Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan & Tim Howard

Full Interview with Vermont Green’s Adam Pfeifer & Chris Taylor

Date: September 26, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the remarkable rise of Vermont Green FC, a club playing in USL League Two that has rapidly become a model for community-led soccer in America. Hosts Landon Donovan and Tim Howard dive deep with Sporting Director Adam Pfeifer and Head Coach Chris Taylor to unpack how the club has fostered an incredible sense of belonging in Burlington, its competitive success, its grassroots approach, player recruitment, and its ambitions for the future. The conversation serves as both a case study in building soccer culture and an inspiring peek at what lower-division soccer can mean to a city and region.

Key Discussion Points & Segments

1. Vermont Green’s Unique Place in US Soccer

[00:00–02:38]

• Community Identity: The club isn’t just a team; it’s a focal point for the local community. Vermont Green gear is worn everywhere by kids and parents—this is “the community’s club.”
• USL League Two Explained: Adam Pfeifer provides clarity on the league’s role as a “gap filler” for ambitious amateur players (typically 18–23) who want more games and development outside the rigid NCAA structure.

“Every little kid has the jersey... You go to games on the weekends, you see parents wearing the hats. So it is the community’s club.”
— Adam Pfeifer [02:38]

2. Building Community & Filling Seats in Small Markets

[05:02–08:32]

• Design and Marketing: The club’s strong visual identity, courtesy of founder Matt Wolf, and deeply rooted marketing decisions align with local values.
• Connection to Local Culture: Both Adam and Chris describe how Vermont Green intentionally reflects the Burlington community, aspiring to the kind of embedded relationship seen in European clubs.
• Challenge of “Putting Butts in Seats”: Landon and Tim highlight the common struggle in American soccer, with Vermont Green as an exception to the rule.

“The club was catered towards connecting with the community... For me, growing up here, I grew up in Newton, Mass. Just outside of Boston, we had professional sports and a deep connection to those franchises.”
— Adam Pfeifer [06:18]

3. Chris Taylor’s Journey: From Liverpool to Vermont

[08:32–10:54]

• Chris reflects on moving to the US and unexpectedly finding a club that mirrored his own values; he describes his journey from aspiring player to coach and how Vermont Green feels more like a true “club” than a franchise.
• Strong emphasis on “more than a club”—echoing the European notion of deep local roots.

“I just love football and I love the chance to be part of something... It started to feel like what I grew up with, where it’s more than a club, it’s not a franchise plunked somewhere for the market.”
— Chris Taylor [08:49]

4. Instilling Hard-Working, ‘Custodian’ Mentality in Players

[10:54–13:04]

• Taylor draws direct lines to Liverpool, emphasizing the expectation that players are custodians for the community and must embody grit and passion—qualities cherished by the hometown crowd.
• The Vermont fans cheer hardest for “the small details” — tackles, tracking back, displays of guts.

“If you’re going to wear Vermont on your chest, you’ve got to play for Vermont.”
— Chris Taylor [13:04]

5. Recruitment and Roster Challenges in USL League Two

[13:04–18:42]

• Player Pathways: Adam discusses the complexity of amateur status, allowing for some international and ex-pro players on expense-only contracts.
• Recruitment Network: Success is built on trusted relationships with college coaches; Vermont Green provides an elite-level amateur environment.
• High Turnover & “True Believers”: The summer grind means frequent roster movement. Those who stay until season’s end —“the true believers”— embody the club’s spirit.

“For us... it is a really high-level environment. The consistency of the training, the competition, it boiled over a little in the first weeks. That’s kind of our recruiting pitch: you’ll get stress every day at training, you have to win a job.”
— Adam Pfeifer [16:22]

6. Creating Buy-In: Culture Beyond Mercenaries

[21:45–25:27]

• Contrast between USL’s reputation as a “mercenary league” and Vermont Green’s ability to achieve real buy-in, even with rapid roster changes.
• Secret sauce: trust, defined roles (“impact off the bench”), coach’s belief in players, and leveraging depth.

“I don’t know if I did anything specific except maybe have some trust in some guys that maybe didn’t think they were going to get the trust in big moments.”
— Chris Taylor [24:12]

7. US Open Cup Memories & Community Impact

[25:46–30:28]

• Having won the USL League Two title, Vermont Green earned a bid into the US Open Cup.
• Adam details their previous Cup run, where the team flew in college players on short notice, surprising opponents and firing up the local fanbase.
• Taylor and Pfeifer agree the Cup’s magic lies in its ability to “give exposure” to the local community and smaller clubs—echoing the spirit of England’s FA Cup.

“It was the first time... there was a competitive game involving a professional team on Vermont soil... That was meaningful for us.”
— Adam Pfeifer [26:14]

“The FA Cup is really more about the smaller teams than the big teams. Some stories from the opening rounds are as inspiring as Man City lifting the trophy in May.”
— Tim Howard [29:35]

8. Future Ambitions: Promotion/Relegation & The Next Step

[31:19–34:17]

• The group discusses promotion and relegation, now on the table for USL.
• Adam affirms the club’s ambition to eventually “be a professional club one day” and describes the frustration of short seasons and player instability.
• Chris champions the communal joy of promotion, inspired by European football stories and the hope it brings communities.

“A community being part of a rise... It can give a community hope and belief that there’s a way forward... I think it would improve the game in this country, no doubt. But I think it would improve communities even more, which is just as important.”
— Chris Taylor [33:38]

9. Personal Ambitions and Legacy

[34:17–37:05]

• Chris Taylor reflects on his step up from assistant to head coach, his desire to grow, and what the club means to him personally. He hopes to remain connected to Vermont Green as it continues to thrive.
• Chris highlights how the club already shapes local identity: “Every kid that is now born into Vermont, it’s almost like you’re born into a Vermont Green household.”

“This club is really special. It’s really hard to find something that matches your values and what you think the world should be like—and this club does that.”
— Chris Taylor [34:52]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the crowd’s role:
  “Because of how much the club means to the community, this means more to us. And no other team could feel what we were feeling... One of the big things was nobody will outrun us, no one will out fight us.”
  —Chris Taylor [00:00, repeated theme throughout]

• On USL League Two’s function:
  “USL 2 is... a gap filler for aspiring amateur players that want to be professionals... They need to fill that time and get games and be training in a quality, structured environment.”
  —Adam Pfeifer [03:10]

• On club identity:
  “It’s not a franchise really, that’s just plunked in the middle... This is a club that’s going to represent people and represents a community.”
  —Chris Taylor [09:06]

• On recruitment and coaching:
  “...Those are conversations that happen between me and the college coaches. It’s that trust that helps us attract guys.”
  —Adam Pfeifer [15:08]

• On coaching impact:
  “The best skill a coach can give a player is self-belief. When a coach believes in you, you’re ready to run through a wall.”
  —Tim Howard [25:27]

• On Open Cup upsets:
  “We did not release our squad... I think they thought I was going to be going out there, Chris was going to be going out there. We scored two goals right off the bat.”
  —Adam Pfeifer [27:23]

• On promotion/relegation:
  “It would improve the game in this country, no doubt, but I think it would improve communities even more, which is just as important.”
  —Chris Taylor [33:38]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & Community Connection: [00:00–05:02]
• Building the Club Culture: [06:18–13:04]
• Player Recruitment & Relationships: [13:04–18:42]
• Culture Beyond the Mercenary Model: [21:45–25:27]
• Open Cup Experiences: [25:46–30:28]
• Promotion/Relegation & Club Ambition: [31:19–34:17]
• Personal Reflection & Club Legacy: [34:17–37:05]

Tone & Style

The episode is candid, heartfelt, and optimistic, marked by honest reflection and genuine excitement. Both guests and hosts speak with warmth about the community and the power of soccer—often using humor and self-deprecation (especially Chris), but always grounded in a respect for what the club is achieving and the meaning it brings to Burlington.

For anyone curious about how to build a club “the right way” in American soccer—rooted in people, culture, and passion—this episode is essential listening.