AFC Cleveland was an American semi-professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

club based in the Cleveland suburb of Independence, Ohio. Founded in 2011 and playing its first season in 2012, the team spent six years in the fourth-tier

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The league is officially affiliated to the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) and has automatic qualification for the U.S. Open Cup. ...

. After being expelled from the NPSL at the end of the 2017 season, AFC Cleveland folded and was replaced by Cleveland SC, who began play in the NPSL in 2018.

History

Following the folding of the

Cleveland Internationals Cleveland Internationals was an American soccer team based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Founded in 2004, the team played in the USL Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Great Lakes Divisio ...

in 2010, the city of Cleveland was without a soccer team. On November 11, 2011, AFC Cleveland announced that they would join the

. AFC stands for ''A Fans' Club'', signifying that the organization is for the fans and created by the fans, and was inspired by the English club

AFC Wimbledon AFC Wimbledon is an English professional association football club based in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, London. The team competes in , the third tier of the English football league system. The club was founded in ...

Stadium

Kit supplier and sponsorship

From 2012 to 2013, the kit sponsor of the club was Admiral Sportswear. Beginning with the 2014 season, Givova took over as the kit sponsor.

Club culture

Supporters

6th City Syndicate is the supporters' group for Cleveland soccer.

Rivalries

* Supporters of AFC Cleveland,

Detroit City FC Detroit City FC is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Detroit, Michigan, that competes in the USL Championship. The club played in the National Premier Soccer League from 2012 to 2019 and the National Independen ...

, and

FC Buffalo FC Buffalo is an American soccer club based in Buffalo, New York, United States, with teams in men's and women's soccer. Founded in 2009, the men's team plays in the USL League Two, a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the Americ ...

formed the

Rust Belt Derby The Rust Belt Derby was a soccer derby played between Detroit City FC, FC Buffalo, and AFC Cleveland in the National Premier Soccer League, the fourth tier of American soccer. The derby was named for the Rust Belt region of the United State ...

, modeled after the

Cascadia Cup The Cascadia Cup is the name of the trophy created in 2004 by supporters of the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps, which is awarded each season to the best soccer team in the Pacific Northwest. The cup is named for t ...

. The winner of the Derby was based on the head to head record of the Midwestern clubs during regular season NPSL matches. Cleveland won the initial Rust Belt Derby on June 23, 2012, following a 1–1 draw with Detroit. * AFC Cleveland also participated in in-state rivalry matches against

Zanesville Athletic FC Below is a list of all the teams that ever have ever played, or will play, in the Men's Premier Soccer League (MPSL) or National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). (''Current as of 2023 season'') References {{National Premier Soccer League Na ...

, with whom they contested the Presidential Cup, and Dayton Dynamo. Prior to the Cincinnati Saints relocating to Dayton to become the Dynamo, they and AFC Cleveland played for the I-71 Cup.

Players and staff

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 NPSL, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.'' *

Robby Dambrot Robert Dambrot (born October 19, 1994) is an American soccer player who plays as a defender for Loudoun United in the USL Championship. Career College & Amateur Dambrot began playing college soccer at the University of Akron in 2013, where ...

Bryan Gallego Bryan Gallego (born March 10, 1993) is a former American soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet ...

* Riley Grant * Alex Ivanov * Sergio Manesio * Bradley Ruhaak * Nate Shultz * Kotaro Umeda * Matt Walker * Shane Wiedt

Head coach history

Honors

; Minor Trophies *

Champions: 2012 * Presidential Cup Champions: 2013 * I-71 Cup Champions: 2015

Year-by-year

References

External links

* Association football clubs established in 2011 2011 establishments in Ohio National Premier Soccer League teams Soccer clubs in Cleveland Association football clubs disestablished in 2017 2017 disestablishments in Ohio {{Ohio-footyclub-stub