Vermont Green FC is back in the U.S. Open Cup, the most historic soccer tournament in the United States. While it is an opportunity that the club relishes, the cards will be stacked against the reigning USL League Two champions.
Playing in the Open Cup presents a unique challenge for USL League Two clubs. The tournament takes place largely during the offseason and players can be hard to come by.
"Yeah, obviously the hardest part, to be quite transparent, we get three days of training and only one of those days has every single player there," Vermont Green FC head coach Chris Taylor told The Blazing Musket. "It's a really hard task putting the squad together. We don't want to be arrogant, but we're national champions now so people, they want to be part of that. They want to be playing at Virtue in front of these fans. So many people want to do it, but can they that's the question. Can we get them away from their other obligations? We've run into that a lot, and then there's travel. Can we get you here in time? Can we afford to get you here, because flights are expensive."
Taylor noted that the roster is still in flux even days before the game is set to take place. It has been reported that Niklas Herceg will be returning in net but outside of him, the roster is largely unknown.
Vermont will be taking on Portland Hearts of Pine, a club who has had a meteoric rise: similar to The Green. Hearts quickly became arguably the most popular team in the league and has merchandise sales that rival some USL Championship clubs.
Taylor believes that creating local rivalries is healthy and he hopes that this Open Cup match won't be the last that the two play against one another.
"Being the Vermont Green coach for me is a little bit of trying to test myself at this level," Taylor said. "I respect Portland Hearts of Pine so much that I want to beat them so much. I think I've got to be as a coach, and everyone else with me, we've got to be at our absolute best, and it will be a massive achievement for us to beat them. There's a New England rivalry for sure and I think that's a healthy thing. I think it's a good thing, not out of disrespect in any way, out of total respect. I think it's good for the game. I think it's good for the culture. I think it's good for the fans. We need a team that we want to be better than."
When Hearts come to Virtue Field, they will be entering a new environment. Taylor noted that a shift took place in the stands on Vermont's journey to a national championship.
"I think one of the things around Vermont Green that changed this year was we went from this happy go lucky environment to this hostile we want to win environment, which you've got to evolve to if you're a serious club," the head coach said, "We don't want to be everyone's favorite club. We do in a lot of ways, but that only happens if you don't win. If you win, people start to hate you, and that's part of it.
"We don't all need to be friends," Taylor added. "We need to respect each other 100% but there needs to be a rivalry. Of like, No, we don't want you to win. And I think that's good for the game."
The matchup also provides Vermont with an opportunity on and off the field as the game will be broadcast on national television. The Green are a vocal club and makes it very clear where it stands on issues. Whether it be climate justice, social justice, or highlighting the atrocities being committed by immigration officials in Vermont, the club doesn't shy away from being vocal whereas plenty of other organizations tend to be silent on what can be deemed by some as political issues.
For Taylor, he views his job as head coach as being crucial in getting the message of Vermont Green FC out to the world.
"I'm someone who believes that my job is to win as many games as possible to make our message louder," he said. "If we lost every game, no one cares about our message. They would, in the grand scheme of things, that the message is super important, but we'd just be another club. For our message to resonate with a wider audience, we have to win and I think that puts a little bit more on us. We have to win for bigger causes because these are important issues and we want to gain them attention. We want the world to be a better place at the end of the day.
"Obviously, this game, being on national television and things like that's going to put us to a wider audience," Taylor added. "It is the marquee game of the first round of the Open Cup. It allows our message to get out there further. My role is the football piece, to spread the message through football and gain us as much attention as possible. It does give us a bigger stage to promote what we stand for."
Taylor is expecting for a strong Portland side. While the club is playing three games in a week's time, the season has just begun so players are in need of minutes under their legs.
Additionally, the head coach has high expectations for the Virtue Field faithful and The Green Mountain Bhoys.
"When Lexington came two years ago, I wasn't sure what we were going to get because it was snowing and does the average person who doesn't follow lower league football in the U.S. even know what the Open Cup is? But our fans and our community have never let us down," Taylor said. "So I guess I'll put the pressure on them. I have high expectations of what we're going to see. It is going to be cold, but I think Vermonters almost want to play into that like, we're the only people in the country who come out in this weather. So I think it's going to be amazing. There's going to be so many eyes on this game. Im expecting an incredible atmosphere. I want it to be a celebration of lower league soccer, but I also want it to be a hostile environment for Hearts of Pine too, because we'll need that help because they're such a good team. So it's going to be great. I expect our fans, they've got a lot to live up to with the tifos after the playoff run. I think expectations are high, so I'm sure they can live up."
