Get to Know Vermont Green FC, Who Face the Flint City Bucks for the USL 2 National Championship on August 1

Header photo by Josh Wallace, Vermont Green FC

Any conversation about Vermont Green FC, who face the Flint City Bucks at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 1, at Atwood Stadium for the USL League 2 National Championship has to start with an impressive list of recent achievements.

The club was founded in 2021 and played its inaugural season in 2022. In a short amount of time, they’ve quickly accumulated accolades that teams with much longer histories would be envious of. Those include:

• Advancing to the second round of the USL League 2 playoffs in their first season and the third round in their third season.
• Qualifying for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2024 and picking up a win over a professional side in their opening match in the tournament.
• Going undefeated and winning the USL League 2 National Championship in their fourth season in 2025.

This season, the team’s only loss came after a 0-0 draw in the opening round of the U.S. Open Cup way back in April. They lost that match 4-3 on penalty kicks. And, as defending champions tend to do, they’ve found another gear in this season’s playoffs. In four wins, the Green have outscored opponents 19-1. Even more impressive, all four of those wins were over teams that were ranked in the USL League 2’s final regular season power rankings, which ranks the top 20 teams in the country. 

Although the team clearly has few-to-no weaknesses, one standout player has truly built a legendary reputation in the state. Ryan Zellefrow led the University of Vermont to an NCAA National Championship in 2024, and then was a part of the Green’s 2025 title team. He’s trying to add a third title in three years to his résumé, and has been on a tear in the playoffs, including a hat trick in the team’s most recent win over the Laredo Heat, and his 12 goals are second on the team this season. Jeremy Fancou leads all of USL 2 with 18, and six Green players have six or more goals this season. Keeper Seth Wilson has registered shutouts in three of four playoff games.

Vermont is trying to become the first team since the Cape Cod Crusaders in 2002-03 to win back-to-back USL League 2 titles. 

For all their talents on the pitch, though, Vermont is also known for a socially conscious mission – and one of the most passionate supporter groups at any level of American soccer.

The Green Mountain Bhoys

One important thing to know about the Vermont Green is the organization’s mission extends beyond soccer. They also prioritize social and environmental justice, and advocate for a wide range of causes in their state and community. That mission includes recognition that the climate crisis is real and the team is committed to being a net zero club. They also oppose racism in soccer, give to a wide range of causes, and partner with organizations to provide a platform for education, resources, and other information that aligns with that mission

For fans like Tyson Foster, that makes the Green even easier to support beyond just cheering on a local team.

“The group of people who founded Vermont Green really baked into the organization’s DNA from the get-go that you can build a vibrant team that plays well on the field, that attracts fans, but can also behave in a socially beneficial way,” Foster said. “It’s part of their ongoing climate justice and social justice mission. And that carries on to the fans as well. We’ve raised tens of thousands of dollars for Migrant Justice, which is an organization that aids and assists migrant workers who are working in Vermont. It’s actually a really huge part of the state’s dairy and agriculture economy having migrant workers from Central and South America who travel here every single year to be part of the dairy industry. And recently, with all the stuff that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has been doing, Vermont has been targeted. We were also able to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the Vermont Legal Assistance Fund, which aids and assists folks who have been detained by ICE through their legal process. That’s all a part of being involved in the community, of being a community club, of being a community team. If you’re going to take part in the success that the team has on the field, there’s also a desire to be involved in your community and to help your community. That’s a really big part of the ethos of being a fan of this team.”

Foster is a proud part of the team’s rambunctious supporter group, the Green Mountain Bhoys (you can also follow them on Instagram and Bluesky), which borrows its name from a Vermont militia formed in the 1760s to defend settlers’ land claims and later had a prominent role in the early American Revolutionary War, including the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775. The name is also a partial nod to Celtic’s supporter group in Scotland.

The group has also been influenced by Ultras Montréal, a supporter group for MLS team CF Montréal. Foster said several of the Ultras would come and watch Vermont Green games when the franchise first launched.

“We were really lucky that in that first year there were a bunch of Ultras who actually came down to watch a bunch of the games and brought along drums, they brought along megaphones,” Foster said. “They inspired a bunch of our chants. When Vermont scores a goal or when Vermont’s on a corner kick, the fans all chant, ‘Allez, allez’ and not ‘Olé, olé’ because of that French Canadian influence.”

Foster said the group started up as a small meetup of about 20 people at a local brewery and then has just rapidly grown from there. 

“I’ve been a season ticket holder since day one,” Foster said. “Our supporters group as well as just the overall number of fans has grown year in and year out. I think there was one game the first season that was sold out, and that was the final game. And then every year it just started selling out more and more. I believe these past two years, every single game has been sold out on the men’s side. And then this year, I believe almost every game was sold out on the women’s side as well.”

The team plays home games at Virtue Field in Burlington on the campus of the University of Vermont. It holds about 2,500 people, and the Green Mountain Bhoys have flags, megaphones, green smoke, drums, and all of the other accessories that rambunctious supporter groups are known for. But they also pride themselves on being inclusive and welcoming for all who want to sit with them.

“Early on, some of the fans who were kind of parked behind us weren’t really that into the songs and the chants and the banners and the flags that we were waving,” Foster said. “We got told, put the flags down, we’re blocking people’s views. But by the third year, people knew that if you were sitting behind us or in that section, you were encouraged to take part in the songs, take part in the chants, and that if people score a goal, there are gonna be flags that are waving. So it’s just kind of turned into this huge party atmosphere. People have their Vermont Green family who they sit next to at every game, and that’s the main time that they see people is during the Vermont Green season. And we have members of the supporters group who bring their kids along, and they just get more and more into it. They sing the songs, they take their turn on the megaphone. So while, yes, it can be a crazy party atmosphere with flags and flares and pyro and things like that, you’ll also have an eight-year-old screaming into the megaphone, and it’s such a fun time.”

Excited to Visit Flint

So far in their history, some fans of the Vermont Green have traveled great distances to support the men’s and women’s teams, and Flint is a more manageable distance than recent playoff appearances – they played previous playoff games this year in Laredo, Texas, and their women’s side played in their finals matchup in Seattle. 

“The supporters group, we’ve got a Slack channel that everyone’s involved in, that there is a pretty strong contingent of fans who are gonna be coming out to Flint with drums, with flags, I’m pretty sure that they’re bringing along the megaphone as well, so I think that we will be pretty strongly represented in Flint,” Foster said.

He also noted that many of their fans are knowledgeable of the Bucks’ history and excited to visit Flint.

“I think in talking to the other members of the supporters group, everyone is really excited that, if we’re not playing the final at home at Virtue Field in Burlington, we’re glad that it’s gonna be in a place like Flint, which has so much history,” Foster said. “It’s a team that is another community club. We have the greatest of respect for the Bucks, for the community around Flint, and we’re just really excited to visit.”

Things To Do In Flint

The focus of the Flint City Bucks is obviously putting successful teams on the pitch, but a byproduct of their success is they’ve been able to host postseason matches that brings players, coaches, team staff, and fans from other parts of the country and get to showcase Flint.

“It’s awesome just to see people’s reactions and to hear their comments, having never been to Flint before,” said team president Costa Papista. “The city always blows people away. When people look around, when they go downtown, when they go to the Cultural Center, there’s just so much history here, so much to do, so much beauty.”

The Vermont contingent will actually be in town during a great weekend to see much of the culture and fun the city has to offer. Here are a few events below, but Flint. Daily. also has a large community calendar full of things to do for any fans looking to spend some time hanging out in Flint before or after Saturday’s match.

Friday:

• VINYL VIBES at Queens’ Provisions, 6-10 p.m., just a few blocks from Atwood Stadium. There will be a DJ, dancing, food, art, and more, located in the Peoples’ Plaza, just across the street from Queens’ (421 Garland Street).
• Patio Night at the Flint Institute of Arts, 5-8 p.m., in Flint’s Cultural Center. Canja de Boa (Brasilian Jazz) is performing live and the museum, which is the second largest art museum in Michigan, will have galleries open throughout the evening. Food and drinks are available for purchase. The FIA is located at 1120 E. Kearsley Street.
• Jazz Walk, various locations, 6-9 p.m., downtown Flint. The lineup includes: Cherise Bradley at Sauce (352 Saginaw Street) from 6-8 p.m.; The Affair at Market Tap (300 E. First Street, upstairs at the Flint Farmers’ Market); Sunny Bleau & The Moons at Blackstones (531 Saginaw Street) from 6-8 p.m.; Dave Huber, Bob Schultz, & Dave Miller at Cork on Saginaw (635 Saginaw Street) from 6-9 p.m.; and The Professor at Churchill’s (340 Saginaw Street) from 7-9 p.m.
• David Asher Band live at Tenacity Brewing, 7-11 p.m., just a few blocks from Atwood Stadium. Tenacity has a wide range of beers, ciders, and other drinks on tap, and Vehicle City Tacos is on-site with a food menu in Tenacity’s beer garden, which is right on the banks of the Flint River, located at 119 N. Grand Traverse Street.

Saturday:

• Flint River Flotilla and Afterparty: Launches for a float on rafts down the Flint River begin at Tenacity Brewing (119 N. Grand Traverse Street) are from 10-11:30 a.m., with floaters exiting the river in nearby Mott Park. There will be an afterparty back at Tenacity from noon-4 p.m. with music, food, and more. 
• 44th Annual Railfans Weekend at Crossroads Village: A fun, family-friendly event for train lovers of all ages interested in learning more about the historic Huckleberry Railroad, seeing model train exhibits, and wandering the expansive, historic Crossroads Village (6140 N. Bray Road).
• Porchfest in Sharp Manor: Anyone interested in venturing out into Flint’s neighborhoods can see one up close during Porchfest, which goes from noon-6 p.m. and includes music, games, food, and more in the Sharp Manor neighborhood on the city’s northside.
• Flint Jazz Festival at the Capitol Theatre: Anyone interested in seeing live music in Flint’s historic, refurbished Capitol Theatre will have time to check out some of this year’s Jazz Festival acts beginning at 1 p.m. Tickets are available online and the Capitol Theatre is located at 140 E. Second Street.
• Latinx Center 25th Anniversary Celebration: Enjoy Latin food and music, games, culture, family fun, and more starting at 2 p.m. at the Latinx Center, located at 2101 Lewis Street.
• Fun, hands-on exhibits at Sloan Museum of Discovery or a show at Longway Planetarium are both always a big hit for families looking for something to do before the game starts.