It’s derby week.
USL League Two National Champions and back-to-back-to-back Northeast Division winners Seacoast United Phantoms make their annual visit to Virtue Field on Saturday night for an early season Twin State Derby. Vermont Green FC fans have come to know the nature of this match, and it will be anything but friendly. The stands will be packed, the tensions will be high, and both sides will be fixated on securing all three points.
HISTORY
Vermont Green FC and Seacoast United have met eight times in their still-budding rivalry, with the Granite Staters dominating the fixture, winning seven times, including a sweep of Vermont in 2022 and 2024. In the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, Seacoast defeated the exhausted Green–who had played two playoff games in the days prior–by a score of 3-0. In 2023, Yaniv Bazini scored twice in New Hampshire to claim the Green’s only win of the rivalry.
SEACOAST IN FOCUS
The three-peat Northeast Division champs have been a menace in the region of late. Last year, the Phantoms haunted the entire nation, winning the League Two national title, defeating Peoria City FC in Illinois in a thrilling 3-2 match. The club will forever wear a star above their crest to honor that national championship.
After winning the national title, Seacoast United head coach Alex Ryan left his role with the Phantoms, and now serves as assistant coach at League One’s Portland Hearts of Pine.
Seacoast United is a youth and semi-professional soccer club based in Epping, New Hampshire, serving the coastal region of the state. The club’s USL League Two outfit, known as The Phantoms, have been playing competitive professional and semi-professional soccer since 1996.
Seacoast opened the season with a 1-0 shock loss to AC Connecticut, with former Vermont Green FC forward Sam McCann scoring the only goal of the match. The Phantoms then drew with Western Mass Pioneers 1-1, and on Wednesday night, defeated Boston Bolts on the road 2-1. Seacoast will arrive in Vermont with a 1-1-1 record, good for 4 points in the table.
HEALY & DOS SANTOS
One thing that makes Seacoast so dangerous is their consistency, led by their homegrown talisman Taig Healy. The tricky attacking midfielder has tormented the Vermonters since he scored in the first ever matchup in 2022, when he was still a high schooler. His skill and goal-scoring threat has been on display in every Twin State Derby since.
Commanding from the center, Healy has a handful of weapons surrounding him that amplify his impact, most notably winger Marco Dos Santos. Dos Santos scored against the Green at Virtue Field last summer, and seems to have taken the extracurriculars of this rivalry to heart.
Chris Taylor’s men will need to find a way to break down the Seacoast defense, but they’ll also need to be defensively sound to stifle the firepower of Healy and Dos Santos.
ON GJERDE
Coach Taylor has plenty of options at his disposal. One move he could make in the midfield is to continue relying on Norwegian hardman Eskil Gjerde (pronounced Yar-duh). The Drake University midfielder has been a constant in Vermont’s league matches thus far. His dominating physical presence, as well as his exquisite vision, could be a key to unlocking the defending national champs.
STREAMING
The match will be streamed live on the USL League Two official streaming platform SportsEngine Play.
ON THE CONCOURSE
Migrant Justice will be speaking at half-time and sharing information about their organization throughout the event. Representatives from local labor unions will join them on the pitch.
Maharaja Spice, South End Sliders, and Ahli Baba’s Kabob Shop, will be serving. Vivid Coffee will have treats, and Ben & Jerry’s will be scooping free ice cream.
We are expecting a capacity crowd, so please arrive early to enjoy the concessions, tabling partners, and more! Gates will open at 4:30pm.