AFC Mobile
 | |
| Full name | Association Football Club Mobile |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Azaleas, Wanderers |
| Founded | June 15, 2015 |
| Ground | Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex, Mobile, AL |
| Capacity | 5,000 |
| Head Coach | Steve Wieczorek |
| League | National Premier Soccer League |
| Website | Club website |
AFC Mobile is an American soccer club based in Mobile, Alabama, that competes in the National Premier Soccer League. It formerly played in the Gulf Coast Premier League.[1]
History[edit]
Founding[edit]
AFC Mobile was founded in 2015 by Mobile and Baldwin County, Alabama, soccer enthusiasts in order to establish a semi-professional soccer team in the City of Mobile.[2] It was announced on January 3, 2017, that AFC Mobile would join the Gulf Coast Premier League for its inaugural Summer Season.[3] On November 12, 2019, it was announced that AFC Mobile would join the National Premier Soccer League in a newly formed Gulf Coast Conference that featured Mobile, Port City FC, Tallahassee SC, Pensacola FC, and NPSL mainstays the New Orleans Jesters and Jacksonville Armada.[4]
Inaugural season[edit]
Prior to their debut season, AFC Mobile announced that it would play its inaugural season's home games at the Archbishop Lipscomb Athletic Complex, located in the Bolton neighbourhood of Mobile.[5] For its first two years, the team was managed by Nate Nicholas, a former player for the University of Mobile, former back-to-back state championship-winning coach at UMS-Wright Preparatory School, and current varsity men's coach at McGill–Toolen Catholic High School.[6]
Changes to coaching staff[edit]
After finishing the 2018 GCPL season, head coach Nate Nicholas stepped down.[7]
Ultimately, Spring Hill College's men's soccer coach Steve Wieczorek was named as Nicholas's replacement on January 7, 2019.[8]
Rivalries[edit]
The club's main rival is Port City FC (formerly Biloxi City FC), who play in Gulfport, Mississippi. The clubs compete for the fan-based Forgotten Coast Cup, which started in 2017 when they were both in the GCPL.
Attendance[edit]
For their debut game on May 14, 2017, AFC Mobile more than quadrupled the highest ever attendance for the Gulf Coast Premier League.[9] In their second home game on June 10, 2017 against Biloxi City FC, AFC Mobile drew 924 to Archbishop Lipscomb Stadium, which topped the league's previous record.[10] On June 8, 2017, AFC Mobile became the first team in the Gulf Coast Premier League to break 1,000 people in attendance against CD Motagua of New Orleans.[11]
During their second season, AFC Mobile would go on to draw over 1,400 fans twice against the Gulf Coast Rangers and Port City FC.[12]
Players and staff[edit]
2021 roster[edit]
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Salvador Plaza |  Chile
|
| 2 | MF | Salia Carr |  United States
|
| 4 | DF | Vladik Margolin |  Israel
|
| 5 | MF | Darius Rashid |  England
|
| 6 | DF | Edward Dakwa |  Zimbabwe
|
| 8 | DF | Zubair Taylor |  South Africa
|
| 9 | MF | Ronaldo Fortune |  Botswana
|
| 10 | FW | Ibrahima Ndaw |  Senegal
|
| 12 | DF | Stanley Joseph |  Haiti
|
| 15 | DF | Thierry Zabarel |  France
|
| 16 | DF | Mario Gratzl |  Germany
|
| 18 | MF | Tomas Lopez |  Mexico
|
| 19 | DF | Ryan Green | United States
|
| 20 | MF | Soane Deminguet Folituu | France
|
| 21 | FW | Erik Aispuro | Mexico
|
| 22 | MF | Clairy Kengeye |  Tanzania
|
| 23 | MF | Mikey Conneh | England
|
| 24 | DF | Andrew Rhoda | South Africa
|
| 25 | MF | Blake Palmquist | United States
|
| 26 | FW | Jackson Wheatley | United States
|
| 27 | MF | Chisom Ogbonna |  Nigeria
|
| 28 | GK | William Blake | United States
|
| 30 | GK | Barou Ndaw | Senegal
|
| — | DF | Ira Bowens | United States
|
| — | DF | Brantton Greene | United States
|
| — | MF | Desmond Ibie |  Cameroon
|
| — | FW | Arad Lev-Ari | Israel
|
| — | MF | Batevya Mediateur | Tanzania
|
| — | DF | Santiago Medina |  Colombia
|
| — | MF | Irumva Steven | Tanzania
|
Source: [1]
Team management[edit]
| Coaching Staff | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Steve Wieczorek
|
| Assistant coach | Brent Grube
|
| Assistant coach | Edward Dakwa
|
| Assistant coach | Desmond Ibie
|
Year-by-year[edit]
| Year | Conference | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Eastern Conference | GCPL | 6th, East | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 2018 | Eastern Conference | GCPL | 4th, East | Did not qualify | Did not enter |
| 2019 | Eastern Conference | GCPL | 2nd, East | Quarterfinals | Did not enter |
| 2020 | Gulf Coast Conference | NPSL | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[13] | Did not enter | |
References[edit]
- ^ "AFC Mobile to join Gulf Coast Premier League". AL.com.
- ^ "Soccer enthusiasts hope to bring new team to Mobile". AL.com.
- ^ "Gulf Coast Premier League announces summer season; adds 3 new clubs". Gulf Coast Premier League.
- ^ "New Gulf Coast Conference Announced by the NPSL". National Premier Soccer League.
- ^ "AFC Mobile announces Home Field for Inaugural Season". AL.com.
- ^ "Mobile Finally Has A Soccer Team". 99.5 The Jag. Archived from the original on 2017-04-02. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
- ^ "AFC Mobile Coach Nate Nicholas Resigns". WKRG-TV.
- ^ "AFC Mobile names Spring Hill College's Steve Wieczorek as new head coach". WKRG-TV.
- ^ "AFC Mobile game breaks attendance records". WPMI-TV.
- ^ "Late Goal Sinks AFC Mobile In 2-1 Loss to Biloxi City FC". AFC Mobile.
- ^ "AFC Mobile wraps up home schedule in front of record crowd". WKRG-TV.
- ^ "AFC Mobile Breaks GCPL Attendance Record in 2-0 Loss to Gulf Coast Rangers FC".
- ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (26 March 2020). "2020 NPSL season cancelled". ProSoccerTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
