Flint City Bucks

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Flint City Bucks

Full name	Flint City Bucks
Nickname(s)	The Bucks
Founded	1995; 29 years ago (1995) (as Mid-Michigan Bucks)
Stadium	Atwood Stadium Flint, Michigan
Capacity	11,000
Owner	Dan Duggan
Head coach	Andrew Wagstaff
League	USL League Two
2023	1st, Great Lakes Division Playoffs: National Semifinals
Website	Club website
Home colors Away colors Third colors

Flint City Bucks is an American soccer team based in Flint, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1995, the team plays in USL League Two.

The club was founded in 1995 as the Mid-Michigan Bucks, playing in Saginaw, and began playing in 1996. In 2004, the club changed its name to the Michigan Bucks following a move to Plymouth. In 2008, they moved to Pontiac. In 2019, they moved to Flint and changed their name to the current Flint City Bucks.^[1]

Starting in 2019, they began playing their home matches at

Throughout their existence, the Bucks have been one of the most successful amateur

On August 3, 2019, the Flint City Bucks defeated Reading United AC for their fourth national championship in their inaugural season at Flint's Historic Atwood Stadium.^[4]

History

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The Bucks organization entered the competitive soccer landscape in 1996, competing in the

The Bucks finished second to Detroit Dynamite in 1998 with a 11–5–1 record, and again made the regional finals, losing 3–2 to finalists Jackson Chargers after victories over Indiana Invaders and the Dynamite in the divisional playoffs. The Bucks won the Great Lakes division of the newly renamed PDL in 1999, but lost 2–1 to Sioux City Breeze in the Conference Semifinals. They also reached the third round of the US Open Cup, after defeating the Austin Lone Stars and Minnesota Thunder, but were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Mutiny of the MLS.

In 2000, the Bucks took their second PDL Great Lakes title in a row and their third overall, finishing 27 points clear of second-place

Paul Snape, who had played for the team for many years, was appointed head coach in 2005, but the first few games of his tenure were rocky: three consecutive wins were followed by a four-game winless streak. The Bucks would turn things around with ten consecutive wins from mid June to the end of the season. Dube and Ryan McMahen netted 18 goals between them on the way to the playoffs, while Kevin Taylor was named PDL Defender of the Year. The Bucks stuttered in the playoffs, this time losing the Conference final to eventual national champions Des Moines Menace.

In 2006,

As reigning PDL champions, the Bucks started 2007 in good form with an 11-game unbeaten run, with only three draws. In the US Open Cup, they lost 4–2 to Richmond Kickers in the first round. The Bucks finished the regular season by winning their sixth divisional title. After defeating the St. Louis Lions in the playoff semi-final, the Bucks retained their Conference title with a 3–0 win over Chicago Fire Premier, returning to the national stage for a second consecutive year. A penalty shootout victory over Brooklyn Knights after a 1–1 tie in the semi-finals sent the Bucks to the Championship game for the second consecutive year where they once again played against Southern Conference champions Laredo Heat. The game stood at 0–0 after extra time. During the penalty shootout striker Kenny Uzoigwe suffered leg cramps and was unable to take his spot kick, and had to be substituted. His replacement, Ian Daniel, had his kick saved by Laredo goalkeeper Ryan Cooper; teenager Felix Garcia then scored the winner for the Texans.

Prior to the 2008 season the Bucks moved into the brand new $17-million

The Bucks had another successful regular season in 2008, losing only one game all year, 1–0 at home to Toronto Lynx. They received a berth in the US Open Cup for the third straight year, but fell in the first round against USL League 2 side Cleveland City Stars. The Bucks finished first, 8 points clear of Cleveland in the standings. Despite a strong regular season, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Kalamazoo Outrage, who scored an 86th-minute equalizer to force extra time, and ended the game at 3–1. Kenny Uzoigwe was the Bucks' top scorer, with 10 goals, while his partner Nate Jafta contributed 9 assists.

The Bucks reached the fourth round of the

Supporters

Prior to the Bucks' inaugural season in

On match days, the River Rats gather at Soggy Bottom Bar for a pre-game provocation before marching a half-mile through Carriage Town to the Atwood Stadium turnstiles.[7]

The River Rats are a community-oriented independent supporter group that participate in

Year-by-year

History vs. Professional Teams in U.S. Open Cup

• 6/24/97 – First Round –
  Wilmington Hammerheads
  2 vs. Mid Michigan Bucks 3; E.A. Laney High School in Wilmington, N.C.
• 7/8/97 – Second Round – Mid Michigan Bucks 2 vs. (
  Hershey Park Stadium
  in Hersey, Penn.
• 6/8/99 – First Round – Mid Michigan Bucks 3 vs. Austin Lone Stars 2; White Pine Stadium in Saginaw, Mich.
• 6/23/99 – Second Round – Minnesota Thunder 1 vs. Mid Michigan Bucks 2; National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.
• 7/12/99 – Third Round – Mid Michigan Bucks 1 vs. Tampa Bay Mutiny 2; White Pine Stadium in Saginaw, Mich.
• 6/14/00 – Second Round – New England Revolution 0 vs. Mid Michigan Bucks 1; Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
• 7/25/00 – Third Round – Mid Michigan Bucks 3 vs. Miami Fusion 3 (5–6 PKs); White Pine Stadium in Saginaw, Mich.
• 6/27/01 – Second Round – New England Revolution 7 vs. Mid Michigan Bucks 1; Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
• 6/25/03 – Second Round – Mid Michigan Bucks 2 vs. Long Island Rough Riders 1; Hurley Field in Berkley, Mich.
• 7/16/03 – Third Round – Mid Michigan Bucks 0 vs.
  MetroStars
  4; Hurley Field in Berkley, Mich.
• 6/14/06 – First Round – Michigan Bucks 2 vs.
  Pittsburgh Riverhounds
  0; Rochester Adams High School in Rochester, Mich.
• 6/28/06 – Second Round – Michigan Bucks 2 vs. Cincinnati Kings 1; Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills, Mich.
• 7/12/06 – Third Round – Michigan Bucks 1 vs. Columbus Crew 4; Stoney Creek High School in Rochester Hills, Mich.
• 6/12/07 – First Round – Richmond Kickers 4 vs. Michigan Bucks 2; University of Richmond Stadium in Richmond, Va.
• 6/10/08 – First Round – Michigan Bucks 1 vs
  Ultimate Soccer Arenas
  in Pontiac, Mich.
• 5/22/12 – Second Round –
  Pittsburgh Riverhounds
  0 vs. Michigan Bucks 1; Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa.
• 5/29/12 – Third Round – Michigan Bucks 3 vs.
  Chicago Fire S.C.
  2 (AET); Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Mich.
• 6/5/12 – Fourth Round – Michigan Bucks 1 vs. Dayton Dutch Lions 1; Oakland University Soccer Field; Rochester, Mich.
• 5/19/15 – Second Round – Michigan Bucks 0 vs.
  Ultimate Soccer Arenas
  in Pontiac, Mich.
• 5/17/17 – Second Round – Michigan Bucks 1 vs.
  Ultimate Soccer Arenas
  in Pontiac, Mich.
• 5/30/17 – Third Round – Michigan Bucks 1 vs.
  Ultimate Soccer Arenas
  in Pontiac, Mich.

Honors

League

• USL Premier Development League / USL League Two
  • Playoff Champions: 2006, 2014, 2016, 2019
  • Regular Season
    • Champions: 2000, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2016
  • Central Conference
    • Champions: 2000, 2006, 2007, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023
  • Great Lakes Division
    • Champions: 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023
• USISL Premier League
  • North Central Division
  • Champions: 1997
• Hank Steinbrecher Cup
  • Champions: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022

Head coaches

• Steve Burns (1996–1999)
• Joe Malachino (2000–2001)
• Dario Brose (2002)
• Don Gemmell (2003–2004)
• Paul Snape (2005)
• Dan Fitzgerald (2006–2009)
• Gary Parsons (2010–2013)^[10]
• Demir Muftari (2013–2017)
• Paul Thomas (2018)
• Demir Muftari (2019–present)

Stadiums

• Hurley Field; Berkley, Michigan 14 games (2003–2005)
• White Pine Stadium; Saginaw, Michigan 1 game (2003)
• Stadium at Plymouth-Canton High School; Canton, Michigan 4 games (2003)
• Stadium at Oakland University; Rochester, Michigan 4 games (2005)
• Stadium at Stoney Creek High School; Rochester Hills, Michigan (2006)
• Stadium at Athens High School; Troy, Michigan 1 game (2007)
• Independence Park; Canton, Michigan 4 games (2007–2011)
• Stadium at
  Andover High School; Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
  1 game (2007)
• Stadium at Saline High School; Saline, Michigan 1 game (2007)
• Stadium at Lake Orion High School; Lake Orion, Michigan 5 games (2007–2008)
• Stadium at Rochester High School; Rochester Hills, Michigan 1 game (2007)
• Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio
  1 game (2007)
• Ultimate Soccer Arenas; Pontiac, Michigan
  (2008–2018)
• Stadium at Walled Lake Central High School; Walled Lake, Michigan 1 game (2011)
• Atwood Stadium; Flint, Michigan (2019–present)

References

External links

• Official website
• Official PDL site (archived 15 April 2012)