Fort Lauderdale United FC

Women's soccer team in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Soccer club

Fort Lauderdale United FC

Founded| November 21, 2023
Stadium| New Stadium at NSU
CEO| Deon Graham
Head Coach| Tyrone Mears
League| USL Super League
Website| Club website

Home colors

Away colors

Third colors

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Current season

Fort Lauderdale United FC is a professional women's soccer team based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The club plays in the USL Super League, a new Division I league operated by the United Soccer League, and will participate in the USL Super League's inaugural season beginning in August 2024.[1] The team will play its home matches at a new soccer specific stadium being constructed at Nova Southeastern University.

The club is principally owned by Tommy Smith with Deon Graham serving as CEO.

## History

[edit]

On November 21, 2023, the USL Super League announced that it had awarded a franchise to Fort Lauderdale, making it the first professional women's soccer team in South Florida.[2] CEO and co-founder Deon Graham stated that the USL Super League and the club share the goal of promoting the "youth-to-pro" model for women's sports.[3]

On January 25, 2024, former Premier League superstar Tyrone Mears was announced as the team's first head coach.[4] On May 14, 2024, Felicia Knox was revealed as the team's first ever signing after being drafted by Angel City FC in the 2024 NWSL Draft.[5] One day later, the club welcomed defender Laveni Vaka who made history as Tonga's first female professional soccer player.[6] On June 26, 2024, the club announced its full coaching staff, with Alissa Rogers as Associate Head Coach and former Fort Lauderdale Strikers star Aly Hassan as Director of Recruitment.[7]

## Stadium

[edit]

The team will play at a brand new stadium at Nova Southeastern University on the site of the former Miami Dolphins training facility.[8][9] The $7 million project will seats nearly 7,000 fans and be completed before the club's first home match slated for September 29, 2024.[10]

## Identity

[edit]

The name and crest were unveiled on February 29, 2024.[8] The Fort Lauderdale United FC crest features the initials FTL prominently displayed, meant to intertwine like the canals of the city. The “glint” represents the vibrant sun bouncing off the waters the region is known for. The club’s colors represent Fort Lauderdale’s world-renowned beaches and shallow waters, with seafoam green contrasting the ocean blue.

Fort Lauderdale United FC is abbreviated to FTL UTD for short.

## Players and staff

[edit]

### Current roster

[edit]

As of August 29, 2024* Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

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1  | GK |  USA | Cosette Morché
2  | DF |  USA | Delaney Lindahl
3  | DF |  USA | Sheyenne Allen
4  | DF |  USA | Celia Gaynor
5  | DF |  TGA | Laveni Vaka
6  | MF |  RSA | Anele Komani
7  | MF |  BER | Nia Christopher
8  | MF |  USA | Felicia Knox
10  | FW |  BRA | Erica Gomes
11  | FW |  USA | Sh'Nia Gordon
12  | MF |  USA | Darya Rajaee
| No. | Pos. | Nation  | Player

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14  | FW |  USA | Gianna Gourley
15  | DF |  USA | Adrienne Jordan
16  | FW |  USA | Anna Henderson
17  | FW |  USA | Jasmine Hamid
18  | MF |  USA | Addie McCain
19  | DF |  USA | Cameron Brooks
21  | FW |  USA | Tatiana Fung
22  | FW |  USA | Thelma Hermansdottir
23  | MF |  USA | Taylor Smith
24  | DF |  USA | Reese Klein
43  | GK |  USA | Makenna Gottschalk

### Staff

[edit]

As of September 9, 2024*

Front office

Position  | Name
Chairman & founder  | Tommy Smith
CEO & co-founder  | Deon Graham
Technical staff
Head Coach  | Tyrone Mears
Associate Head Coach  | Ali Rogers
VP of Team Operations & Player Affairs  | Brittany Waterbury
Head Athletic Trainer  | Kiara Giles
Equipment Manager  | Keneil Gibbs
Performance Coach  | Jeff Duarte
Goalkeeper Coach  | Aaron Ingham

## Records

[edit]

### Year-by-year

[edit]

Season  | League  | Regular season  | Playoffs  | Avg. attendance  | Top Goalscorer

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P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | Name(s)  | Goals
2024–25 | USLS | 4  | 2  | 1  | 1  | 3  | 2  | 4  | 4th  | —  | —  |  Addie McCain | 5

### Head coaching record

[edit]

As of September 13, 2024

Only competitive matches are counted.*

All-time Fort Lauderdale United FC coaching records  Name  | Nationality  | From  | To  | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win%

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Tyrone Mears |  England | January 25, 2024  | present  | 4  | 2  | 1  | 1  | 7  | 4  | 62.50

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "USL Super League adds team in Fort Lauderdale for inaugural 2024-25 season". equalizersoccer.com. The Equalizer. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
2. ^ "USL Super League awards franchise to Fort Lauderdale". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
3. ^ "USL Super League team CEO sets eye on scaling youth-to-pro pathway in women's sports". Fox News. 13 March 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
4. ^ "Super League Fort Lauderdale Appoints Tyrone Mears as Club's First Head Coach". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
5. ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC announces first player, Felicia Knox". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 14 May 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
6. ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC makes history signing Tonga's first female professional soccer player, Laveni Vaka". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
7. ^ "Fort Lauderdale United FC rounds out its coaching staff with dynamic Associate Head Coach and Head of Recruitment Appointments". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
8. ^ a b "FORT LAUDERDALE UNITED FC, ANNOUNCES NAME AND CREST". uslsuperleague.com. United Soccer League. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
9. ^ "Nova Southeastern University to be Home to Super League Fort Lauderdale Women's Professional Soccer Team". news.nova.edu. Nova Southeastern University. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
10. ^ "Nova Southeastern University stadium to host new pro soccer team, undergo $7M renovation". ftlutd.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
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* e

USL Super League

Current Teams|

* Brooklyn FC
* Carolina Ascent FC
* Dallas Trinity FC
* DC Power FC
* Fort Lauderdale United FC
* Lexington SC
* Spokane Zephyr FC
* Tampa Bay Sun FC

Future teams|

* East Ridge, Tennessee (TBD)
* Indianapolis, Indiana (2025)
* Sporting Club Jacksonville (2025)
* Madison, Wisconsin (2025)
* Oakland Soul SC (TBD)
* Phoenix, Arizona (TBD)
* Tucson, Arizona (TBD)
* USL Arkansas (2026)
* USL Palm Beach (2025)

Seasons|

* 2024–25

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Sports teams in Florida

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Soccer (indoor)|

NISL
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Atletico Orlando

Softball|

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Tampa Bay Cannons

Volleyball|

PVF
Orlando Valkyries

Australian Rules Football|

USAFL
Fort Lauderdale Fighting Squids
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College Sports in Florida

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*[No.]: Number
*[Pos.]: Position
*[GK]: Goalkeeper
*[DF]: Defender
*[MF]: Midfielder
*[FW]: Forward
*[P]: Matches coached
*[W]: Matches won
*[D]: Matches drawn
*[L]: Matches lost
*[GF]: Total goals scored (goals for)
*[GA]: Total goals conceded (goals against)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template