Coming off of a dramatic victory over Reading United AC, Vermont Green FC now head to New Jersey for a Round of 32 playoff matchup with 2022 USL League Two National Championship Finalist, Long Island Rough Riders on Friday, July 16th at 4:30pm.
The match will be played in Ocean City, NJ in tandem with the Ocean City Nor’easters match against Seacoast United Phantoms, as USL League Two Playoffs are played in a pod format to reduce travel.
HISTORY
Vermont Green FC have played Long Island Rough Riders once before, in the 2022 USL League Two Playoffs. The match that saw the New Yorkers eliminate the Green by a score of 2-1 in the Round of 16. The Rough Riders went on to lose in the National Championship Match to Ventura County Fusion.
LONG ISLAND ROUGH RIDERS IN FOCUS
The Long Island Rough Riders were founded in 1994 and have been a powerhouse of American lower division soccer for three decades. The club has a decorated list of alumni, including early players like Giovanni Savarese, Tony Meola, Chris Armas, Mike Grella, and many more. In the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Inter Miami FC selected Long Island Rough Riders star, Ryan Carmichael.
Long Island has no shortage of silverware, winning professional D3 leagues in 1995 and 2002. In recent years, the Rough Riders have taken hold of the USL League Two Metropolitan Division—much to the credit of their Head Coach Tom Bowen—finishing as champions in 2021 and 2023. In their 2022 season, Long Island finished second in the Metropolitan, but went on that historic run to the national final
In 2024, under the guidance of first year Head Coach Chris Megaloudis, the Rough Riders won the Metropolitan Division once again, utilizing the scoring prowess of players like Justin McLean to outpace the competition. They enter the playoffs with a record of 9-2-1.
VERMONT VS THE WORLD
Vermont Green FC enters the Round of 32 as the only team to finish third in their division, with the entire remaining field consisting of divisional champions or runner ups. The Vermont faithful know the gauntlet of Northeast Division has seasoned the club for fierce competition. The Green will need to respect the competition to make a deep run.
HE’S UP FOR IT: NATHAN SIMÉON
One key to Vermont’s success has been, and will continue to be the sturdy, mature play of University of Vermont defender Nathan Siméon. The Montrealer was massive in the Eastern Conference Qualifying Round against Reading United, providing the assist on Yaniv Bazini’s 90th minute winner. Effective in attack and in defense, look to the outside back to have a big game on the biggest stage yet.
WATCH THE MATCH
The hosts have communicated they will stream the match.