Erie Commodores FC is an American soccer team based in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

which competes in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...

(NPSL), a nationwide amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays their home matches at Saxon Stadium on the campus of

Mercyhurst University (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

. In 2021, the Commodores added a pro-am women's team to play in

United Women's Soccer United Women's Soccer (UWS, also commonly abbreviated UWS) is a second-division pro-am women's soccer league in the United States. The league was founded in 2015 as a response to the dual problems of disorganization in the WPSL and of the fold ...

. They also added men's and women's teams to the Ohio Valley Premier League for the 2022 season. The "Commodores" name alludes to

Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was an American naval commander, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The best-known and most prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace A ...

, a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

who based his operations at Erie's

Presque Isle Bay Presque Isle Bay is a natural bay located off the coast of Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. Its embayment is about in length, about across at its widest point, and an average depth of about . The bay is at an elevation of 571 ft (174 m) ...

during the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the Briti ...

, a flashpoint in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. The "Don't Give up the Ship" motto on the crest also derives from Commodore Perry.

History

Pedro Argaez, a local soccer coach, formed Erie Admirals SC in 2009, developing the club from an established youth soccer program by the same name. John Melody, an alumnus of

in Erie, served Argaez as head coach, later acquiring full ownership while continuing to lead the team. On April 24, 2015, Melody officially re-branded his club as Erie Commodores FC. He also hired fellow Mercyhurst graduate, Micky Blythe, as head coach for one season. Subsequently, Neil Brown, who received an internationally prestigious “A” license from

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

, helped lead Commodores FC in their 2015 NPSL campaign. Several players who once played for Commodores FC moved on to the professional soccer ranks: Adam Clement with

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on March ...

of Major League Soccer (MLS); Jeremy Deighton, Greg Blum, and Neil Shaffer with

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC is an American professional soccer team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1999 and beginning play in 1999, the club plays in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, the second tier of the American so ...

of the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

; Dan Howell in Iceland; Billy Colton in New Zealand, Sam Dorf in Ireland and Israel, and, most recently, Danny Deakin, who was drafted by Orlando City SC of MLS. Erie Commodores FC has rivalries with other

Rust Belt The Rust Belt is a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting in the 1950s. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions an ...

conference NPSL clubs, to include

Cleveland SC Cleveland SC is an American semi-professional soccer club based in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio region. Cleveland competes in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) as part of the Midwest Region's Rust Belt Conference. The club was established ...

( Cleveland, Ohio), 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 National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a national amateur league at the four ...

(

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

). They had a rivalry with

Detroit City FC Detroit City FC (DCFC) is an American professional 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 Independent Soccer A ...

(

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

) until Detroit left the NPSL for the

National Independent Soccer Association The National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States. The league is in the third tier of American soccer and began play in 2019. NISA initially used a fall-to-spring season format with a ...

. The club participates in the Erie County Derby against

, a regional NPSL rivalry pitting Erie County, Pennsylvania and

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York State. As of the 2020 census, the population was 954,236. The county seat is Buffalo, which makes up about 28% of the county's population. Both the county and Lake Erie w ...

. In 2020, the Commodores competed in the NPSL Members Cup along with Cleveland SC, FC Buffalo, and the Pittsburgh Hotspurs.

Current roster

''As of May 17, 2022''

Year-by-year

Honors

National: * NPSL National runners-up: 2009 * NPSL National semifinalist, 3rd Place winner: 2011 Region/Historic Equivalent: * NPSL Midwest Region Champions: 2013 * NPSL Northeast Division Champions: 2011 * NPSL Eastern Division champions: 2009 Conference/Historic Equivalent: * NPSL Midwest Region-East Conference champions: 2017, 2018 * NPSL Midwest-Great Lakes Conference champions: 2012 * NPSL Northeast Division-Keystone Conference champions: 2011 * NPSL Eastern Keystone Division champions: 2009 Rivalry: * Erie County Derby Champions (vs

): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2022

Staff

Owner

* John Melody (2010–present) * Pedro Argaez (2009–2010)

Head coach

* Dan Howell (2015) * Micky Blythe (2014) * John Melody (2009–2013, 2016–present)

Assistant coach

* Neil Brown (2011–2014) * Micky Blythe (2009–2013)

Stadia

* Saxon Stadium (2022–Present) * McConnell Family Stadium (2013, 2016–2021) * Gus Anderson Field (2014–2015) * Dollinger Field (2012–2013) * Penn State Behrend Soccer/Lacrosse Complex (2010–2011) * Family First Sports Park (2009-2010)

References

External links

*
Erie Commodores FC
(on the NPSL homepage) {{Pennsylvania Sports National Premier Soccer League teams Amateur soccer teams in Pennsylvania Soccer clubs in Pennsylvania 2009 establishments in Pennsylvania Association football clubs established in 2009