A downpour, screaming fans and a spectacle in the waning moments of a season finale - that's what well over a thousand spectators witnessed Friday as the Western Mass Pioneers played Vermont Green FC.
A season-long unbeaten streak, a decent playoff spot and the division title were all on the line at Lusitano Stadium as both teams met for their last match of the regular season.
It was a showdown in a town locals call “Soccer City.”
The stadium’s long-been New England’s only soccer-specific venue, dating back to 1918. Despite the wet weather causing a delayed kickoff, much of the stadium’s 3,000 seats were filled Friday with fans of all ages, including families decked out in the home team’s red and white.
Some spectators sported Gremio Lusitano wear, representing the founding Portuguese-American club, whose headquarters overlooks the European-style pitch.
Vermont Green FC supporter group leader Mike Popovich tells WAMC it’s a storied venue he and fans are always happy to make the trip for.
“Ludlow is a great community, [a] great Portuguese community and the love of soccer, the love of football in this community has actually brought us here because otherwise, I think that the Western Mass Pioneers might not be as successful as they are,” he says.
He speaks with WAMC beneath the visiting side’s stands as rain continues to fall. As Popovich explains, Vermont Green’s still a relatively-new club, starting play in 2022. But, the Burlington team boasts a growing fanbase – close to a hundred made the trip to Ludlow.
Both teams are in the United Soccer League’s USL 2 division, which sports semi-pro teams and college players looking for minutes during the summer.
Standing by as rain drops seep through the stands and onto us is the Green’s announcer, Tom Mientka-Proctor.
“They were paying me in beer for the first season, so… I'm an employee-ish,” he explains. “What they're doing in Burlington has just been nothing short of fantastic and it comes down to fantastic marketing, but also just really big community buy-in, and then on top of that: amazing football.”
“What the Green Mountain Bhoys have been doing as well - every single season, we have been growing and growing and that's because of the atmosphere that we bring,” he continues.
Even in the rain, supporters can be heard banging drums and chanting, albeit, they have competition: about a hundred or so kids decked out in Pioneers youth team uniforms countering the chants, including a shouts of “Overrated.”
Eventually, the rain abates and it’s time for the kickoff. The match gets off to a slow start, but right away, the Vermont supporters are banging their drums. Some Pioneer fans are less impressed than others (one particularly loud fan shouts “Shut up over there!”).
Among a small ocean of Pioneers fans is a newcomer – James Mauer from nearby Wilbraham. Already clad in Pioneers memorabilia, he tells WAMC that, having been a soccer fan in the past, he’s been looking to take in more of the beautiful game.
Having it effectively in his backyard is pretty convenient, he adds.
“I used to watch back when I was a kid, but, really, this year … [I’m] getting back into it, watching a lot of games on TV and stuff like that, but to have a local stadium, right in the backyard, ten minutes away, you got a great local crowd, the energy is good - it's just a great spot to come hang on Friday.”
Within minutes of speaking with WAMC, the Pioneers get on the scoreboard - #6 Juan Hermoso scores the first goal of the game in the 41st minute.
From the bleachers to the stadium entrance, Pioneers fans lining the way are ecstatic.
Both teams are at the top of the Northeast Division, but the Pioneers (10-1-2) need a win to secure the title and a ripe spot in the coming playoffs. The Green (11-0-2) only need a tie.
On top of that, Vermont has not lost once this season and handed Western Mass their only loss of 2025 in June.
Going into the half, fans are optimistic. So are the parents of player Kwame Adu-Gyamfi – a Pioneers midfielder who is starting on the bench.
Making the drive from Holden, Massachusetts, Stella Adu-Gyamfi says it’s the 21-year-old’s second year with the team. Following three seasons at UConn, he’s logged at least 11 games played this season.
“He would love to play professionally - we are really keeping our fingers crossed,” she said. “He has lived and breathed soccer since he was born.”
There’s many such cases on the field. Vermont Green itself is loaded with players from not just the University of Vermont, but well-over a dozen other colleges from different parts of the country.
Providence College is one of them -- Western Mass Pioneers forward Israel Neto hails from there. The Brazilian forward ends up scoring goal No. 2 in the 64th minute.
No one’s celebrating early, though. There’s that old sports cliché – a two-nil lead is one of the worst to have. It’s a claim with little data to back it up, but in soccer, it can feel like something of a jinx.
Cliché or not, Pioneers Coach Federico Molinari never rests. Shouting throughout the match – especially towards the end of the second half, he keeps an eagle’s eye on the field as the number of yellow cards add up.
Before the match is over, Western Mass players would earn five. Vermont would collect three – most all of those in the second half, leading in part to ten minutes of extra time.
“Ten minutes!?” Molinari screams, the rest of his coaching staff demanding how the time was added up.
At first, the Vermont bench isn’t ecstatic. Players bang against the plastic roofing covering the bench as Green FC keeps possession and struggles to shoot. But about five minutes into that extra time, Vermont claws one back via #19 Zachary Zengue.
A few minutes later, #12 Owen O’Malley scores one of the biggest goals in team history.
With that, Vermont ties it up and secures some of their first major hardware as a team.
Coming on in the 76th minute for French midfielder Julien Le Bourdoulous, Brandon Parish tells WAMC the last minutes of play had a little bit of everything.
“It's unbelievable. I mean … we never, never stopped, never wavered, kept going,” he recounts. “We knew two-nil down: ‘Okay, let's get the first one.’ We got the first one, and then it was ‘Okay, let's get the second one. All we have to do is get out of here with a point and we win the league,’ so, we just kept going and never stopped.”
Win or not, though, first-time fans like Mauer say they are hooked.
“Super exciting. Obviously, the outcome’s a little disappointing. You know… first game I’ve ever been to and already, I'm hooked, I get it” he says. “But yeah, [it] sucks to see the tie happen. But overall, the game was great.”
As the stadium lights slowly go off, Vermont players, staff and fans are still on the field. At one point, a barrel of ice makes its way over to Vermont Coach Chris Taylor.
“Western Mass was probably the better team on the night, but I think our players showed … unbelievable talent and they stood up when it mattered,” he tells WAMC post-game. “I told them before the game ‘Look around this locker room, look how many good players are here, look how many winners are here. You’ll get it done.’”
Standing outside the locker room and shaking hands with personnel passing by, Pioneers Coach Molinari says those first 90 minutes featured plenty of dominance – but those extra ten have the team want to rebound in the playoffs.
“We played a very good 90 minutes against a very good team, and in the last ten minutes … they got their momentum and they scored,” the Pioneers coach since 2012 says. “Right now, we need to move on and be ready for Tuesday.”
Passing by is Popovich, carrying the megaphone he sported throughout the match.
“I said ‘we're going to win,’ we didn't play our best tonight, but, sometimes the chunky, sloppy games are what gets it done,” he says. “In the end, we needed the draw. This team is a ‘Never Say Die’ team … it's pretty unbelievable to see this right now and to feel like we feel right now… it's been four years waiting and waiting on this, and certainly we never could have scripted it any better.”
It's another notch in Lusitano Stadium’s long history. Founded in 1997, the Pioneers have won at least five division titles over the years, playing in different iterations of the USL.
Their last was in 2021. They also won what was then the USL D-3 Pro League Championship in 1999.
Standing by a statue of famed Benfica player Eusébio, which greets visitors to the stadium, Loophole Brewery's Jeff Goulet is one of the last to leave, speaking with WAMC as stadium staff close up shop.
He says this year's been a stellar one for the Pioneers - a team his brewery crafted the Pioneers Pilsner for. He hopes more people give the stadium a visit, if not for the Pioneers, than the New England Mutiny women's team, who are making a postseason run of their own in the United Women's Soccer league
“I mean, Ludlow is ‘Soccer City,’ and this is home base, he says. “You know, there's just such a core of players and people and patrons that come here - it's just a wonderful place. “
Soccer returns again Tuesday night, when the Pioneers host the Long Island Rough Riders as part of their playoff run.
Vermont Green FC, meanwhile, play a “Round of 32” double-header on Friday - their opponent to be determined. If they advance, the Round of 16 is Sunday.
All games are virtue field at the University of Vermont. Good luck getting a ticket though - the team says they sold out in less than four minutes after going up for sale Monday.
