of the soccer team at Oakland University. The defender was named to the All-Horizon League first team in 2019 after helping the Oakland U. squad post five shutouts.

“He’s the fittest guy, and he champions the playing style of the best,” Collins said. “He has an unbelievable work ethic, he’s a pure leader, and he does all the things we expect.”

The coach is also excited to have Vitalis Takawira, a midfielder whose father of the same name was a Major League Soccer star and former member of the Zimbabwe national team.

Collins mentioned attacking midfielder Alec Belcastro, a Pennyslvania native who played one season at Hope College and was named the MIAA Newcomer of the Year after totaling 10 goals and nine assists as a freshman. He also mentioned Mason Smith, a center-midfielder who grew up in Flint and played at Calvin College.

The starting goalkeeper will be Mason Maziasz, a Troy, Michigan native who has been the standout starting keeper for Saginaw State University for several seasons.

While those are just a few names, the roster is full of talented players who could accomplish all sorts of things this season, according to Collins.

When asked who the big scorers might be, Collins said, “I think the goals are going to be spread around the team. We’re not going to be dependent on one or two guys.

“We’re going to be competing at a high level in our league, and we have a crop of players who are more than capable of playing at that level and making an impact. We are going to be very enjoyable to watch. We like to think that we will have the ball more often than not and will play an exciting brand of the game.”