Most of us were introduced to Patrick Infurna through his journalism (we wrote about it back in 2019). Young guy with a mop of hair covered in a baseball cap, standing in front of a raging mob of soccer fans, trying to report the experience. You can still find his work with Copa90 living forever on the interwebs. In every video, his energy is infectious, his excitement is palpable, and he’s every bit a soccer fan as much as he is a journalist. They are must-watch videos for any soccer fan.

“Working at COPA90 was the coolest. I have nothing but fond memories from the time I spent working there, the people I worked with, and all the people in football communities around the country and around the world that I got to meet. If I was lucky enough to help tell a club, fanbase, or individual’s story, it was such a privilege.”

Growth

But all good things come to an end and Infurna moved into his current role, cofounder of one of the best clubs in lower league soccer, Vermont Green. After two years of growth in USL League Two, this year the club truly blossomed onto the national stage with a first round match in US Open Cup. “Being in the Open Cup really felt like a graduation of sorts. Like we had really arrived on the national stage. It was cool to start the season in a way that set us apart like that. We had more fans, more success on the field, more eyes on us.”

*Image credit Patrick McCormack and Vermont Green*

That match was in March, the first of the year for Vermont, against a professional club, Lexington SC. The USL League One club came to The Green Mountain State and the home fans packed out Virtue Field. The match turned out to be an absolute barn-burner, with Vermont Green winning 4-3. The win was one of the highlights of the first round of the Open Cup and, for Inurna, felt like a “leveling up.” But growth isn’t a momentary thing for his club, it’s an everyday thing. “Every new day something develops or grows or changes and being able to both be part of making the engine go and being able to project the story in real time, in the way we want to, and in the way that reflects Vermont’s story and identity, I think my previous work primed me to help do this in a very particular way with our club.”

The growth and development of Vermont Green has been impressive from without, but from within, it’s a continuous blur of movement. Infurna laughed when asked about what he had hoped the club would be when they founded it. “I can’t even remember what our expectations were, because you live this stuff everyday. We just finished our third season and we’re in this place that feels fantastic. We’re so excited looking forward into the future. We certainly exceeded our expectations.”

On the Map

The growth has brought attention to the club in new ways and at new levels. The most famous Vermonter (and yes, Vermonter is correct, I looked it up) showed up this season, Senator Bernie Sanders. Infurna beamed when asked about it. “He had a good time, but he’s a big baseball fan. But he still enjoyed the game.” While Sanders happens to be the most famous politician to have shown up, but the list of local celebrities making time with Green is extensive. USMNT legend Sam Mewes showed up for a match, then ended up coaching the provisional women’s side in a friendly. The club’s success has a gravitational pull that few are resisting. “This summer,” Infurna reflected, “it felt like Vermont Green was THE THING in Burlington that you had to do.”

Yaniv Bazini leaps to head in the winner in the USL League Two playoffs. *Image credit Patrick McCormack and Vermont Green*

It looks like that role will continue in 2025. When the club put season tickets on sale last month, it took 24 hours for them to sell out. “Last year it took us till the Open Cup match to sell out…to sell out in 24 hours sent, and I mean this in a positive way, a pretty substantial shock through our club…it really has us thinking about the future. It’s a cool place to be.”

Growing Sustainably

"We want to grow in a sustainable way,” Infurna responded, when asked about the potential of taking the club into a professional league. It’s not that he and his co-owners don’t think about the possibilities, of course. The goal for Patrick and Vermont Green is to grow smartly and sustainably. “We don’t have some big investor. We’re building like any other small business.”

While most amateur clubs in the United States operate for three months during the early summer, the next step for Vermont Green is to expand operations to year-round. “We want to evolve beyond being a 10-week operation. We want to be a football club that serves the community year around. Does that mean League One? We haven’t had those conversations, but we do want to see if we can build facilities that can serve our club and the youth and soccer-playing community.”

All eyes are on Vermont and the future seems Green for the little club from Burlington.

- Dan Vaughn