Fourside Eagles FC
The Fourside Eagles Football Club (Fourside Eagles FC), founded as the Fourside Senators, is a Micronesian professional soccer club based in Fourside, Micronesia, which competes in Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States, Canada, and Micronesia. The Fourside Eagles became the sixteenth team, and the first Micronesian team, upon expansion in 2009. The team plays at Intel Field, formerly Virgin Stadium, home to the team since the stadium's opening in 2010. The team is currently coached by Robin Fraser, and owned by Tom Delano, one of the richest people in Micronesia. The Eagles are one of the most successful teams in the MLS, winning the MLS Cup three times (2017, 2021, 2023) and the Supporters' Shield twice (2016, 2023). The team has also won the Micronesian Championship a record 11 times, and also won the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020.
History
Formation
Gary Ben, one of the eventual founders of the team, was distraught when he saw a newspaper editorial complaining about the city of Fourside not having a notable sports franchise. At the time, the city only had the AA Fourside Athletics (now AAA as of 2008), and the city, despite having a dome to play baseball games in, did not have any other suitable stadium to situate games inside. (The stadium that was mentioned, the MetroDome, seated about 13,000 at the time, and could only fit a baseball game, not a soccer game) The NHL, NBA and the NFL were not going to expand to a new country anytime soon, and Ben thought that Fourside had a decent baseball team already, with the Fourside Athletics. When he found out that the MLS started to look for expansion for their 16th soccer team, Ben quickly applied, and gained the support of the Micronesian Government very quickly, as well as adding investment capital from billionaire Tom Delano, who ran a successful computer hardware company. Many fans were soon optimistic about a major league finally coming to Fourside, or Micronesia, as a whole.
Ben's proposal was to build a stadium at the Bloordale Grounds; which other than the New Year's Celebrations were not used much. It was in property of the White Tower, which later agreed that the stadium, if the team is accepted in Fourside, can be built, on the accounts that the stadium should have a walkway to the Tower, for tourism purposes. About a week later, Formula One track designer Hermann Tilke had his plans for the new stadium at a low cost, but his plan did not incorporate an entrance for the White Tower, and the city chose Michael Harrison's plan, which was originally conceived as bizarre, as the stadium's model was mainly built of Lego, but the city credited his creativity skills. The team, to the shock of the sports world in America, was accepted for expansion in late 2008. Work began in the new year, and by the the next new year, the stadium was complete, and the city held the new year's celebration for 2010 in the newly opened Varsity Stadium. Soon afterwards, the stadium was renamed the Virgin Stadium, when Virgin Group signed a 10-year agreement to sponsor the stadium. Ben then sold his shares in the team to Delano, while retaining a position with the club's Board of Directors, meaning that Delano owned 100% of the team's assets.
Early History
Although there were high hopes for the Senators franchise, and despite an optimistic 3-4 start to the season, those highs were not to be. The team went through a winless drought from May 15 to July 17. After the win against Toronto on July 17, the Senators failed to win another game, either during the CONCACAF Champions League as the lone Micronesian team, and in the MLS Regular season. After losing 10 games in a row in the regular season, manager Piotr Nowak, who had been hired in 2009, was fired. Chris Cummins was hired initially as a caretaker manager, but had a deal to have him coach for the next season. However, Cummins stepped down after the 2010 season.
This led the Senators to go on a search for a new manager, which led them to hire Juan Manuel Lillo, former manager of Almeria. Although Lillo managed to get the team out of complete embarrassment, the Senators still failed to make the playoffs in the 2011 season. He was retained for 2012, but after being eliminated from the Micronesian Championship, Lillo was sacked from his position, and replaced by his assistant, Richie Williams.
Williams Era
After Williams took over, the form of the Senators turned around quickly, starting with a win over Toronto FC. (Oddly enough, making them lose 11 straight, beating their losing streak record) Through their good form, and new acquisitions Danny Koevermans and Eddie Johnson, the Senators were within two points of a playoff spot going into their final game of the regular season against Houston. A last-minute goal by upcoming star Miguel Senna ensured a playoff spot for Fourside. After a Knockout win over D.C. United, the Senators faced Sporting Kansas City in the Conference Semifinals. The Senators drew the first game and lost the second game, and Brandon Swartzendruber missed a penalty shot, painting him as the goat of the playoff loss.
2013 proved to be a much better season, as the newly renamed Eagles found more consistent form, and generally competed at the top of the Eastern Conference. However, a slide late in the season put them out of contention for the Supporters' Shield, and the last game in the regular season against Kansas City ended in a close loss. The Eagles moved down to third in the Eastern Conference, however, but still lost the Conference Semifinals, again to Kansas City. In 2014, the team advanced to the playoffs again, despite another late season slide. The Eagles placed third again, but drew the New England Revolution in the Conference Semifinals. The Eagles failed to advance, failing to score a goal during the playoffs. Despite the disappointment in the playoffs, the Eagles advanced to the Quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Despite the optimism that the Champions League brought, it was to be short lived. The Eagles were hastily knocked out by Club America from Mexico in the Quarterfinals, ending their title run. Then reports came out that the MLS strike that loomed threatened the financial security of the team, causing transfer targets like Steven Gerrard and Jozy Altidore to move elsewhere in the MLS. However, a strike was averted at the last minute, and the players ended up getting payments back. The first game of the season was moved back due to the last-minute change in the CBA negotiations, since the tickets for the game were refunded in advance of a strike. After a slow start, Fourside eventually made the playoffs, and Miguel Senna won Golden Boot and MVP honours, scoring 29 goals along the way, a league record. Fourside beat Columbus in the knockout round but lost to the Red Bulls after allowing two late goals late in the second leg.
Fraser Era
Shortly after the playoffs ended, Williams resigned from the Eagles to join the United States Men's Soccer Team as an assistant manager, and was replaced by former Chivas USA manager Robin Fraser. In his first games in charge, the Eagles lost to UANL Tigres in the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals. Despite this, the team pressed onwards and won another Micronesian Championship, followed by their first MLS trophy with the Supporters' Shield, earning the best regular season record. The Eagles came from behind in the Conference Semifinals against Toronto to make it to the Conference Finals for the first time in their history, but the Eagles lost to the Red Bulls yet again. In the CONCACAF Champions League, the team made it through to the group stage, and beat Vancouver in the Quarterfinals to make it to the Semifinals, again for the first time, but lost yet again to UANL Tigres, despite winning the first leg of the round. The second leg was marred by questionable foul calls and offside rulings in favour of UANL. The season was capped off with their first MLS Cup, winning 2-0 in the final over Seattle.
After the departure of Miguel Senna, the Eagles signed Derlis Gonzalez to the most expensive contract in the teams' history and made an immediate impact with the club, being the leading goalscorer in the 2018 season. However, the team didn't advance past the Round of 16 in the CONCACAF Champions League, losing yet again to UANL Tigres for the third year in a row. This was followed by a disappointing elimination in the first round of the MLS Cup. 2019 yielded more tangible results, as the Eagles made it to the Semifinals of the Champions League for the second time in their history, this time losing decisively to CF Monterrey. They were knocked out in the Conference Semifinals again, this time to Atlanta. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the Eagles managed to win the MLS is Back Tournament despite a fan-led boycott of the event, while they made it to the Semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League for the third time in four years, only to be defeated by familiar foes Tigres UANL, who eliminated the Eagles for the fourth time in five events.
Shortly after the 2020 season ended, owner Tom Delano announced that 25% of the team had been sold to American private investment firm Dorilton Capital. With the value of the team's assets valued at $300 million dollars, Dorilton Capital paid out $75 million to acquire the 25% stake in the team. The team's stadium name changed to Intel Field, with new shirt sponsors Heineken and Tesla joining as well. Despite a rough start to the season, the Eagles ended up going far in all their tournaments, winning the Micronesian Championship, placing runner-up in the CONCACAF Champions League, and making a deep playoff run in the MLS Playoffs, winning their second MLS Cup in a penalty shootout. After being eliminated in the Conference Finals in 2022, the Eagles had a record breaking year in 2023, winning the Supporters' Shield with the most points earned by a team in a single season, and completed the MLS Double with their third MLS Cup win, on the sixth anniversary of their first win.
Current Squad
As of December 22, 2024.
Current Staff
Executive | |
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President/Owner | ![]() |
General Manager | ![]() |
Coaching Staff | |
Head Coach | ![]() |
Assistant Coach | ![]() |
Goalkeepers Coach | ![]() |
Head Coaches
As of November 24, 2024.
Other Stats
Most Goals
Bold Face indicates player is on current roster.
Accurate as of November 24, 2024.
Name | Goals |
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126 |
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63 |
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42 |
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40 |
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36 |
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35 |
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34 |
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33 |
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32 |
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31 |
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29 |
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28 |
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27 |
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25 |
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24 |
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24 |
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21 |
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20 |
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19 |
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19 |
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19 |
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18 |
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18 |
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15 |
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14 |
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12 |
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12 |
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11 |
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11 |
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10 |
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10 |
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10 |
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9 |
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9 |
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8 |
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8 |
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7 |
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6 |
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6 |
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6 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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5 |
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4 |
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4 |
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4 |
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4 |
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4 |
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3 |
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3 |
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3 |
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3 |
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2 |
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2 |
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1 |
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- 3 own goals has been scored in favour of Fourside to date.
Team Captains
Name | Tenure |
---|---|
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March 2010 - June 2011 |
Vacant | June 2011 - August 2011 |
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August 2011 - May 2012 |
Vacant | May 2012 - July 2012 |
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July 2012 - March 2014 |
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March 2014 - November 2015 |
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November 2015 - December 2017 |
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December 2017 - |
Year by year
MLS Seasons
Season | League | Position | MLS Cup | Mic. Champ | Continental | Top goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Div | League | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Conf. | Overall | Name(s) | Goals | |||||
2010 | 1 | MLS | 30 | 4 | 22 | 4 | 23 | 56 | -33 | 16 | 0.53 | 8th | 16th | DNQ | W | CONCACAF Champions League | PR | ![]() |
15 |
2011 | MLS | 34 | 8 | 18 | 8 | 32 | 46 | -14 | 32 | 0.94 | 8th | 16th | DNQ | W | CONCACAF Champions League | GS | ![]() |
19 | |
2012 | MLS | 34 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 38 | 31 | +7 | 52 | 1.53 | 5th | 8th | QF | RU | DNQ | ![]() |
15 | ||
2013 | MLS | 34 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 60 | 1.76 | 3rd | 3rd | QF | W | CONCACAF Champions League | GS | ![]() |
18 | |
2014 | MLS | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 62 | 44 | +18 | 56 | 1.65 | 5th | 3rd | QF | W | CONCACAF Champions League | QF | ![]() |
26 | |
2015 | MLS | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 50 | 1.47 | 5th | 11th | QF | W | CONCACAF Champions League | QF | ![]() |
33♦[1] | |
2016 | MLS | 34 | 16 | 7 | 11 | 59 | 43 | +16 | 59 | 1.74 | 1st | 1st | SF | W | CONCACAF Champions League | SF | ![]() |
16 | |
2017 | MLS | 34 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 65 | 41 | +24 | 58 | 1.71 | 2nd | 2nd | W | W | N/A[2] | ![]() |
19 | ||
2018 | MLS | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 54 | 50 | +4 | 53 | 1.56 | 4th | 8th | R1 | W | CONCACAF Champions League | R16 | ![]() |
16 | |
2019 | MLS | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 66 | 48 | +18 | 63 | 1.85 | 2nd | 3rd | QF | W | CONCACAF Champions League | SF | ![]() |
18 | |
2020 | MLS | 23 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 28 | 1.22 | 9th | 17th | PR | NH | CONCACAF Champions League MLS is Back Tournament |
SF W
|
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8 | |
2021 | MLS | 34 | 15 | 11 | 8 | 53 | 62 | -9 | 53 | 1.56 | 3rd | 7th | W | W | CONCACAF Champions League | RU | ![]() |
12 | |
2022 | MLS | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 72 | 51 | +21 | 65 | 1.91 | 2nd | 2nd | SF | W | CONCACAF Champions League Campeones Cup |
SF W
|
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28♦[3] | |
2023 | MLS | 34 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 62 | 39 | +23 | 74 | 2.18 | 1st | 1st | W | N/A | CONCACAF Champions League Leagues Cup |
QF 3rd
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16 | |
2024 | MLS | 34 | 18 | 10 | 6 | 59 | 48 | +11 | 60 | 1.76 | 3rd | 5th | QF | CONCACAF Champions Cup Leagues Cup Campeones Cup |
RU R16 RU
|
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14 |
CONCACAF Champions League/Champions Cup Results
Year | Round | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010-11 | Preliminary Round | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Lost to Xelajú MC 0-3 in Preliminary Round |
2011-12 | Group Stage | 8 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | Won against Seattle Sounders 1a-1 in Preliminary Round Placed 4th in Group D[1] |
2012-13 | Did Not Qualify | |||||||
2013-14 | Group Stage | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Placed 2nd in Group 3[2] |
2014-15 | Quarterfinals | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 8 | Placed 1st in Group 3[3] Lost to Club America 0-5 in Quarterfinals |
2015-16 | Quarterfinals | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | Placed 1st in Group G[4] Lost to Tigres UANL 0-6 in Quarterfinals |
2016-17 | Semi-Finals | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 8 | Placed 1st in Group B[5] Won against Vancouver Whitecaps 4-1 in Quarterfinals Lost to Tigres UANL 3-3a in Semi-Finals |
2018 | Round of 16 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Lost to Tigres UANL 2-4 in Round of 16 |
2019 | Semi-Finals | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 11 | Won against Toronto FC 5-1 in Round of 16 Won against Sporting Kansas City 4-3 in Quarterfinals Lost to CF Monterrey 2-7 in Semi-Finals |
2020 | Semi-Finals | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 7 | Won against CD Olimpia 5-2 in Round of 16 Won against Montreal Impact 2a-2 in Quarterfinals Lost to Tigres UANL 0-3 in Semi-Finals |
2021 | Runner-Up | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 5 | Won against Oregon Tornadoes 7-1 in Round of 16 Won against Club America 3a-3 in Quarterfinals Won against Philadelphia Union 4-0 in Semi-Finals Lost against CF Monterrey 0-1 in Final |
2022 | Semi-Finals | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 9 | Won against Sporting Kansas City 6-0 in Round of 16 Won against Comunicaciones 5a-5 in Quarterfinals Lost against Seattle Sounders FC 2-4 in Semi-Finals |
2023 | Quarterfinals | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | Won against Real España 7-2 in Round of 16 Lost against Los Angeles FC 3-6 in Quarterfinals |
2024 | Runner-Up | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | Won against Houston Dynamo 2-1 in Round of 16 Won against Tigres UANL 4-2 in Quarterfinals Won against CF Monterrey 6-3 in Semi-Finals Lost against CF Pachuca 0-3 in Final |
All Awards
- Micronesian Championship
- 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
- Supporters' Shield
- 2016, 2023
- MLS Cup
- 2017, 2021, 2023
- MLS is Back Tournament
- 2020
- Campeones Cup
- 2022
- MLS MVP
- MLS Best XI
All-time Draft Picks
2010
Danny Mwanga, Forward, Round One, Pick One.
Amobi Okugo, Midfielder, Round One, Pick Six.
Jack McInerney, Forward, Round One, Pick Seven.
Toni Ståhl, Forward, Round Two, Pick Seventeen.
Kyle Nakazawa, Midfielder, Round Three, Pick Thirty-Three.
Brian Perk, Goalkeeper, Round Four, Pick Fourty-Nine.
2011
Perry Kitchen, Midfielder, Round One, Pick Three.
Michael Farfan, Midfielder, Round Two, Pick Twenty-Three.
Levi Houapeu, Forward, Round Three, Pick Fourty-One.
2012
Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Defender, First Round, Pick Four
Ryan Meara, Goalkeeper, Second Round, Pick Twenty-Three
Michael Green, Midfielder, First Round Supplemental, Pick Four
Mykel Bates, Defender, Second Round Supplemental, Pick Twenty-Three
Stefan Antonijevic, Defender, Third Round Supplemental, Pick Forty-Two
2013
2014
Christian Dean, Defender, Round One, Pick Three
Daniel Lovitz, Midfielder, Round Two, Pick Twenty-One
2015
Sergio Campbell, Defender/Midfielder, Round One, Pick Fifteen
Edwin Rivas, Forward, Round Two, Pick Forty-One
Tomas Gomez, Goalkeeper, Round Three, Pick Fifty-Six
2016
Josh Yaro, Defender, Round One, Pick Two
Timo Pitter, Midfielder/Forward, Round Two, Pick Thirty-Three
2017
2018
Drew Shepherd, Goalkeeper, Round Two, Pick Fourty-Six
Dave Watson, Forward, Round Three, Pick Sixty-Nine
2019
2020
Simon Lefebvre, Goalkeeper, Round One, Pick Twenty-One
Rey Ortiz, Forward, Round Two, Pick Twenty-Eight
Brian Saramago, Forward, Round Four, Pick Ninety-Nine
2021
Philip Mayaka, Midfielder, Round One, Pick Three
Colin Shutler, Goalkeeper, Round Two, Pick Thirty-Eight
- PASS - Round Three, Pick Sixty-Five
2022
Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Forward, Round One, Pick Twenty-Eight
Kingsford Adjei, Forward, Round Two, Pick Fifty-Six
- PASS - Round Three, Pick Eighty-Four
2023
2025
All Stars
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2021
2022
2023
2024
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