Vermont Green FC: What to know for the 2023 season

By many accounts, the Vermont Green Football Club made a smashing debut last summer.

The team was good — it reached the second round of its league playoffs.

The fan response was overwhelmingly positive — the regular-season finale at University of Vermont's Virtue Field, home to the Green FC, was a sellout.

And a month ago, Green FC announced it sold all of its season tickets for Year 2 — 1,250 paying customers.

"This is a soccer community. That’s been shown over and over again. People are going to come out and watch quality football," Green FC coach Adam Pfeifer said on Thursday during a training session. "We are excited to continue to build on what we did last year. The No. 1 thing I sold to these players … is the community that they will be embraced by."

For what's ahead this summer for Green FC, including the full season schedule, read on below:

Refresher: What is Vermont Green FC?

Debuting last summer, Green FC is a member of USL League Two, which is a pre-professional developmental league that is predominantly for current NCAA players who want to maintain their eligibility.

Unofficially, USL League Two is considered the fourth tier of the American soccer system, behind MLS (Division I) and USL Championship (Division II). USL League One, NISA and the newly formed MLS Next Pro are the third tier.

More: Vermont Green FC made it to USL League Two playoffs round 2. Here's why it is a win

At Vermont, co-founders Patrick Infurna, Matthew Wolff, Sam Glickman, Keil Corey and Colin Kelly launched Green FC to also make a difference beyond the soccer pitch. Their club's principles and mission are focused on awareness and initiatives from climate change to social equity issues.

"We're happy to be a part of this community and to spread our message and show off these players and let them show off their skills," Infurna said Thursday.

Men in Blazers upcoming podcast event

One of the country's most well-known and popular soccer podcasts is making a stop in Burlington next month.

Roger Bennett and the "Men in Blazers" team are scheduled to tape their podcast show in front of a live audience at Higher Ground on Thursday, June 1. Seating is limited, and close to a sellout, but tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

The podcast episode is titled: "The Incredible Vermont Green FC Story: A Live Taping with Men In Blazers."

More: 'I have no idea how we're going to pull this off.' Vermont Green soccer betting on a cause

Infurna said Bennett reached out to the club to arrange the appearance.

"This club has made strides and people have noticed and Roger Bennett is one of them," Infurna said. "He really started to follow the team last year in a super-organic way. On his own, he got captivated with the team.

"It's a testament to the soccer community here in Burlington — we're at a good moment for soccer here and people are taking notice."

Local connections on Green FC roster

Pfeifer believes this year's squad is deeper than the 2022 outfit. About a dozen returning players and those with Vermont connections should have an impact this summer.

Zach Barrett, Yaniv Bazini, Daniel Pacella are current members of the Vermont men's soccer team, which finished the 2023 season ranked fourth in the country and made the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 1989. Nacho Lerech, who played for UVM in 2021, is also on the Green FC roster.

Charlie Adams, from Norwich, Vermont, and Williston's Oliver Martin, who plays for Michigan, are among the returning group of players with Pacella.

Pfeifer also welcomes one of his star players with the Norwich Cadets, Amerlin Nemeye, who just finished a decorated collegiate career. Nemeye, a 2017 South Burlington High School graduate, set a Norwich record for most career assists (31). His 14 helpers during the 2022 campaign ranked third nationally in Division III.

"I couldn’t be more proud of what he’s accomplished," said Pfeifer, who earlier this month stepped down at Norwich to accept the athletic director position at Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire.

Green FC's goalie group includes returnee Nathan Schnur (Creighton) and Nicholas Christoffersen (UPenn), a Montreal native who was picked 83rd overall by Toronto in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.

New home jerseys for 2023

Designed by Wolf, Green FC unveiled Wednesday their home jerseys or kits for the 2023 season. Wolf said the "Wallflower Kit" was designed "to honor Vermont’s natural beauty — more specifically, the reemergence of greenery, and the colorful bloom of springtime."

"It also reflects the vibrant energy that fans have come to expect when Vermont Green takes the field in Burlington," Wolf said in a news release.

Green FC will continue to wear last year's away and alternate jerseys this summer. Home matches will also feature food trucks, a new addition in 2023.

Green FC's 2023 season schedule

Home games are played at University of Vermont's Virtue Field. For matchday tickets, visit vermontgreenfc.com/tickets. The club quickly sold out its season tickets (at 1,250, which is half of Virtue Field's capacity).

Saturday, May 20: at Boston Bolts (Newton, Mass.), 1:30 p.m.

Friday, May 26: vs. Albany Rush, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 31: vs. CS Mont-Royal Outremont, 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 3: vs. Seacoast United, 6 p.m.

Monday, June 5: at Black Rock FC (New London, N.H.), 4 p.m.

Wednesday, June 7: vs. Kingston Stockade, 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 10: at Boston City FC (Malden, Mass.), 1 p.m.

Tuesday, June 13: at Albany Rush (Schenectady, N.Y.), 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 17: vs. Western Mass Pioneers, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, June 21: vs. Boston Bolts, 7 p.m.

Saturday, June 24: vs. AC Connecticut, 7 p.m.

Tuesday, June 27: at Seacoast United (Epping, N.H.), 6 p.m.

Sunday, July 2: vs. Black Rock FC, 1 p.m

Friday, July 7: at Western Mass Pioneers (Ludlow, Mass.), 7 p.m.

Sunday, July 9: vs. Juba Star FC, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, July 12: at Pathfinder FC (Pleasant, N.Y.), 5 p.m.

Sunday, July 16: vs. Boston City FC, 7 p.m.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont Green FC: Burlington soccer club returns for second season