BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Summer weather is here, and with it comes soccer season.
Our Melissa Cooney went field-side to learn what’s in store for the Vermont Green team.
Melissa: “Summertime soccer is back here in the 802. I’m joined here by Adam Pfeifer. He’s the head coach of the Vermont Green Football Club. Adam, you guys have an exciting season ahead after a lot of momentum last year. What can fans expect this year?”
Adam Pfeifer: “I think they can expect a lot of the same kind of similar style play, similar kind of players. We’ve turned over a lot of the team, you know, probably three-quarters of the team are our new players coming in. But, you know, I think that our fans and supporters should expect players at the same kind of quality, bring the same sort of excitement to the game. And, you know, I think we should expect it to make some progress this year in terms of making playoffs and things like that.”
Melissa: “And this is obviously a really big deal for Vermont, you know, a soccer team of this level here in the state. What does this mean to come back for another year to sort of keep that progress and that community growing?”
Adam Pfeifer: “The club’s evolved a bit over the first couple of years, but the goals and the things that kind of ground us and make us who we are have remained the same, with the clubs, community initiatives, the environmental initiatives and obviously the uniforms. It was jersey launch yesterday, and so a lot of that stuff’s gonna stay the same. But we’re hoping to progress from a soccer standpoint and build off of the momentum of the Open Cup and the players that have gone on to be professionals and are continuing to affect the game at the highest levels in this country.”
Melissa: “Absolutely. Tell me a little bit about the climate initiative. Of course, here in the Green Mountain State. We love to talk about doing good for the earth. So what do people need to know about that?”
Adam Pfeifer: “I mean, honestly, just that that is kind of where the club looks for all of our decision making. So from our uniforms to how we travel to the different things that we do in the community, like everything is with that in mind and the club kind of practices what it preaches in terms of how we travel and the uniforms and the different things that we’re out doing in the community.”
Melissa: “Awesome, really exciting. Well, good luck with the season ahead.”
Melissa: “I’m watching Vermont Green practice right now – they have a game later today. I’m joined here by Reed Fisher. He is a defender on Vermont Green. This is your first year working here in Vermont. What has it been like so far for you?”
Reid: “I mean, it’s super exciting. Obviously coming all the way from California, it’s a little different. All the fans are super nice.”
Melissa: “You guys have a pretty exciting season ahead. What are some things you’re looking forward to?”
Reid: “I’m really looking forward to meeting all the fans, I’ve heard a lot about the support here. And I mean, obviously the community has been really huge. When I got here, even going to the grocery store, people are coming up to me and welcoming me in. And also just really looking forward to like, exploring the state, like going to North Beach, going to the lake, and just kind of exploring.”
Melissa: “What has it been like meeting all the players from all different parts coming together for here at Vermont Green, what has that been like for you folks?”
Reid: “Our team’s been really cool, everyone’s really super supportive of each other and I mean, everyone’s really like, you know, team-first mentality so I’m really excited. Obviously, all the guys and me got a different background, it’s always been super fun.”
Melissa: “And of course, I know the goal is to win games. That’s the whole point of the sport, but do you have any personal goals for yourself as a player in the next few weeks?”
Reid: “Yeah, I think just to develop as much as I can, I mean, obviously the talent here is a lot better than anything I’ve ever been used to so I think improving as much as I can. And then I mean, honestly like you said, you know, winning a championship and bringing you know, Vermont’s first thing. I mean, think the owners here do so much for us. Obviously, the fans commit so much time, so to do it for them would really be a big thing for us.”
You can watch Vermont Green games on WYCI – and you can see the season schedule here.