Annapolis Blues FC is an American soccer club. It currently competes in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the National Premier Soccer League, considered the fourth tier of the United States soccer league system.
 | |
| Full name | Annapolis Blues Football Club |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 2022 |
| Stadium | Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, Maryland |
| Capacity | 34,000 |
| Owners | Michael Hitchcock Kyle Beckerman Alex Yi |
| Head coach | Colin Herriot |
| League | National Premier Soccer League |
| 2023 | Regional Semifinal |
| Website | Club website |
The team's home field is the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
History
In June 2022, the National Premier Soccer League announced a new expansion team would be placed in Annapolis for the 2023 season.[1] The ownership effort was led by former DC United front office member Michael Hitchcock, former United States men's national soccer team player Kyle Beckerman, and former FC Dallas player Alex Yi.[2] The latter two are Maryland locals while Hitchcock owns multiple NPSL teams including Appalachian FC and 2021 national champion Denton Diablos FC. During the summer the team held an online poll where fans could choose between four potential team names and crests; Annapolis Blues FC, Annapolis Kraken SC, Annapolis Seawolves SC, and Annapolis Yard FC. The name Annapolis Blues FC was announced on August 16 after over 1,200 votes had been cast.[3] It was also announced around this time that the team would play its home games at the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on the campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.[4]
The Blues announced Colin Herriot as the team's first head coach on December 13.[5]
The team's first game was a pre-season friendly against Philadelphia Union Development Squad on Wednesday, May 10 at Memorial Stadium. The Community Shield match saw 3,915 fans and raised money to support local charity Rebuilding Together Anne Arundel County.[6] Following three away games to start the season, Annapolis played its first regular season home game on Saturday, June 3 against FC Frederick and set an NPSL attendance record with 8,368 fans.[7][8] The Blues won the match, 4–2. The next home match against Virginia Beach City FC drew 7,665 attendees.[9] The following month they broke the conference championship record again as a crowd of 8,480 watched the Blues defeat the Alexandria Reds in the conference final.[10]
Attendance
| Season | Regular Season Total | Regular Season Average | Playoffs Total | Playoffs Average | Highest | Combined Total | Combined Average | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 38,770 | 7,754 | 15,562 | 7,781 | 8,480 | 54,332 | 7,762 | [10][11][12] |
Players & staff
Coaches
Colin Herriot (2023–) Head Coach
Lee Tschantret (2023–) Assistant Coach- Daniel Louisignau (2023–) Assistant Coach
Front office
- Steven Hooper (2023-) - Assistant General Manager and Director of Marketing
- Devin Pugh (2024-) - Director of Community Outreach
- Brandon Schwarzman (2024-) - Director of Sales and Ticket Operations
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | DF |  USA | Nathan Macek |
| — | MF | USA | Myles Mansfield |
| — | MF |  RSA | Jade Mesias |
| — | MF | USA | Francis Meyer |
| — | GK |  SCO | Lucas Muller |
| — | FW | USA | Jacob Murrell |
| — | MF | USA | Leo Palomo |
| — | MF | USA | Evan Rabush |
| — | MF | USA | Jackson Ruckman |
| — | FW | USA | Manuel Ruiz |
| — | FW | USA | Andrew Schug |
| — | GK | USA | Connor Smith |
| — | DF | USA | Laurence Smith |
| — | MF | USA | TJ Walker |
| — | MF | USA | Ethan Wright |