 | |||
| Full name | Phoenix Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Wolves | ||
| Founded | July 2, 2012 | ||
| Dissolved | March 12, 2014 | ||
| Stadium | Sun Devil Soccer Stadium Tempe, Arizona | ||
| Capacity | 3,400 | ||
| Owners | BDR Sports LLC | ||
| Head Coach | David Robertson | ||
| League | USL Pro | ||
Phoenix FC was an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix. The team was a member of the USL Professional Division, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team's colors were red and white.
On June 18, 2012, BDR Sports LLC was incorporated in the State of Arizona to bring a professional soccer team to Phoenix. [1] On July 2, 2012, the USL Pro awarded a franchise to the BDR group for the 2013 season. [2] On July 15, the team announced they had hired David Robertson, Director of Boy's Coaching at Sereno Soccer Club, as head coach. He is a former Rangers, Aberdeen and Leeds United player. He also managed Elgin City and Montrose in the Scottish Third Division. The team name ("Phoenix City FC") and colors were announced the same day. [3] [4] On August 28, the team selected Umbro as the team's official football uniform and equipment supplier. [5] On September 7, the team renamed itself "Phoenix FC", introduced its logo and selected "Wolves" as their nickname. [6]
On September 27, 2012, former Aberdeen striker Darren Mackie signed a one-year contract with Phoenix FC, becoming their first player signing. [7] [8] [9]
On December 11, 2012, Phoenix FC and Arizona State University announced a stadium agreement for 2013. Phoenix FC would play home games at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium beginning in April 2013. As part of the deal, the seating capacity was meant to be expanded by more than 4,000 additional seats, taking the total capacity to over 5,000 seats. However, due to the position of stadium lights poles on the east side of the stadium, the capacity was revised to just over 3,400. [10] [11] [12]
Phoenix FC opened their only season with a 2–0 loss to the Los Angeles Blues on March 23, 2013. [13] [14] They won their home opener at Sun Devil Soccer Stadium on March 30, 2013. They defeated VSI Tampa Bay FC 1–0 on a goal by Netinho before a sold-out, standing room crowd of 4,198. [15] [16] [17]
The team finished the 2013 season with 5 wins, 14 losses and 7 ties. [18] Donny Toia lead the team in scoring with six goals and was a nominee for USL Pro Rookie of the Year. [19]
USL Pro revoked the Phoenix franchise rights from BDR Sports LLC on November 1, 2013, citing multiple violations of the franchise agreement, such as failing to pay its players on time and submitting misleading and inaccurate financial statements. [20] [21] [22] [23] On December 16, 2013, USL Pro awarded the franchise rights for Phoenix FC to American Soccer Marketing LLC, owned by former interim team president Tim Donald. [24] [25] [26] On March 12, 2014, American Soccer Marketing announced that it could not continue operating the team in the USL Pro league. They were replaced with Arizona United SC (now Phoenix Rising FC) the next day. [27]
| Year | Division | League | Regular season (W–L–T) | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Avg. attendance | Top goalscorer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 3 | USL Pro | 12th Place (5–14–7) | did not qualify | First round | 1,532 |  Donny Toia | 6 |
Tim Donald – President Eric Cornwall – Chairman
Rui Filipe Bento – General Manager Shawn Dietrich – Director of Operations
David Robertson – Head Coach
Michael Dellorusso is an American former professional soccer player.
Anthony Obodai is a Ghanaian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Aaron King is an American former professional soccer player.
Major League Soccer has expanded several times since the league began play in 1996. Major League Soccer was established as the top level of professional soccer in the United States in 1993 with 10 teams and began play in 1996. It has expanded several times since 1998 into new markets across the United States and, since 2006, Canada.
Dayton Dutch Lions is an American soccer team based in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. From 2011 to 2014, the team played in the USL Professional Division.
Orlando City Soccer Club was an American professional soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, United States, that was the precursor to Orlando City SC. The team played in USL Pro, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid from 2010 to 2014, until discontinuing in favor of Orlando's entry to Major League Soccer (MLS), as an expansion franchise in 2015, by the same ownership group.
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
Orange County Soccer Club is an American soccer team based in the Orange County, California city of Irvine. Founded in 2010 as the Los Angeles Blues, the team currently plays in the second tier USL Championship.
FC Tucson is an American soccer club based in Tucson, Arizona that plays in USL League Two. The club has an amateur women's team, FC Tucson Women, that play in the WPSL. Organized in 2010, the club first fielded a team in March 2011, then joined the Premier Development League Western Conference in 2012. in 2018, FC Tucson was a founding member of USL League One, where they played from 2019 to 2022. At the conclusion of the 2022 season, the ownership group changed and the team self-relegated back to USL League Two.
Phoenix Rising Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 2014 as Arizona United Soccer Club, the team is a member of the USL Championship.
VSI Tampa Bay FC was an American soccer team based in Plant City, Florida. They played in USL Pro, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid, in the 2013 season. VSI Tampa Bay FC were owned by VisionPro Sports Institute and were affiliated with a women's team in the W-League, an amateur team in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), and a youth team in the Super-20 League. All the teams folded in 2013.
Sacramento Republic FC is an American professional soccer team based in Sacramento, California, that plays in the Western Conference of the USL Championship, the second level in US soccer. Co-founded by Warren Smith and Joe Wagoner in 2012, the team started play in 2014 at the 20,231-seat Hughes Stadium, before moving midseason to their current home at Heart Health Park. Republic FC won the 2014 USL championship and have made the playoffs eight times.
The 2013 USL Pro season was the 27th season of third-division soccer in the United States, and is the third season of the United Soccer Leagues' (USL) PRO professional competition. The number of teams increased from eleven to thirteen with Phoenix FC and VSI Tampa Bay FC joining the league as expansion franchises.
Oklahoma City FC was a men's soccer team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). Founded in 2013, the team played in the USL Premier Development League in their first year before shifting to the NPSL. The organization also runs the Oklahoma City FC women's team in the Women's Premier Soccer League and the proposed Oklahoma City FC of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The team folded in 2014.
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC is a professional soccer team based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Founded in 2014, the team is a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The franchise is owned by Martin E. Ragain and Dean Weidner. The franchise is operated by the Ragain family.
The 2014 USL Pro season was the fourth USL Pro season and the 28th season of third-division soccer in the United States.
The 2014 Arizona United SC season was the club's first season of existence, playing in the USL Professional Division.
The 2014 Sacramento Republic FC season was the club's inaugural season of existence. The club played in USL Pro, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The season began March 29 and concluded on September 6. The Republic won the USL Pro Championship, defeating the Harrisburg City Islanders 2–0.
The Western Conference is one of two conferences in USL Championship soccer.
