Burlington, Vermont, is now home to not one, but two championship-winning soccer teams. Thousands of Vermont Green FC fans were celebrating over the weekend as the semi-pro club captured its league’s national title.
An undefeated regular season and playoff run filled with comeback wins culminated into Saturday night as Green FC hosted the USL League 2 finals.
Thousands filled and surrounded Virtue Field at the University of Vermont – 2,500 in the stands and as many as 2,500 along the field’s perimeter, the club estimates.
All witnessed soccer history, including a game-winning goal in stoppage time by Vermont’s Maximilian Kissel.
The same player who netted UVM’s NCAA championship game-winner in December produced the dagger – tapping home the Green’s second goal of the night as Vermont beat Seattle, Washington’s Ballard FC, 2-1.
“We, as a team, always believe one more chance will come, one thing will happen, something will go wrong for them and we will capitalize…” the 22-year-old German-American forward told reporters. “We've proven that over the season with UVM. We've proven that with Vermont Green – we came back numerous times. At the end of the day, it’s just unreal.”
It meant pure jubilation for the team’s fans, with many crowding the field after trophies were awarded and as players signed one jersey after the other.
A supporter since the team started play in 2022, Holly Hickman tells WAMC it was the “perfect end to a perfect season.”
“I think it is an authentic Vermont moment … I feel like this team is part of the community, the community is part of the team,” she said. “… you look at what UVM did and won the national championship, you look at what the Vermont Green just did and won the championship for USL 2 – I think Vermont is now a 'Green Soccer State.'"
Clad in green, she and Michele Mizejewski were among the fans basking in the win, well-after the final whistle blew. Mizejewski was on the turf at one point, lying in relief after more than 90 minutes spent cheering on her team.
“… it's just a wellspring of support,” she said of those who packed the stands and surrounded the stadium’s fences.
As noted by its players, the club is home to some of the most avid soccer supporters in the league. Massive flags, drums and smoke bombs were part of Saturday’s displays – complete with a large banner, depicting fellow supporter Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
The broad support doesn’t go unnoticed, says French midfielder Julien Le Bourdoulous, who was named the Finals’ MVP after scoring Vermont’s first goal via penalty kick.
“… it means a lot for me because… we are really close - from the fans [to] the owner … everyone in Vermont,” he told reporters. “It's a special stage here - we can feel all of the atmosphere, it’s crazy.”
The team had been selling out its matches at a record pace leading up to the finals. For many, getting tickets meant precision-clicking the minute they go on sale.
Before play started Saturday, waiting in a line spilling onto Spear Street, Tony Macuga told WAMC his tickets came after he managed to hit the right button at the right time.
“My first attempt, I was there, clicked on it the instant that they became available, and [I] was immediately, I think, over 2,000th in line … it was crazy,” he said.
The team announced on Facebook last week that 7,000 individual users tried to nab tickets during the first minute of availability.
A week later, Macuga was covered head to toe in a green full-body, spandex suit, ready to get into the stands. He was joined by Lisa Gerlach, who sported a homemade, cardboard costume depicting Vermont – a display taller than herself.
A big fan of the club, she says it’s a team that embraces the community, as well as advocacy.
“They're really focused on climate - their mission of climate advocacy is something I really support and I really appreciate that a team in Vermont would go so far as to advocate for climate goals,” she said.
On top of working to be a net zero club, tracking its own emissions, the team says it’s an avid supporter of “1% for the Planet,” a local nonprofit whose “global members commit to donating 1% of their annual sales to non-profits working on behalf of the environment.”
All the while, the semi-pro outfit that only plays from May through the summer has been fostering a fan base like few others, says supporter Brianna Savard.
“It’s going to sound corny, but I mean, the support, the audience, the supporters here - it's literally a family,” she said. “I feel like you just don't see that in a lot of the other USL 2 teams.”
Joining Savard was some of her own family, including father-in-law Duane Crowley.
“With the University of Vermont playing so well and now Vermont Green, it's going to be big for a while - I mean, soccer is here to stay, for sure,” he added.
At least six UVM players were on the Green’s roster this year. Both teams (and the rest of the league) take on a number of college players who are looking for minutes over the summer while staying stateside.
Some of the spectators are their parents, with many willing to travel far to see them play. That includes Michael and Joyce Cruz, who flew and drove across the country to see their son, University of Washington midfielder Cameron Cruz, play for Ballard.
“We love watching him do what he loves - the passion for the sport that he's been playing since he was five,” said Joyce.
Father Cruz adds Ballard FC has its fair share of supporters as well. Like Vermont, the team also started play in 2022 and won the league championship the following season.
Joining about two dozen fans in the Green Mountain State, he says whether its Washington or Vermont, the energy on display is palpable.
“I would love to see every single venue in USL 2, [this] support for the development … as our country gets bigger and bigger into this, the sport,” he said. “I love to see that energy.”
Saturday was the Green’s first foray into the finals. The team’s made it as far as the conference semifinals in the past. This year featured them winning their division title, as well.
Promoted to head coach earlier in the year, Chris Taylor says he and Sporting Director Adam Pfeifer wanted to be build a possession-dominant team. So much so, they spent the summer convincing Kissel to join the roster for the final stretch.
“It took months and months and months and I sat in that press box, trying to convince him before he went to Germany … and I said, ‘Listen, when we get into the playoff run, strikers, #9’s, win championships… if we can get you, you can score those big goals.’”
“I didn't think he would do that, but that's what Maxie Kissel does,” he said of the forward’s 91st minute goal.
With the medals now handed out and trophies lifted, Taylor, who’s also head coach of SUNY Plattsburgh’s Men’s Soccer team, says he remains humble, if not jubilant himself.
“I’m so grateful and humble just to be a part of it in any way. I begged my way onto this staff in the first year. I was like ‘I'll do anything just to be on the staff,’” he said, while also crediting Pfeifer’s role in building up the team. “This community… walking in today was one of the most humbling experiences I've ever had. Four hours before the game and the place is packed. People are outside, people are cheering. I can't even describe it. It's too special.”
