Vermont Green Football Club prevailed in the United Soccer League’s second-tier Eastern Conference finals at the University of Vermont’s Virtue Field on Friday evening, further extending the best season in club history.
The team defeated Virginia-based Lionsbridge Football Club 3-1 in overtime. Vermont Green will play Alabama-based Dothan United in the league’s national semifinals on Sunday at 6:30 p.m., retaining the home advantage at Virtue Field.
Excitement has been building steadily this season around the Green’s success. Friday’s game sold out in under 30 seconds, the hosts said, and tickets for last Sunday’s 3-2 home playoff win over FC Motown were also gone within a few minutes.
The atmosphere at Vermont Green’s Burlington games has become an attraction in itself, with capacity crowds overflowing onto the unticketed hill overlooking the field. The team’s fan group, the Green Mountain Bhoys, drive high-energy crowds in chants, cheers and choreography. Long lines build at the stands of local vendors — Ben & Jerry’s, Shacksbury Cider and others.
Since the club’s founding in 2022, the club has garnered national attention for its socially conscious, locally focused approach to soccer, especially in relation to environmental justice.
The club has also become more successful on the pitch, recruiting top college players from around the world, including from the UVM team which won the NCAA national title in December.
The 2025 season has been the club’s highest-achieving by far, with a 16-match undefeated record, a first-place finish in the northeast division, and an ongoing deep run into the playoffs. In 2024, the Green placed third in its division and won two playoff matches, but were ultimately knocked out by the nationally top-ranked Seacoast United of New Hampshire.
