 | ||||
| Full name | San Francisco Glens SC | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Glens, Green and White, Blanco y Verde | |||
| Founded | 1961; 64 years ago (1961) | |||
| Stadium | SF Glens Stadium at Treasure Island | |||
| Capacity | TBD | |||
| Coach | Liam Guest (men) / Jessica Hewins (women) | |||
| League | USL League Two /USL W League | |||
| 2024 | League Two: 3rd, NorCal Division Playoffs: None W League: 3rd, NorCal Division Playoffs: None | |||
| Website | http://www.sfglens.com/ | |||
San Francisco Glens Soccer Club, commonly known as SF Glens, is an American soccer club based inSan Francisco that was founded in 1961. Their men's first team currently competes inUSL League Two and their women's first team in theUSL W League, both in the fourth tier of theAmerican soccer pyramid.
Before establishing a USL League Two franchise in 2018, the Glens had been a longtime member of theSan Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL) and were once affiliated with theSan Francisco Seals' PDL team, which is now defunct. The Glens continue to field three SFSFL teams, but the USL League Two franchise is now the club's official first team.
Since the hiring of Executive Director Mike McNeill, who also doubles as General Manager of the USL2 first team, the club has grown from just two local youth teams to the largest soccer club in San Francisco. The Glens' nationally renowned academy program is the only one in the city with all age groups forMLS Next that begins at Under-13 level and runs concurrently through the Under-19 level. The U19 team made history in 2022 as the first San Francisco team to advance to the MLS NEXT Cup final where they were edged by theNew England Revolution 1-0.
Combined as one entity (USL League Two and USL W League first teams, SFSFL second, third, and fourth teams, and SF Glens Academy youth teams), the Glens field over 90 teams and over 1,300 active players.[1][2]
The Glens also have ties abroad as the official North American partner of 2. Bundesliga clubHolstein Kiel. In addition to having the MLS NEXT full pathway, they are the only youth club in San Francisco with membership in theUSL Academy.
They also have an official partnership with theSan Jose Earthquakes ofMajor League Soccer.[3] Recent examples of that arrangement is current U.S. Youth National Team midfielder Cruz Medina, who played with the Glens Academy before joining the Earthquakes, as well as the Glens hostingMLS Next Pro games for the Quakes in San Francisco.
The Glens were founded on January 28, 1961 by Dr. Michael McFadden as one of a number ofIrish American amateur sides that had emerged in the SFSFL during the 1960s. The emergence of the Glens during this period was based on the coaching of Irishman Neil Hagan coupled with a talented crop of young players like Tom and Steve Ryan, Jim Boyle, and Tom and Tim Harvey, among others.
It was also during these early years when the club struck up a friendship withCeltic F.C. that still endures today, when the European giants visited San Francisco in 1957 to play a friendly match and as legend has it, provided the Glens with their first kits when they debuted four years later.
The result of Hagan's leadership was promotion to the SFSFL's Premier division by the end of the decade. The Glens went on to national prominence by advancing all the way to theNational Amateur Cup final in 1979 where they lost 1–0 toAtlanta Datagraphic. Their national success also spilled over into qualification for the prestigiousU.S. Open Cup three times in a five-year stretch from 1978–1982.
The untimely death of Hagan in 1981, who died on the field while coaching the Glens, left a void that might have been the end of other amateur clubs. However, Sean Shannon stepped into the spotlight and quietly remolded the team into a championship-winning outfit by bringing in players such as Paul Mitchell and Mal Roche. By 1984, the Glens captured their first SFSFL championship in 1984—the first by an Irish side. In 1990, they returned to the National Amateur Cup final that season. Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of another 1–0 result, this time to theSt. Petersburg Kickers. Three years later under Shannon, the Glens captured their second SFSFL title.
After a brief hiatus, the SF Glens returned to the SFSFL in 2015 with a Premier Division and reserve team open to all comers. Three years later behind coach Bill Chu, the SFSFL Glens earned a berth in theCalifornia Soccer Association North (CSAN) State Cup Final, falling to Club Marin in extra time, 4–2.
In 2018, the Glens announced the establishment of a new franchise in the USLPremier Development League with dual intentions: to create a top of the pyramid for their SF Glens Academy youth program and SFSFL teams, and also to set a foundation to enter the professional ranks in the future. J. Ramon Estevez was hired as the PDL franchise's inaugural team president/general manager and Javier Ayala-Hil as head coach.[4] Mike McNeill, executive director of football for the youth side, doubled as a member of the PDL front office as well.[5]
Though the Glens missed the playoffs in their first PDL season, they closed the campaign on a four-game unbeaten streak and were one of only two teams to take points from eventual Southwest Division championFC Golden State Force.
In September 2018, the club announced that U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS Cup championJimmy Conrad had agreed to become their new technical director and associate head coach.[6] In December 2018, Mike McNeill took on the reins of the team presidency. One month later, the Glens had four players selected in the2019 MLS SuperDraft and two (Sam Junqua andRoy Boateng) in the first round—a first for any San Francisco club and the third-most among all clubs in the PDL, now rebranded asUSL League Two.
The Glens entered an official partnership with2. Bundesliga clubHolstein Kiel in 2019, asSan Francisco andKiel are sister cities. The team had a tough USL League Two season on the field, butNabilai Kibunguchy stood out as a midfielder on the Western Conference Team of the Year.
In February 2020, the club announced that Ayala-Hil would step down as head coach and McNeill named Conrad his successor.[7] However, the 2020 USL League Two season was canceled due to safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2021, the club announced the future construction of a soccer-specific facility at Treasure Island, a first for a local club in the 120-year history of soccer in San Francisco.[8] Meanwhile, coaches Bill Chu and Cameron Chu led a banner year for the Glens' SFSFL teams, as the Second Team qualified for the Premier Division playoffs, the Third Team finished in the top four of the Majors Division, and the Under-23 Fourth Team won the First Division.
The 2022 USL League Two season saw changes to the staff, with Conrad returning to his original role as technical director and Gabe Saucedo elevating from head associate coach to head coach, as well as Ryan Maquiñana taking on the USL General Manager role. The result was a finish in the top four of the Southwest Division and a national playoff berth for the first time in club history. In the Western Conference Quarterfinals, the Glens traveled to Seattle to upset top-seededCapital FC (the rebrandedPortland Timbers U23) 3-2, but fell by the same score in extra time in the semifinals to hostBallard FC. Max Chrétien led the team with nine goals and five assists, while Academy product Diego Grande added eight scores of his own. Kevyn Lo was named to the Western Conference Team of the Year.
The SFSFL teams enjoyed another successful season in 2022, with the Second Team qualifying for the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the Third Team winning the Majors Division, and the Under-23 Fourth Team finishing runners-up in the third tier. The SFSFL also held their 120th Anniversary Open Cup in August of that year for all divisions in the league and it resulted in an all-Glens final, with the Under-23 team defeating the Second Team 2-1 to take home the trophy.
On September 7, 2022, the Glens broke ground on their new facility at Treasure Island with MayorLondon Breed one of the guest speakers. Two days later, they hosted theSan Jose Earthquakes' second team atNegoesco Stadium and ran operations for theirMLS Next Pro game againstReal Monarchs. A sellout crowd was on hand to watch the first professional soccer game in the city since the now-defunctSan Francisco Deltas won theNASL championship game atKezar Stadium in 2017.
The 2023 campaign saw original USL League Two coach Javier Ayala-Hil return to the staff, now as Saucedo's head associate coach. The team challenged for the new NorCal Division title all season as they set club records for regular-season wins (9), points (28), and table position (second). They also swept crosstown rival SF City FC in the derby for the first time. Chrétien repeated as leading scorer with 10 goals and was named NorCal Division Player of the Year. Once again, the Glens advanced to the national playoffs, where they upset top-seededRedlands FC on the road 2-1 to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals for the second consecutive season. However, the run concluded with a loss on the road to former divisional rivalVentura County Fusion.
Former Glens defender Liam Guest was elevated from assistant to head coach for the 2024 USL League Two season and the team started strong, shooting to the top of the NorCal Division table after sweeping defending champ Monterey Bay FC 2 and blowing out Oakland Roots Project 51O, 6-0. However, a late swoon pushed the Green and White to a third-place finish and prevented them from making their third consecutive playoff appearance.
On the SFSFL side, Chu led the second team to one of their best starts in 20 years, going 9-1-5 to place third in the Premier Division table at the halfway point of the campaign.
In December 2022, the club announced the addition of a women's first team in the new NorCal Division of theUSL W League, with Mike Sharabi announced as head coach. Their first signing wasStanford National Freshman of the Year andU.S. Under-20 defender Elise Evans. The team started out strong, racing out to a 9-0-0 record and earning the No. 1 national ranking in the USL W League five weeks in a row. Ultimately the Glens won the NorCal Division Championship and Western Conference Championship, blastingOakland Soul SC 5-1 in the semifinals and outlastingCalifornia Storm 2-1. The Girls in Green saw their magical run end in the closing seconds of regulation in the National Semifinal to eventual USL W League championsIndy Eleven, 3-2.Nádia Gomes was named USL W National Player of the Year and USL W NorCal Division Player of the Year after notching 16 goals and 9 assists. Defender Elle Piper joined Gomes on the USL W National Team of the Year, and Ryan Maquiñana was named USL W National Executive of the Year.
Jessica Hewins took over as head coach for the 2024 USL W season, with forwards Gomes andAmy Sayer signing pro contracts with theNWSL'sChicago Red Stars and Sweden'sKristianstads DFF, respectively. Maquiñana also departed for a front-office position with theSan Jose Earthquakes. Despite the changes, the majority of the roster remained intact. The Glens led the NorCal Division for most of the season, rising to as high as No. 10 in the national rankings, before two late setbacks pushed them into third and out of postseason contention.
The SF Glens supporters' group is known as the SF Glens Brigade, or Briogáid Ghleann (as it is known in Irish Gaelic as a nod to the club's Irish roots).[citation needed] They currently meet atSkyline College for matches and travel on the road to support the club.
The SF Glens made history when they announced that global brandCarlsberg would be the presenting sponsor for their inaugural season kit, asLiverpool F.C.,Wimbledon F.C., andF.C. Copenhagen are the only other club teams in association soccer to ever don the renowned beer company's logo on the front of their jerseys. The Glens' other kit sponsors are Soccerloco, Rubica, and Thomas Quinn Law. In addition, the club entered a contract withCasa Sanchez Foods to feature the iconic Jimmy the Cornman logo on their coaches' apparel. In 2019, Powerade became the club's training kit sponsor.[9] Ahead of the 2024USL League Two andUSL W League seasons, the Glens announced a multi-year front-of-kit partnership withGuinness.
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsor | Training gear sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Nike | Carlsberg | Casa Sanchez |
| 2019 | Nike | Carlsberg,Speakeasy | Carlsberg |
| 2020 | Nike | Carlsberg,Speakeasy | Powerade |
| 2021 | (No season) | (No season) | (No season) |
| 2022 | Condor Soccer | Carlsberg | Powerade |
| 2023 | Condor Soccer | Carlsberg | None |
| 2024 | Lexa | Guinness | Guinness |
| 2025 | Lexa | Guinness | Guinness |
The following 18 players were named in the squad for theUSL League Two regular season game against Davis Legacy on June 16, 2023.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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The following 18 players were named in the squad for theUSL W League Away Game againstThe Olympic Club on June 18, 2023.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2 | SFSFL Majors | 6th | ||
| 2001 | 2 | SFSFL Majors | 1st | ||
| 2002 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 9th | ||
| 2003 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 7th | ||
| 2004 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 5th | ||
| 2005 | 1 | CPSA | 1st | ||
| 2006 | 1 | CPSA | 3rd | ||
| 2007 | 1 | CPSA | |||
| 2008 | 1 | CPSA | 5th | ||
| 2015 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 3rd | Semifinals | |
| 2016 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 9th | ||
| 2017 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 6th | ||
| 2018 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 8th | ||
| 2019 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 5th | ||
| 2020 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | No season due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 4th | Semifinals | |
| 2022 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 6th | ||
| 2023 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 5th | ||
| 2024 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | 3rd | TBD | |
| 2025 | 1 | SFSFL Premier | TBD | TBD |
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 | USL PDL | 7th, Southwest | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2019 | 4 | USL League Two | 8th, Southwest | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2020 | 4 | USL League Two | Season canceled due toCOVID-19 pandemic | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | 4 | USL League Two | Did not play due toCOVID-19 pandemic | N/A | N/A |
| 2022 | 4 | USL League Two | 4th, Southwest | Western Conference Semifinals | did not qualify |
| 2023 | 4 | USL League Two | 2nd, NorCal | Western Conference Semifinals | did not qualify |
| 2024 | 4 | USL League Two | 3rd, NorCal | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2025 | 4 | USL League Two | TBD | TBD |
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Conference Playoffs | National Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4 | USL W League | 1st, NorCal | Western Conference Champions | National Semifinals |
| 2024 | 4 | USL W League | 3rd, NorCal | did not qualify | did not qualify |
| 2025 | 4 | USL W League | TBD | TBD | TBD |
The following players have signed with or be drafted by a professional football club after playing in SF Glens SC's USL, SFSFL or Academy teams (as of March 1, 2025).
Steve Ryan - 1970s - signed bySan Jose Earthquakes, 1979 Derek Evans - 1970s - signed byEdmonton Drillers, 1979Sam Junqua - 2018 - selected in2019 MLS SuperDraft byHouston Dynamo (1st round, 8th overall)
Roy Boateng - 2018 - selected in2019 MLS SuperDraft byNew York Red Bulls (1st round, 16th overall)
Shinya Kadono - 2018 - selected in2019 MLS SuperDraft byD.C. United (3rd round, 72nd overall)Sam Ebstein - 2018 - selected in2019 MLS SuperDraft byFC Dallas (4th round, 87th overall)
Yohannes Harish - 2018-19 - signed byOakland Roots SC, 2019Luke Dennison - 2018 - signed byLongford Town FC, 2019Aydan Bowers - 2019 - signed byFC Helsingor, 2019Amir Bashti - 2019 - signed byAtlanta United 2, 2019 Salifu Jatta - 2019 - signed byOakland Roots SC, 2019Drake Callender - 2019^ - signed byInter Miami CF, 2019 Isaiah Dargan - 2018-19 - signed byChattanooga Red Wolves, 2020 Simon Lekressner - 2019^ - selected in2020 MLS SuperDraft byNew England Revolution (2nd round, 30th overall)Andrew Konstantino - 2018-19 - signed byReno 1868 FC, 2020 Jonathan Orozco - 2019 - signed byOakland Roots SC, 2020Josiah Romero - 2019 - signed byOakland Roots SC, 2020Arda Bulut - 2018-19 - signed byLouisville City FC, 2020Nabilai Kibunguchy - 2019 - selected in2021 MLS SuperDraft byMinnesota United FC (1st round, 18th overall)Roberto Llamas - 2019 - signed byMichigan Stars FC, 2020Tyler Moss - 2019 - signed byFC Tucson, 2022Zach Ryan - 2019 - signed byNew York Red Bulls, 2022Rei Dorwart - 2018-19 - signed byBay Cities FC, 2022Andrew Paoli - 2018 - signed byBay Cities FC, 2022Gabe Silveira - 2018 - signed byBay Cities FC, 2022C.J. Grey - 2018 - signed bySan Jose Earthquakes II, 2022Cruz Medina - 2017-19^^ - signed bySan Jose Earthquakes, 2022Corey Lundeen - 2022 - signed byAlbion San Diego, 2023Kyle Colonna - 2019 - signed byNew Mexico United, 2023Roka Tsunehara - 2017-19^^^ - signed bySan Jose Earthquakes II, 2023Ryan Dieter - 2021-22 - signed byMonterey Bay FC, 2024Sean Bilter - 2022-23 - signed byThe Town FC, 2024
Junior Mailly - 2022-23 - signed byMaharlika F.C., 2024Jonathan Estrada - 2022 - signed byIrvine Zeta FC, 2024Shayan Charalaghi - 2018-24 - signed byStallion Laguna F.C., 2024Fahmi Ibrahim - 2023-24 - signed byStallion Laguna F.C., 2024Nonso Adimabua - 2023-24 - signed byThe Town FC, 2025Diogo Baptista - 2024 - signed byThe Town FC, 2025
Amy Sayer - 2023 - signed byKristianstads DFF, 2023
Nádia Gomes - 2023 - signed byChicago Red Stars, 2024Miri O'Donnell - 2023 - signed bySporting Clube de Portugal Femenino, 2024Karlie Lema - 2024 - signed byBay FC, 2024^signed with Glens but did not play in an official game
^^played for SF Glens Academy
^^^played for SF Glens Academy; signed amateur MLS NEXT Pro contract only
^won by SF Glens Third Team
^^won by SF Glens Under-23 Fourth Team
California State Intermediate Cup (1): 1968–69
Carlsberg Cup
SFSFL 120th Anniversary Cup
^^^SF Glens Under-23 Fourth Team defeated SF Glens Third Team 2-1 in final
USL W League National Player of the Year
USL W League National Team of the Year
USL W League National Executive of the Year
USL W League NorCal Division Player of the Year
USL League Two Western Conference Team of the Year
USL League Two NorCal Division Player of the Year
MLS NEXT All-Star Game Selection
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