Miami FC

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For the Football Club known as Miami FC from 2006 to 2010, see Fort Lauderdale Strikers (2006–2016).
Not to be confused with FC Miami City, Miami Fusion, or Inter Miami CF.

Miami FC
Miami FC logo.svg
Full nameThe Miami Football Club
FoundedMay 20, 2015; 6 years ago (2015-05-20)
StadiumRiccardo Silva Stadium
Capacity20,000
OwnerRiccardo Silva
CEOMichael Williamson
Head CoachPaul Dalglish
LeagueUSL Championship
2020Group H: 3rd
Eastern Conf.: 13th
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website
Away colors
Current season

The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.

The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 season. Following the demise of the NASL, the club participated in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) before moving to the USL Championship for the 2020 season. The team currently plays its home games at Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University.

History[]

North American Soccer League[]

The club was announced on May 20, 2015 as the 12th North American Soccer League franchise with plans to begin play in the 2016 season and later confirmed it would play out of "Ocean First Stadium" (Now Riccardo Silva Stadium) on the campus of FIU.[1][2] The team, co-owned by media entrepreneur Riccardo Silva and former Italian national team defender Paolo Maldini, came only one year after former English national football team star and Major League Soccer legend David Beckham announced his intent to launch an MLS team in city.[3][4]

In September 2015, Alessandro Nesta was appointed as the club's first coach.[citation needed] On November 20, 2015 Italian sportswear company Macron were announced as the club's kit suppliers on a three-year deal.[5]

Nesta resigned as coach following the completion of the 2017 season, on 17 November.[6]

Miami FC 2 logo

National Premier Soccer League and 'Miami FC 2'[]

In January 2018, following the suspension and later cancellation of the 2018 NASL season, the organization announced the creation of "The Miami FC 2" in the National Premier Soccer League with 12 members of its 2017 NASL roster.[7][8] The intention was for Miami FC's players to play with Miami FC 2 while waiting for the NASL's proposed winter schedule to take effect.[9][10] The team hired Paul Dalglish as the new head coach on January 25.[11] The team played its home matches at its former training grounds on the campus of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.[12]

The team went on to dominate the regular season in the NPSL's Sunshine Conference. Only one loss to Jacksonville Armada FC in the regular season lead the team to finish top of the table and in the conference playoffs the beat the Armada, 3–1, to win its first NPSL trophy.[13][14] After advancing in the national playoffs, including winning the NPSL South Region, Miami FC 2 won the organization's first ever league championship when it defeated FC Motown, 3–1, for the NPSL National Championship on August 4.[15]

For the 2019 NPSL season, the team returned to playing as Miami FC and repeated its previous year's success by finishing atop the regular season table and winning the Sunshine Conference over Miami United FC, 3–2.[16] It won the South Region for a second straight year before becoming the first club to win a second NPSL National Championship when it defeated the New York Cosmos B, 3–1, and earning the organization's eighth trophy in three years.[17][18]

National Independent Soccer Association[]

On November 15, 2018, the NPSL announced that Miami would be a founding member in a new professional league, commencing with the "NPSL Founders Cup" competition from August to November 2019, followed by a full league schedule in 2020 at either division 2 or 3 level.[19][20][21] However, on July 24, 2019, it was announced that Miami would instead join the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) for the inaugural Fall 2019 season.[22][23] The team went undefeated through seven games during the regular season, clinching the top playoff spot in the East Coast Conference. On November 9, Miami won the NISA East Coast Championship over Stumptown Athletic, its ninth trophy in three years.[24][25]

USL Championship[]

On December 11, 2019, former USL Championship club Ottawa Fury FC announced that it had sold its franchise rights to the Miami FC ownership group, and the club would begin competition in the league beginning with the 2020 season.[26][27]

Sponsorship[]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2016–2019 Italy Macron —
2020–present Helbiz[28]

Record[]

Year-by-year[]

Season League Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA Pts. Overall Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Top goalscorer Manager
Name League
2016 NASL Spring 11th 10 1 4 5 7 15 7 7th Did not qualify 3R Argentina Darío Cvitanich 9 Italy Alessandro Nesta
Fall 5th 22 9 6 7 31 27 33
2017 Spring 1st 16 11 3 2 33 11 36 1st Semifinals QF Brazil Stefano Pinho 17
Fall 1st 16 10 3 3 28 17 33
2018[a] NPSL Sunshine Conference 1st 12 8 3 1 30 5 27 1st Champions 2R United States Jaime Chavez 9 Scotland Paul Dalglish
2019 Sunshine Conference 1st 10 9 0 1 48 5 27 1st Champions 1R Mexico Miguel González 13
2019–20[b] NISA East Coast Conference 1st 6 4 2 0 19 6 14 1st Champions United States Dylan Mares 5
2020 USLC Group H,
Eastern Conference 		3rd 16 4 4 8 20 34 16 13th Did not qualify Cancelled Jamaica Romario Williams 8 United States Nelson Vargas[c]
Scotland Paul Dalglish

Average attendance[]

Year Reg. Season Playoffs
2016 5,427 –
2017 5,172 7,115
2019[d] 569 1,309
2020 N/A –

Stadium[]

Name Location Years
Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, Florida 2016–2017, 2019,[e] 2020–present
Cobb Stadium Coral Gables, Florida 2017; 1 match in U.S. Open Cup[31]
St. Thomas University Soccer Field Miami Gardens, Florida 2018
Florida International University Soccer Stadium Miami, Florida 2018; 2 matches in U.S. Open Cup[32][33]
Buccaneer Field Miami Shores, Florida 2019

Players and staff[]

Current roster[]

Miami FC President and co-owner, Riccardo Silva (centre) with Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima (left) and former head coach, Alessandro Nesta (right)
As of September 17, 2021[34]
No. Pos. Player Nation
1 GK Luis Zamudio (on loan from Fort Lauderdale CF)  United States
2 DF Othello Bah  Liberia
3 DF Luca Antonelli  Italy
4 DF Callum Chapman-Page  England
5 DF Paco Craig  England
7 FW Billy Forbes  Turks and Caicos Islands
8 FW Joshua Pérez  El Salvador
9 FW Christiano François  Haiti
10 FW Ariel Martínez  Cuba
11 FW Richard Ballard  United States
13 FW Lamar Walker  Jamaica
14 MF Baggio Kcira  United States
15 FW Chris Cortez  United States
17 DF Sean McFarlane  Jamaica
18 DF Junior Palacios  Colombia
19 DF János Löbe  Germany
21 FW Adonijah Reid  Canada
24 GK Connor Sparrow  United States
25 MF Lance Rozeboom (captain)  United States
30 MF Bolu Akinyode  Nigeria
80 MF Devon Williams  Jamaica
92 GK Brian Sylvestre  Haiti
98 FW Pierre da Silva  United States
99 MF Jahshaun Anglin  Jamaica

Staff[]

As of March 27, 2021[35]
Position Staff Nation
Head coach Paul Dalglish  Scotland
Assistant coach Jed Davies  Wales
Assistant coach Andy Thomson[36]  Scotland
Athletic trainer Andres Bueno  United States

Individual records[]

Top goalscorers[]

As of match played October 4, 2020
Name Years League Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Total
1 United States Jaime Chavez 2016–2018 24 (63) 1 (5) 3 (6) 28 (74)
2 United States Dylan Mares 2017–2018, 2019 21 (56) 4 (12) 2 (9) 27 (77)
3 Mexico Miguel González 2019–2020 21 (31) 4 (7) 0 (1) 25 (39)
3 Cuba Ariel Martínez 2016–2019, 2021–present 15 (72) 9 (13) 1 (7) 25 (92)
5 Brazil Stefano Pinho 2017 17 (27) 0 (1) 4 (3) 21 (31)
6 Senegal Mohamed Thiaw 2019–2020 15 (30) 2 (7) 0 (1) 17 (38)
7 Cuba Darío Suárez 2018–2019 10 (24) 4 (12) 2 (4) 16 (40)
8 Italy Vincenzo Rennella 2016–2018 14 (39) 0 (1) 1 (8) 15 (48)
8 Ghana Kwadwo Poku 2016–2017 13 (49) 0 (1) 2 (5) 15 (55)
10 Argentina Darío Cvitanich 2016 9 (26) 0 (0) 0 (1) 9 (27)

Most appearances[]

As of match played October 4, 2020
Name Years League Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Total
1 Cuba Ariel Martínez 2016–2019, 2021–present 72 (15) 13 (9) 7 (1) 92 (25)
2 Argentina Mario Daniel Vega 2016–2018 75 (0) 6 (0) 8 (0) 89 (0)
3 Canada Mason Trafford 2016–2018 69 (0) 6 (0) 9 (0) 84 (0)
4 United States Rhett Bernstein 2016–2018 66 (2) 6 (0) 6 (1) 78 (3)
5 United States Dylan Mares 2017–2018, 2019 56 (21) 12 (4) 9 (2) 77 (27)
6 United States Jaime Chavez 2016–2018 63 (24) 5 (1) 6 (3) 74 (28)
7 United States Blake Smith 2016–2017 55 (1) 1 (0) 5 (0) 61 (1)
8 Ghana Kwadwo Poku 2016–2017 49 (13) 1 (0) 5 (2) 55 (15)
9 Sierra Leone Michael Lahoud 2016–2017 45 (1) 1 (0) 6 (0) 52 (1)
10 Republic of Ireland Richie Ryan 2016–2017 42 (0) 1 (0) 6 (0) 49 (0)

Managerial records[]

As of match played October 4, 2020
Name Nat. From To P W D L GS GA %W Honours Notes
Alessandro Nesta  Italy September 1, 2015[37] November 17, 2017[6] 71 35 17 19 111 78 049.30 (1) NASL Spring Season
(1) NASL Fall Season
Paul Dalglish  Scotland January 25, 2018[38] November 13, 2019[39] 45 36 5 4 143 30 080.00 (2) Sunshine Conference Championship
(2018, 2019)
(2) NPSL South Region Championship
(2018, 2019)
(2) NPSL Championship
(2018, 2019)
(1) NISA East Coast Championship
(2019)
Nelson Vargas  United States November 14, 2019[40] August 10, 2020 3 0 0 3 4 11 000.00
Paul Dalglish  Scotland August 10, 2020[41] 13 4 4 5 16 23 030.77

Club culture[]

Miami FC draw the bulk of their support from the suburbs in the south and west of Miami.[citation needed]

Rivalries[]

The closest team geographically was the Fort Lauderdale Strikers with games between the two sides often labelled the FL Clásico.[42] Fixtures with the other two teams in Florida, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Jacksonville Armada are also keenly contested. These four teams competed for the Coastal Cup over the course of the 2016 season.

After the 2016 season Tampa Bay left the NASL for the United Soccer League and Fort Lauderdale ceased operations because of financial issues. That left Jacksonville as Miami FC's only in-state rival in the NASL. Miami did however face Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, defeating the Rowdies by a score of 2–0.

When the NASL cancelled the 2018 season, Miami and Jacksonville continued their rivalry in the NPSL in both 2018 and 2019 as both clubs continued operation. The team also began a rivalry against Miami United FC dubbed "Magic City Clasico." The teams met in the Second Round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup where United shocked FC, 3–1, to advance.[43]

Supporters group[]

Dade Brigade are the official supporters group of Miami FC and they occupy the east stand of FIU Stadium which is known as the Brigade End for home games.[44] They are named for Miami-Dade County.

Honors[]

North American Soccer League[]

  • Spring championship (1): 2017
  • Fall championship (1): 2017

National Premier Soccer League[]

  • Sunshine Conference Championship (2): 2018, 2019
  • South Region Championship (2): 2018, 2019
  • National Championship (2): 2018, 2019

National Independent Soccer Association[]

  • East Championship (1): 2019

Notes[]

  1. ^ Competed as Miami FC 2
  2. ^ Only competed in Fall 2019 portion of the season
  3. ^ Until August 10, 2020
  4. ^ Only includes National Independent Soccer Association attendances
  5. ^ One regular season National Independent Soccer Association match & the 2019 NISA East Coast Championship[29][30]

References[]

  1. ^ "MIAMI FC BECOMES 12TH NASL CLUB". North American Soccer League. May 20, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  2. ^ Kaufman, Michelle (October 28, 2015). "Miami FC strikes deal to play its home matches at FIU Stadium". The Miami Herald. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "David Beckham confirms Miami franchise in Major League Soccer". CNN. February 5, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  4. ^ Das, Andrew (May 20, 2015). "N.A.S.L. Will Add Miami Team in 2016, Beating David Beckham Onto Field". The New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  5. ^ "MACRON AND MIAMI FC SIGN FOR A 3 YEARS PARTNERSHIP". macron.com. Macron. November 20, 2015. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Gianluca Di Marzio :: Nesta saluta il Miami: "Grazie di tutto. Sono pronto per una nuova sfida"" (in Italian). November 17, 2017.
  7. ^ "MIAMI FC RESPONDS TO NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE CANCELLATION OF 2018 SEASON". MiamiFC.com. Miami FC. February 27, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  8. ^ "THE MIAMI FC 2 SOLIDIFIES INAUGURAL ROSTER WITH 10 ADDITIONS". MiamiFC.com. Miami FC. March 5, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  9. ^ "MIAMI FC 2 TO DEBUT IN NATIONAL PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE FOR 2018 SEASON". Miami FC. January 30, 2018. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  10. ^ "THE MIAMI FC 2: CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE". MiamiFC.com. Miami FC. March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
  11. ^ "Miami FC Hires Paul Dalglish as New Head Coach". www.miamifc.com. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  12. ^ "Miami FC 2 to debut in National Premier Soccer League for 2018 Season". www.miamifc.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  13. ^ "RECAP: THE MIAMI FC 2 DROPS PHYSICAL MATCH TO ARMADA 1–0". The Miami FC. July 6, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  14. ^ Bunch, Matthew (July 15, 2018). "The Miami FC 2 claims NPSL Sunshine Conference title in complete performance against Jacksonville Armada". Magic City Soccer. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  15. ^ "MIAMI FC 2 CROWNED 2018 NPSL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS". National Premier Soccer League. August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  16. ^ "RECAP: The Miami FC Comes From Behind to Capture Sunshine Conference Championship". www.miamifc.com. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  17. ^ "Tulsa Athletic falls at Miami FC in South Region finals". Tulsa World. July 20, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  18. ^ Lewis, Michael (August 4, 2019). "THE MIAMI FC CLAIMS 2019 NPSL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP". National Premier Soccer League. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  19. ^ "ELEVEN FOUNDING MEMBERS TO LAUNCH A NEW LEAGUE IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE NATIONAL PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE". National Premier Soccer League. November 15, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  20. ^ Carrick, Buzz (November 15, 2018). "NPSL is launching a pro league – could Fort Worth Vaqueros be involved?". Dallas News. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  21. ^ "Eleven Founding Members to Launch a New League in Association with the National Premier Soccer League". Miami FC. November 15, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  22. ^ Official, NISA (July 24, 2019). ""We are very excited @TheMiamiFC is joining @NISALeague and will begin competition this Fall 2019. Miami FC has a legacy of success and we welcome the level of competition they bring to the pitch," – Mr. John Prutch, Commissioner, NISA. #MiamiFC #NISAnationpic.twitter.com/34B7puXcP6". @NISALeague. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  23. ^ "The Miami FC Join NISA, Return to "Pro" Soccer". Magic City Soccer. July 24, 2019. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  24. ^ "MIAMI FC LIFTS 9TH TROPHY, WINNING NISA EAST COAST CHAMPIONSHIP 3-0 VS. STUMPTOWN ATHLETIC". Miami FC. November 9, 2019. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  25. ^ Carmenate, Achillies (November 10, 2019). "MIAMI FC WINS NISA EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP, 9TH TROPHY IN FOUR YEARS". Lemon City Live. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  26. ^ "Ottawa Fury FC Announce Relocation, Sale of Franchise Rights to The Miami FC". uslchampionship.com. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  27. ^ Kauffman, Michelle. "Miami FC moves to USL Championship, returns to FIU Riccardo Silva Stadium. Here's why".
  28. ^ https://www.miamifc.com/news_article/show/1093914
  29. ^ "Miami FC vs. Oakland Roots - 27 October 2019 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  30. ^ "Miami FC vs. Stumptown Athletic - 10 November 2019 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  31. ^ "Miami FC vs. Treasure Coast Tritons - 18 May 2017 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  32. ^ "Miami FC vs. Red Force - 10 May 2018 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  33. ^ "Miami FC vs. Miami United - 17 May 2018 - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  34. ^ "First Team". Miami FC. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  35. ^ "Staff". Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  36. ^ Communications, Miami FC (March 25, 2021). "Andy Thomson Joins Technical Staff as Assistant Coach". Miami FC. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  37. ^ Evans, Simon (August 31, 2015). "Italian Nesta appointed coach of new Miami club". Reuters. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  38. ^ "Miami FC Hires Paul Dalglish as New Head Coach". www.miamifc.com. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  39. ^ "THE MIAMI FC APPOINTS PAUL DALGLISH AS GENERAL MANAGER" – The Miami FC, November 13, 2019
  40. ^ "Nelson Vargas Appointed as Head Coach of Miami FC". www.miamifc.com. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  41. ^ "Paul Dalglish Resumes Coaching Responsibilities at Miami FC". www.miamifc.com. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  42. ^ http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/fort-lauderdale-strikers-look-to-win-the-first-ever-florida-clasico-as-they-face-miami-fc-this-weekend-7989187
  43. ^ "2018 US Open Cup Round 2: Miami United eliminates shorthanded Miami FC 2". Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  44. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

External links[]

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