Founding In May 2021, an ownership group led by local businessman Samir Belhseine announced an application to join the
National Independent Soccer Association for 2022. The team, initially just called "AC Syracuse", announced plans to develop an academy system along with a women's soccer team that would compete in
United Women's Soccer. The team also announced a fan-vote for the community to pick the club mascot, with the top 32 names at the end of the voting submission window entered into a bracket and a winner announced at the
New York State Fair. On October 26, the team was officially accepted into NISA after being approved by the league's Board of Governors. The team also announced its new team nickname "Syracuse Pulse" and logo the same day in a local press conference. Former
C.F. União assistant manager and
Cayman Islands youth national team manager Cláudio Garcia was announced as the first-ever team manager, but was replaced before the season by former
Chattanooga FC coach Peter Fuller.
2022 Season The Pulse entered their inaugural season in a rushed fashion; the club's first training session was March 19, just seven days before their first league match. Nevertheless, they won that inaugural game over
Upstate New York rival
Flower City Union. The Pulse finished the 2022 season 7-4-11, good for sixth place and the last playoff spot. They were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round, 2-0, by eventual league champions
Michigan Stars FC.
Merger On January 17, 2023, Syracuse Pulse ceased to exist as a separate club after they merged with fellow expansion team
Flower City Union based in
Rochester, New York. The combined club played home matches in both cities; for home games in Syracuse the club played under the name "Salt City Union" with its own logo, uniforms, and color scheme. After winning the
2023 NISA championship in its first season as a combined club, Flower City Union announced its departure from the league in a statement on February 15, 2024. NISA responded with a press release saying "goodbye to our reigning champions". Five days later, Flower City were announced as new members of the semi-professional
National Premier Soccer League. The Salt City identity has been abandoned with the move to the NPSL, and Flower City Union no longer plays any home games in Syracuse. ==Ground==