Miami FC
The Miami FC is an American professional soccer team based in Miami, Florida that competes in the USL Championship, the second tier of the American soccer pyramid.
The club began play in the North American Soccer League in the 2016 season. Following the demise of the NASL, the club participated in the National Premier Soccer League and the National Independent Soccer Association before moving to the USL Championship for the 2020 season. The team currently plays its home games at Riccardo Silva Stadium on the campus of Florida International University.
History
North American Soccer League
The club was announced on May 20, 2015 as the 12th North American Soccer League franchise with plans to begin play in the 2016 season and later confirmed it would play out of "Ocean First Stadium" on the campus of FIU. The team, co-owned by media entrepreneur Riccardo Silva and former Italian national team defender Paolo Maldini, came only one year after former English national football team star and Major League Soccer legend David Beckham announced his intent to launch an MLS team in city.In September 2015, Alessandro Nesta was appointed as the club's first coach. On November 20, 2015 Italian sportswear company Macron were announced as the club's kit suppliers on a three-year deal.
Nesta resigned as coach following the completion of the 2017 season, on 17 November.
National Premier Soccer League and 'Miami FC 2'
In January 2018, following the suspension and later cancellation of the 2018 NASL season, the organization announced the creation of "The Miami FC 2" in the National Premier Soccer League with 12 members of its 2017 NASL roster. The intention was for The Miami FC's players to play with The Miami FC 2 while waiting for the NASL's proposed winter schedule to take effect. The team hired Paul Dalglish as the new head coach on January 25. The team played its home matches at its former training grounds on the campus of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.The team went on to dominate the regular season in the NPSL's Sunshine Conference. Only one loss to Jacksonville Armada FC in the regular season lead the team to finish top of the table and in the conference playoffs the beat the Armada, 3–1, to win its first NPSL trophy. After advancing in the national playoffs, including winning the NPSL South Region, Miami FC 2 won the organization's first ever league championship when it defeated FC Motown, 3–1, for the NPSL National Championship on August 4.
For the 2019 NPSL season, the team returned to playing as 'The Miami FC and repeated its previous year's success by finishing atop the regular season table and winning the Sunshine Conference over Miami United FC, 3–2. It won the South Region for a second straight year before becoming the first club to win a second NPSL National Championship when it defeated the New York Cosmos B, 3–1, and earning the organization's eighth trophy in three years.
National Independent Soccer Association
On November 15, 2018, the NPSL announced that Miami would be a founding member in a new professional league, commencing with the "NPSL Founders Cup" competition from August to November 2019, followed by a full league schedule in 2020 at either division 2 or 3 level. However on July 24, 2019, it was announced that Miami would instead join the National Independent Soccer Association for the inaugural Fall 2019 season. The team went undefeated through seven games during the regular season, clinching the top playoff spot in the East Coast Conference. On November 9, Miami won the NISA East Coast Championship over Stumptown Athletic, its ninth trophy in three years.USL Championship
On December 11, 2019, former USL Championship club Ottawa Fury FC announced that it had transferred its franchise rights to the Miami FC ownership group, and the club would begin competition in the league beginning with the 2020 season.Sponsorship
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| 2016–2019 |  Macron | — |
| 2020–present | Macron | Helbiz |
Record
Year-by-year
Average attendance
Stadium
| Name | Location | Years |
| Riccardo Silva Stadium | Miami, Florida | 2016–2017, 2019, 2020–present |
| Cobb Stadium | Coral Gables, Florida | 2017; 1 match in U.S. Open Cup |
| St. Thomas University Soccer Field | Miami Gardens, Florida | 2018 |
| Florida International University Soccer Stadium | Miami, Florida | 2018; 2 matches in U.S. Open Cup |
| Buccaneer Field | Miami Shores, Florida | 2019 |
Players and staff
Current roster
Staff
| Position | Nation | Staff |
| Head coach | Nelson Vargas | |
| Assistant coach | Anthony Hazelwood | |
| Goalkeeper coach | Paul Crichton | |
| Equipment manager | Brad Smith | |
| Head athletic trainer | Alex Witter | |
| Assistant athletic trainer | Emmanuel Garcon |
Individual records
Top goalscorers
| Name | Years | League | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |
| 1 |  Jaime Chavez | 2016–2018 | ||||
| 2 | Dylan Mares | 2017–2018, 2019 | ||||
| 3 |  Ariel Martínez | 2016–2019 | ||||
| 4 |  Miguel González | 2019–present | ||||
| 4 |  Stefano Pinho | 2017 | ||||
| 6 |  Darío Suárez | 2018–2019 | ||||
| 6 |  Mohamed Thiaw | 2019–present | ||||
| 8 | Vincenzo Rennella | 2016–2018 | ||||
| 8 |  Kwadwo Poku | 2016–2017 | ||||
| 10 |  Darío Cvitanich | 2016 |
Most appearances
| Name | Years | League | Playoffs | US Open Cup | Total | |
| 1 | Ariel Martínez | 2016–2019 | ||||
| 2 | Mario Daniel Vega | 2016–2018 | ||||
| 3 |  Mason Trafford | 2016–2018 | ||||
| 4 | Rhett Bernstein | 2016–2018 | ||||
| 5 | Dylan Mares | 2017–2018, 2019 | ||||
| 6 | Jaime Chavez | 2016–2018 | ||||
| 7 | Blake Smith | 2016–2017 | ||||
| 8 | Kwadwo Poku | 2016–2017 | ||||
| 9 |  Michael Lahoud | 2016–2017 | ||||
| 10 |  Richie Ryan | 2016–2017 |
Managerial records
| Name | Nat. | From | To | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W | Honours | Notes |
| Alessandro Nesta | 1 September 2015 | 17 November 2017 | NASL Spring Season NASL Fall Season | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Paul Dalglish | 25 January 2018 | 13 November 2019 | Sunshine Conference Championship NPSL South Region Championship NPSL Championship NISA East Coast Championship | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Nelson Vargas | 14 November 2019 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Club culture
The Miami FC draw the bulk of their support from the suburbs in the south and west of Miami.Rivalries
The closest team geographically was the Fort Lauderdale Strikers with games between the two sides often labelled the FL Clásico. Fixtures with the other two teams in Florida, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Jacksonville Armada are also keenly contested. These four teams competed for the Coastal Cup over the course of the 2016 season.After the 2016 season Tampa Bay left the NASL for the United Soccer League and Fort Lauderdale ceased operations because of financial issues. That left Jacksonville as The Miami FC's only in-state rival in the NASL. Miami did however face Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2017 U.S. Open Cup, defeating the Rowdies by a score of 2–0.
When the NASL cancelled the 2018 season, Miami and Jacksonville continued their rivalry in the NPSL in both 2018 and 2019 as both clubs continued operation. The team also began a rivalry against Miami United FC dubbed "Magic City Clasico." The teams met in the Second Round of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup where United shocked FC, 3–1, to advance.
Supporters group
Dade Brigade are the official supporters group of The Miami FC and they occupy the east stand of FIU Stadium which is known as the Brigade End for home games. They are named for Miami-Dade County.Honors
North American Soccer League
- Spring championship : 2017
- Fall championship : 2017
National Premier Soccer League
- Sunshine Conference Championship : 2018, 2019
- South Region Championship : 2018, 2019
- National Championship : 2018, 2019
National Independent Soccer Association
- East Championship : 2019