Miami FC is an American professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area, that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer league system.
The club began play in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2016 season. Following the demise of the NASL, the club participated in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) and the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) before moving to the USL Championship for the 2020 season. The team currently plays its home games at Pitbull Stadium on the campus of Florida International University.
History
North American Soccer League The club was announced on May 20, 2015, as the 12th North American Soccer League franchise with plans to begin play in the 2016 season and later confirmed it would play out of Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium on the campus of Florida International University. The team, co-owned by media entrepreneur Riccardo Silva and former Italy national team defender Paolo Maldini, came only one year after former England national team star and Major League Soccer legend David Beckham announced his intent to launch an MLS team in the city.
In September 2015, Alessandro Nesta was appointed as the club's first coach. On November 20, 2015, Italian sportswear company Macron were announced as the club's kit suppliers on a three-year deal.
Nesta resigned as coach following the completion of the 2017 season, on November 17.
National Premier Soccer League and 'Miami FC 2' In January 2018, following the suspension and later cancellation of the 2018 NASL season, the organization announced the creation of "The Miami FC 2" in the National Premier Soccer League with 12 members of its 2017 NASL roster. The intention was for Miami FC's players to play with Miami FC 2 while waiting for the NASL's proposed winter schedule to take effect. The team hired Paul Dalglish as the new head coach on January 25. The team played its home matches at its former training grounds on the campus of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.
The team went on to dominate the regular season in the NPSL's Sunshine Conference. Only one loss to Jacksonville Armada FC in the regular season led the team to finish top of the table and in the conference playoffs the beat the Armada, 3–1, to win its first NPSL trophy. After advancing in the national playoffs, including winning the NPSL South Region, Miami FC 2 won the organization's first ever league championship when it defeated FC Motown, 3–1, for the NPSL National Championship on August 4.
For the 2019 NPSL season, the team returned to playing as Miami FC and repeated its previous year's success by finishing atop the regular season table and winning the Sunshine Conference over Miami United FC, 3–2. It won the South Region for a second straight year before becoming the first club to win a second NPSL National Championship when it defeated the New York Cosmos B, 3–1, and earning the organization's eighth trophy in three years.
National Independent Soccer Association
On November 15, 2018, the NPSL announced that Miami would be a founding member in a new professional league, commencing with the "NPSL Founders Cup" competition from August to November 2019, followed by a full league schedule in 2020 at either division 2 or 3 level. However, on July 24, 2019, it was announced that Miami would instead join the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) for the inaugural Fall 2019 season. The team went undefeated through seven games during the regular season, clinching the top playoff spot in the East Coast Conference. On November 9, Miami won the NISA East Coast Championship over Stumptown Athletic, its ninth trophy in three years.
USL Championship On December 11, 2019, former USL Championship club Ottawa Fury FC announced that it had sold its franchise rights to the Miami FC ownership group, and the club would begin competition in the league beginning with the 2020 season.
Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, head coach and technical director Paul Dalglish left the team. On November 29, former Inter Miami CF assistant coach Anthony Pulis was named Miami FC's new head coach. In 2023, halfway through the season, Pulis stepped down as Head Coach. Lewis Neal was named Interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Antonio Nocerino, a former AC Milan and Orlando City SC player, became the next head coach.
On September 18, 2025, Miami FC announced plans to relocate to a new 15,000-seat stadium in Homestead, Florida. The stadium is part of a privately financed $300 million development, led by Sports Performance Hub, which also includes a youth academy, boarding school, and a hotel.
Sponsorship
Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor 2016–2019 Macron — 2020–present Helbiz
Record Year-by-year
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Miami FC. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Miami FC seasons. Season Tier League Conf/Div Record Position Playoffs USOC USL Cup Avg. Attendance Top goalscorer Pld W D L GF GA Pts Conf Ovr Name Goals 2021 2 USLC Eastern/Atlantic 32 16 6 10 55 40 54 4th 8th R1 NH - 699 Christiano François 11 2022 2 USLC Eastern 34 15 10 9 47 32 55 6th 9th R1 R3 - 1,144 Kyle Murphy 10 2023 2 USLC Eastern 34 11 8 15 43 44 41 9th 20th DNQ R3 - 1,432 Joaquín Rivas 10 2024 2 USLC Eastern 34 3 2 29 26 89 11 12th 24th DNQ R3 DNP 1,075 Frank López 7 2025 2 USLC Eastern 30 8 6 16 29 44 30 11th 23rd DNQ R3 GS Francisco Bonfiglio 14
Average attendance Year Reg. season Playoffs 2016 5,427 – 2017 5,172 7,115 2019 569 1,309 2020 N/A – 2021 699 – 2022 1,144 – 2023 1,432 – 2024 1,075 –
Stadium
Name Location Years Pitbull Stadium Miami, Florida 2016–2017, 2019, 2020–present Cobb Stadium Coral Gables, Florida 2017; 1 match in U.S. Open Cup St. Thomas University Soccer Field Miami Gardens, Florida 2018 Florida International University Soccer Stadium Miami, Florida 2018; 2 matches in U.S. Open Cup2022;1 match in U.S. Open Cup2023; 1 match in U.S. Open Cup2024; 1 match in U.S. Open Cup,4 matches in USL Championship Buccaneer Field Miami Shores, Florida 2019
Players and staff
Current roster
Staff
PositionStaffNationHead coach Gastόn Maddoni Assistant coach Víctor Lonchuk Goalkeeper coach Cristian Blanco Strength & performance coach Lucas Vaeza
Individual records Top goalscorers
(Appearances listed in parentheses next to total) Name Years League Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Total1 Ariel Martínez2016–2019, 20212 Jaime Chavez2016–20183 Dylan Mares2017–2018, 20194 Miguel González2019–20205 Stefano Pinho20176 Kyle Murphy2022–20236 Mohamed Thiaw2019–20207 Darío Suárez2018–20198 Joaquín Rivas2022–20238 Vincenzo Rennella2016–20188 Kwadwo Poku2016–2017
Most appearances
(Goals scored listed in parentheses next to total) Name Years League Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Total1 Ariel Martínez2016–2019, 20212 Bolu Akinyode2021–20233 Paco Craig2021–20234 Mario Daniel Vega2016–20185 Mason Trafford2016–20186 Rhett Bernstein2016–20187 Dylan Mares2017–2018, 20198 Jaime Chavez2016–20189 Callum Chapman-Page2019, 2021–202310 Aedan Stanley2022–202310 Mark Segbers2022–2023
Managerial records
NameFromToPWDLGSGA%WHonoursNotes Alessandro NestaSeptember 1, 2015November 17, 2017(1) NASL Spring Season (1) NASL Fall Season Paul DalglishJanuary 25, 2018November 13, 2019"THE MIAMI FC APPOINTS PAUL DALGLISH AS GENERAL MANAGER" – The Miami FC, November 13, 2019(2) NPSL Sunshine Conference Championship (2018, 2019) (2) NPSL South Region Championship (2018, 2019) (2) NPSL Championship (2018, 2019) (1) NISA East Coast Championship Nelson VargasNovember 14, 2019August 10, 2020 Paul DalglishAugust 10, 2020November 15, 2021 Anthony PulisNovember 29, 2021June 20, 2023 Lewis Neal (interim)June 20, 2023November 9, 2023 Antonio NocerinoNovember 14, 2023October 16, 2024 Marcello Alves (interim)October 16, 2024January 23, 2025 Gastόn MaddoniJanuary 23, 2025present
Club culture
Miami FC draw the bulk of their support from the suburbs in the south and west of Miami.
The club's mascot is Golazo, a seven-foot-tall Kingfisher bird with blue and orange feathers.
Rivalries The closest team geographically was the Fort Lauderdale Strikers with games between the two sides often labelled the FL Clásico. Fixtures with the other two teams in Florida, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Jacksonville Armada are also keenly contested. These four teams competed for the Coastal Cup over the course of the 2016 season.
After the 2016 season Tampa Bay left the NASL for the United Soccer League and Fort Lauderdale ceased operations because of financial issues. That left Jacksonville as Miami FC's only in-state rival in the NASL. Miami did however face Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, defeating the Rowdies by a score of 2–0.
When the NASL cancelled the 2018 season, Miami and Jacksonville continued their rivalry in the NPSL in both 2018 and 2019 as both clubs continued operation. The two teams would meet again in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup, which saw Miami FC winning 3–1. The team also began a rivalry against Miami United FC dubbed "Magic City Clasico". The teams met in the Second Round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup where United shocked FC, 3–1, to advance. They would also meet in the 2022 Edition of the U.S. Open Cup, which Miami FC won 3–0.
They also have a local rivalry with MLS team Inter Miami, who they have played twice the US Open Cup in 2022 and 2023.
In 2024, Miami and USL League One side FC Naples formed the Alligator Alley Derby, named after Interstate 75 in Florida between Naples and Fort Lauderdale. The two teams are set to play their first match against one another in the 2025 USL Cup.
Supporters group Dade Brigade are the official supporters group of Miami FC and they occupy the east stand of Pitbull Stadium which is known as the Brigade End for home games. They are named for Miami-Dade County.
Honors
North American Soccer League Spring championship (1): 2017 Fall championship (1): 2017
National Premier Soccer League National Championship (2): 2018, 2019 South Region Championship (2): 2018, 2019 Sunshine Conference Championship (2): 2018, 2019
National Independent Soccer Association East Coast Championship (1): 2019
Notes
References
External links
2018 Miami FC 2 (NPSL) Match Reports 2019 Miami FC (NPSL) Match Reports