Vermont Green FC

Vermont Green
Full nameVermont Green Football Club
NicknamesThe Boys/Girls in Green, Les Verts
Founded2021 (2021)
StadiumVirtue Field
Capacity2,500
Coordinates44°28′05″N 73°11′40″W / 44.4681°N 73.1944°W / 44.4681; -73.1944
CoachChris Taylor (men)
Abby Carchio (women)
LeagueUSL League Two (men)
USL W League (women)
2026
2026		1st, Northeast Division
Playoffs: Champions (men)
1st, Northeast Division
Playoffs: Finalists (women)
Websitevermontgreenfc.com

Vermont Green Football Club is an American soccer club based in Burlington, Vermont. Founded in 2021, the club fields a men's team in USL League Two and a women's team in the USL W League. The club mission is centered on environmental justice with the goal of becoming a net zero soccer club.[1] They are also a member of One Percent for the Planet, donating 1% of the club's annual revenues to approved environmental partners.[2]

VGFC's environmental mission has drawn coverage from The New York Times, BBC Sport, The Guardian, and the Men in Blazers podcast.[3][4][5] The Green won back-to-back USL League Two national championships in 2025 and 2026, marking two consecutive undefeated seasons.[6][7] The women's team made their debut in 2026.[8]

History

Prior to the Green, the Burlington, Vermont area was home to USL League Two club, Vermont Voltage, which played from 1997 until 2014.

The club was officially announced as USL League Two's newest team on October 12, 2021.[9][10] One of the club's co-founders is Matthew Wolff, a graphic designer known for his work on soccer logos and jerseys. Wolff designed Vermont Green FC's logo, which was unveiled in February 2022.[11] He continues to design all of the club's kits and apparel.[12]

First seasons

The club played its first match on May 16, 2022, defeating Boston City FC 4–0. Norwegian Eythor Bjorgolfsson scored their first goal on a penalty late in the first half.[13] On May 28, 2022, Vermont Green FC won in their home opener, in front of a crowd of 1,001 people. Portuguese midfielder Rodrigo Vaza scored his first goal for the club and the first home VGFC goal in history.[14] On July 17, 2022, the Green defeated Western Mass Pioneers 1–0 in front of a capacity crowd of 2,500 to clinch a playoff spot in their first season of play.[15] After upsetting hosts Lionsbridge FC in the opening round, VGFC were eliminated by eventual national runner up Long Island Roughriders.[16]

Interest in Vermont Green continued to grow in the lead-up to their second season. In the spring of 2023, it was announced they had sold out of season tickets for the upcoming season, with a total of 1,250 sold. Five of the team's seven home league matches were sellouts. On the field, the Green won ten matches and finished 3rd in USL League Two's Northeast Division. The Green were eliminated from USL League Two playoff contention after a 1–1 draw at Pathfinder FC in their penultimate match, ultimately finishing two points behind Western Mass Pioneers for the final playoff spot.[17] In addition to their league schedule, the team also played friendlies against CS Mont-Royal Outremont of Ligue1 Quebec, Kingston Stockade of the National Premier Soccer League, and local side Juba Star FC.[18] After the season, the Green were recognized as the 2023 USL League Two Organization of the Year, chosen from the league’s 122 clubs across the US and Canada.[19]

On December 11, 2023, it was announced that Vermont Green qualified for the U.S. Open Cup for the first time.[20] Vermont Green won the first round match against USL League One team Lexington SC 4-3.[21] In round two, VGFC hosted again. Despite leading early on a goal by Israeli forward Yaniv Bazini, they were eventually defeated 2-1 by MLS Next Pro side Carolina Core FC in front of sellout crowd.[22]

In 2024, it was announced that the club would begin an annual match against the reigning champion of the Canadian Ligue1 Québec, to be known as the Maple Cup.[23] In May, the club announced they would form a women's team.[24] Coached by Sam Mewis, they hosted a friendly match against Ligue1 Québec side FC Laval on June 22, 2024 as a preview to the Maple Cup, winning the match on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in regulation.[25]

On July 13, 2024, Vermont Green clinched its second-ever postseason berth after coming from behind in the second half to beat Western Mass Pioneers 3-1 in an away game. They finished the regular season with a 9-2-2 record, good enough for 3rd place in the Northeast Division.

Championship season (2025)

The Green were undefeated during the 2025 season, winning both the Northeast Division and the Eastern Conference. On August 2, the Green won their first-ever USL League Two national championship, defeating Ballard FC 2–1 after a Maximillian Kissel goal in stoppage time.[26] The Green hosted all five of their playoff matches en route to winning the trophy with sellouts at each. An estimated 5,000 people watched the final, far above the official stadium capacity of 2,700.[27]

2026 season

The men's team successfully defended their USL League Two Northeast Division title, finishing the regular season undefeated with 13 wins and one draw.[28] Early in the year, the Green made their second consecutive appearance in the U.S. Open Cup, securing a 1–0 first-round victory over Portland Hearts of Pine before losing on penalties (3 - 4) to Westchester SC in the second round following a 0–0 draw.[29] In June, Virtue Field hosted the 2026 Hank Steinbrecher Cup, an annual tournament between the nation's top amateur champions. In front of a capacity crowd of 2,500, Vermont Green defeated USASA Amateur Cup Champions West Chester United SC 4–1 to claim the trophy.[30] The men's squad then advanced to the USL League Two playoffs, hosting the early knockout rounds in Burlington. On August 1, 2026, Vermont Green defeated the Flint Michigan Bucks, 2-1, to claim the title of undefeated back to back National USL2 Champions.[31]

The 2026 season also marked the inaugural USL W League campaign for the Vermont Green FC women's team. Led by head coach Abby Carchio, the team were undefeated in the regular season and clinched the Northeast Division title.[32] In the postseason, the Green captured the Eastern Conference Championship with victories over the Long Island Rough Riders[33] and Eagle FC.[34] Continuing their run, they hosted the National Semifinal and defeated Asheville City SC, advancing to the USL W League Final against Salmon Bay FC. VGFC fell to Salmon Bay having lost their goalie in the second half to a dislocated shoulder, tied at 1-1 after 120 minutes, eventually losing 5-4 in the 6th round of PKs to end their inaugural season.

Club culture

Vermont Green FC’s club culture is defined by a strong emphasis on social engagement, environmental sustainability, and progressive values. The organization promotes an identity that extends beyond sport, positioning itself as a community-focused institution that seeks to address wider social and ecological issues. The club has five formal goals it seeks to achieve:[3]

  1. Achieve net-zero emissions.
  2. Fight systemic racism.
  3. Donate 1% of annual sales to environmental non-profits.
  4. Use recycled or upcycled materials in merchandise.
  5. Promote education and awareness on influencing change.

Vermont Green FC integrates sustainability into its operations through carbon-conscious initiatives, eco-friendly merchandise, and campaigns highlighting the relationship between sport and climate action. This environmental focus is not presented as a marketing device but as a guiding principle shaping both club policy and supporter engagement.

The club’s supporters, including the Green Mountain Bhoys group, have cultivated a politically conscious fan culture.[4] Matchdays feature banners and messages promoting social justice, anti-racism, and inclusivity, while the stands attract a diverse following, including many who were not previously interested in football. Support for the club is often framed as participation in a community project rather than traditional fandom, combining enthusiasm for the sport with civic and ethical commitment. Vermont Green’s model has attracted attention within US lower-league football as an example of a club seeking to redefine success in non-commercial and community-oriented terms. In the absence of promotion and relegation, growth is measured through its social reach and influence rather than league status.[4]

Players and staff also adopt the club's values personally. Speaking in 2025, the team's co-captain Zachary Zengue spoke of how playing for Vermont Green encouraged him to live more sustainably, while defender Victor Akoum emphasised the need for athletes to engage with climate issues. Sam Mewis, the coach of the 2025 women's exhibition team, said of working at Vermont Green: "All my time through professional soccer, we were so wasteful with plastic bottles and not reusing things...To see the way [Vermont Green are] operating, and to see that it is possible to have that mission be a core part of a club, is so inspirational, and should be something that more clubs pick up on and feel inspired by".[35]

Stadium

Virtue Field during a Vermont Green FC match in 2022

The club plays their home matches at Virtue Field, a 2,500-seat stadium on the campus of the University of Vermont.[35][36] The stadium includes sorted recycling and portable toilets that collect waste for reuse as fertilizer.[35] The club's founders have stated that their ultimate goal is to build their own dedicated stadium at some point in the future with more environmentally-friendly features, such as solar power and natural fibers for the pitch.[35][37]

Honors

League

Cup

  • Maple Cup
    • Champions (3): 2024, 2025, 2026
  • Hank Steinbrecher Cup
    • Champions (1): 2026

Awards

Players

As of July 16, 2026

USL LEAGUE 2

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  GER Niklas Herceg
2 DF  USA Brandon Marshall
3 DF  CAN Nikos Clarke-Tosczak
4 DF  USA Egor Akulov
5 MF  NOR Sebastian Pop
6 DF  ENG Riley Moloney
7 MF  USA Alexander Hall
8 MF  USA Brendan Lambe
10 MF  ITA Joseph Umberto Picotto
11 FW  CAN David Ajagbe
12 DF  ENG Tyler Caton
13 MF  USA Aidan Godinho
14 FW  USA Diego Rosas
16 MF  USA Nash Barlow
18 FW  FRA Jeremy Francou
19 DF  USA Shakir Nixon
20 FW  CAN Antoine Coupland
21 DF  USA Marcos dos Santos
22 DF  NOR Trym Linberg
No. Pos. Nation Player
23 MF  NOR Martin Bakken
24 MF  USA Andrea Di Blasio
25 GK  USA Ryan Carney
26 MF  USA Andrew Millar
27 MF  USA Ryan Zellefrow
28 GK  FRA Jeremi Abbonel
29 MF  USA Will Sawin
30 GK  USA Seth Wilson
31 FW  USA Samson Kpadeh
32 GK  ENG Halim Bangura
33 GK  CAN Leon Brady
34 GK  USA Brio Levitt
35 MF  USA Connor Miller
41 DF  USA Nicholas McHenry
43 DF  CAN Victor Akoum
44 DF  USA Gabriel Fernandez
45 DF  USA Karl Daly
77 FW  USA Efe Aror
99 GK  ENG Arnold Matshazi

USL W LEAGUE

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK  USA Olivia Shippee
2 DF  CAN Emma Warren
3 DF  USA Chloe Gorman
4 FW  USA Emily Mara
5 MF  USA Maya Evans
6 DF  AUS Meg Roden
7 DF  USA Brooke Birtwistle
8 FW  USA Sophie Reale
9 FW  ENG Neve Renwick
10 MF  CAN Sydney Remington
12 FW  USA Lauren DeGroot
13 FW  CAN Hosane Soukou
14 MF  USA Olivia Grenda
15 DF  USA Bridget Kennedy
16 MF  USA Daisy Granholm
17 DF  USA Caitlin Mara
19 DF  USA Hannah Kroupa
No. Pos. Nation Player
20 MF  USA Tess Barrett
21 MF  USA Georgina Clarke
22 MF  USA Louisa Thomsen
23 MF  USA Brenna Connell
24 MF  USA Lily Gibbs
25 MF  USA Isabel Smith
26 DF  USA Violet Rademacher
27 GK  USA Blythe Braun
28 MF  USA Kat Thomsen
29 MF  USA Ava Moore
30 GK  USA Sydney Slusser
31 GK  USA Maeve English
32 MF  CAN Farrah Yaacoub
34 DF  USA Olivia Lee
36 DF  USA Elliot Forney
41 DF  USA Emanuelly Ferreira
44 DF  USA Abby Mills
66 FW  USA Annie Gnidula
91 FW  CAN Della Weir

Technical staff

  • United States Adam Pfeifer – Sporting Director
  • England Chris Taylor – Head Coach (Men)
  • United States Abby Carchio – Head Coach (Women)
  • Northern Ireland Lee Williamson – Assistant Coach (Men)
  • United States Cait Fogel – Assistant Coach (Women)
  • United States Jed Sass - Assistant Coach (Men)
  • United States Rory Twomey - Assistant Coach (Women)
  • United States Robert Emmett - Goalkeeper Coach (Men)
  • United States Edgar Vargas - Goalkeeper Coach (women)
  • United States Jett Barbic - Goalkeeper Coach (women)
  • United States Matthew Wolff - Team Manager (women)
  • United States Hannah Tremel – Athletic Trainer
  • United States Sam Mewis – Women's exhibition team coach (2025)

Notable former players

Year by year

Season USL League Two Northeast Division Playoffs US Open Cup Avg. Attendance
P W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Pos.
2022 14 9 1 4 38 14 24 28 2.00 3rd Round of 16 DNQ 1,405
2023 14 10 1 3 38 12 26 31 2.21 3rd DNQ DNQ 2,234
2024 13 9 2 2 31 9 22 29 2.23 3rd Round of 16 2nd Round 2,431
2025 14 11 3 0 38 8 30 36 2.57 1st National champions DNQ 2,500+
2026 14 13 1 0 64 12 52 40 2.86 1st National champions 2nd Round 2,614
Season USL W League Northeast Division Playoffs Avg. Attendance
P W D L GF GA GD Pts PPG Pos.
2026 10 6 4 0 29 6 23 22 2.20 1st Runners–up N/A 2,500

References

  1. ↑ "The Vermont Green FC Environmental Justice Mission". Vermont Green Football Club. Archived from the original on August 3, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  2. ↑ "The Vermont Green FC Environmental Justice Mission". Vermont Green Football Club. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "The new US club doing things differently". BBC Sport. May 11, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 Root, Tik (June 30, 2023). "Vermont Green FC: the fourth-tier US soccer team out to save the world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Men in Blazers 06/01/23: Live in Vermont – Men in Blazers". Men in Blazers. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ Szumowicz, Austin (August 2, 2026). "Flint City Bucks fall just short of USL 2 National Championship to Vermont Green FC". www.wnem.com. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  7. ↑ Team, WCAX News (July 28, 2026). "Vermont Green FC will defend its national championship live on WCAX". www.wcax.com. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  8. ↑ Wilson, Nathaniel (October 7, 2025). "Vermont Green announces women's club set to compete in USL W League". Vermont Public. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Vermont Green FC, new men's soccer team will compete in USL League Two". Local 22/44 News. October 12, 2021. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  10. ↑ Staff, USLLeagueTwo com (October 12, 2021). "Vermont Green FC to Join USL League Two Ahead of the 2022 Season". USL League Two. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  11. ↑ Wolff, Matthew (February 17, 2022). "A Letter From Designer & Club Co-Founder Matthew Wolff". Vermont Green FC. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  12. ↑ https://shop.vermontgreenfc.com/collections/all/products/the-2025-pre-match-top
  13. ↑ "Vermont Green FC Win 4–0 in League Debut". May 16, 2022. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Vermont Green FC Earn Win In Historic Home Opener". Vermont Green Football Club. May 29, 2022. Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Green community helps drive playoff push". July 18, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  16. ↑ "USL League Two Playoffs are here". USL League 2 Playoffs. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Standings | uslleaguetwo.com". www.uslleaguetwo.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  18. ↑ "2023 Schedule". Vermont Green Football Club. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Vermont Green FC named 2023 USL League Two Organization of the Year". December 2023. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Full Slate of 32 Open Division Underdogs Set for 2024 Open Cup | U.S. Soccer Official Website". www.ussoccer.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  21. ↑ "2024 US Open Cup Round 1: Vermont Green upset Lexington as tournament debuts in Green Mountain State". thecup.us. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Vermont Green F.C. Run in U.S. Open Cup stopped by Carolina Core". April 4, 2024.
  23. ↑ Mahmoudi, Nelson (April 20, 2024). "Vermont Green To Host League1 Quebec Champion In New 'Maple Cup'". Northern Tribune.
  24. ↑ "Vermont Green FC Announce Inaugural Women's Exhibition Match, Explore Launch of Permanent Women's Team". Vermont Green FC. May 7, 2024.
  25. ↑ Dugan, Michael (June 22, 2024). "Vermont Green wins inaugural women's match in penalties". WCAX-TV.
  26. ↑ "Vermont Green FC wins USL2 National Championship".
  27. ↑ Brown, Burgess (August 2, 2025). "Vermont Green FC claim national title over Seattle's Ballard FC". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  28. ↑ "USL2 Match Report: Vermont Green 4-2 Western Mass Pioneers". Vermont Green FC. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  29. ↑ "U.S. Open Cup Match Report: Vermont Green 0-0 Westchester SC (3-4 on PKs)". Vermont Green FC. April 2, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Vermont Green FC Wins 2026 Hank Steinbrecher Cup". Vermont Green FC. June 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  31. ↑ Battista, Michael (August 3, 2026). "Vermont Green wins second straight USL League Two title". New York Soccer Journal. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  32. ↑ "USLW Eastern Conference Playoffs are Coming to Virtue Field, Tickets Available". Vermont Green FC. June 28, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  33. ↑ "USLW Playoff Match Report: Vermont Green 3-0 Long Island Rough Riders". Vermont Green FC. July 3, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  34. ↑ "2026 VERMONT GREEN ARE 2026 USLW EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS!". Vermont Green FC. July 5, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  35. 1 2 3 4 Buckley, Cara (June 24, 2025). "This Vermont Soccer Team Plays for the Planet". The New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2025.
  36. ↑ Sports, Banner. "Vermont Green Football to bring amature [sic] soccer to Burlington". Bennington Banner. Archived from the original on October 12, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  37. ↑ Farnsworth, Chris (June 26, 2024). "Burlington's Semipro Soccer Team, Vermont Green FC, is Winning on and off the Field". Sven Days.
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