GPS Portland Phoenix was an American soccer team based in Portland, Maine. Founded in 2009, the team played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference. It has not played since 2019.
The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium on the campus of Deering High School. The team's colors were sky blue, white and black.
History
The Phoenix acquired their PDL franchise rights from the now-defunct Cape Cod Crusaders, the PDL national champions in 2002 and 2003 who left the league at the end of the 2008 season. They are part of the larger Maine Premier Soccer ("MPS") organization, which was founded in 2009 as a sister company to Massachusetts Premier Soccer, with a mission to develop aspiring professional soccer players and coaches in Maine.
The team played its first official game on May 9, 2010, a 3–0 victory over the Westchester Flames. The first goal in franchise history was scored by Chris Banks.1
Global Premier Soccer rebranded the team GPS Portland Phoenix in 2012.2
Notable former players
This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.
- Ifunanyachi Achara
- Chris Banks
- Jonathan Barden
- Kyle Clinton
- Bryan Gaul
- Forrest Lasso
- Jason Massie
- Paul Nicholson
- Pierre Omanga
- Charlie Rugg
- Aaron Schoenfeld
- Nathaniel Short
- Chris Spendlove
- Ryan Thompson
- Brandon Tyler
- Jacob VanCompernolle
- Matt Williams
Year-by-year
| Year | Level | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Northeast | Conference Semifinals | did not qualify |
| 2011 | 4 | USL PDL | 1st, Northeast | Divisional Playoff | did not qualify |
| 2012 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Northeast | Divisional Playoff | did not qualify |
| 2013 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Northeast | Divisional Playoff | 2nd Round |
| 2014 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Northeast | did not qualify | 1st Round |
| 2015 | 4 | USL PDL | 1st, Northeast | Conference Semifinals | did not qualify |
| 2016 | 4 | USL PDL | 1st, Northeast | Divisional Playoff | 1st Round |
| 2017 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Northeast | did not qualify | 1st Round |
| 2018 | 4 | USL PDL | 2nd, Northeast | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2019 | 4 | USL League Two | 2nd, Northeast | Conference Semifinals | did not qualify |
| 2020 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
Honors
- USL PDL Northeast Division
- Champions (3): 2011, 2015, 2016
Head coaches
- Alistair Bain (2010–2016)
Stadia
- Memorial Field at Deering High School; Portland, Maine (2010–?)
- Stadium at Scarborough High School; Scarborough, Maine 2 games (2010–2011)
- Stadium at Windham High School; Windham, Maine 1 game (2010)
Average attendance
Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive.3
- 2010: 426
- 2011: 483
- 2012: 550
- 2013: 584
- 2014: 525
- 2015: 512
External links
References
"United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-08. Retrieved 2013-12-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20131208011626/http://www.uslsoccer.com/stats/2010/1584620.html ↩
"GPS Portland Phoenix 2012". Global Premier Soccer. Archived from the original on 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2013-12-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20131206203608/http://www.globalpremiersoccer.com/home/602248.html ↩
"United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2013-12-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20100105175057/http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html ↩