St. Petersburg Kickers
Full name | St. Petersburg Kickers FC |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Kickers FC |
Founded | 1957 |
Stadium | Ed Radice Sports Complex |
General Manager | George Fotopoulos |
League | Florida Suncoast Soccer League |
The St. Petersburg Kickers FC are an amateur American soccer team from St. Petersburg, Florida that compete in the Florida Suncoast Soccer League (FSSL). They are notable as the first team from Florida to win the U.S. Open Cup.
History
[edit]Founded by Kurt Herbach in 1957, the Kickers won their first national title, the Over-30 championship, in 1967. By 1989, the team had won eleven Florida Suncoast Soccer League championships and four Florida State Cups.[1] The club's most prestigious victory came on the national stage winning the 1989 National Challenge Cup (now known as US Open Cup).[2]
In 1997, the team moved to Land o' Lakes, Florida, eventually taking the name of Florida Kickers FC. That year the club won both the National Amateur Cup and the National Over-30 championship. In 2008, it won its third national amateur championship.[3]
Honors
[edit]- National Challenge Cup winners: 1 (1989)
- National Amateur Cup winners: 3 (1990, 1997, 2008)
- National Amateur Cup runners-up: 1 (2003)
- Participations in CONCACAF Champions' Cup: 1990
Coaches
[edit]- Steve Gogas (1972-)
- Chris McMaster
- Wim Suurbier (1994)
Notable players
[edit]- Fred Armstrong
- Derek Backman
- Matt Clare
- Garth Pollonais
- Andrew Restrepo
- Joey Valenti
- Tanner Wolfe
- J.P. Reyes
References
[edit]- ^ Mixed and matched // St. Petersburg Kickers put many personalities into one national power
- ^ "1989 US Open Cup results". TheCup.us. 10 July 1989.
- ^ "LOL Soccer Team Wins National Title". Tampa Bay Online. 27 August 2008.