San Francisco Glens Soccer Club, commonly known as SF Glens, is an American soccer club based in San Francisco that was founded in 1961. Their men's first team currently competes in USL League Two and their women's first team in the USL W League, both in the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid.
Before establishing a USL League Two franchise in 2018, the Glens had been a longtime member of the San Francisco Soccer Football League (SFSFL) and were once affiliated with the San 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 for MLS 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 the New 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 club Holstein Kiel. In addition to having the MLS NEXT full pathway, they are the only youth club in San Francisco with membership in the USL Academy.
They also have an official partnership with the San Jose Earthquakes of Major 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 hosting MLS Next Pro games for the Quakes in San Francisco.
History
Beginnings
The Glens were founded on January 28, 1961 by Dr. Michael McFadden as one of a number of Irish 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 with Celtic 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.
National Amateur Success
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 the National Amateur Cup final in 1979 where they lost 1–0 to Atlanta Datagraphic. Their national success also spilled over into qualification for the prestigious U.S. Open Cup three times in a five-year stretch from 1978–1982.
SFSFL Title Teams
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 the St. Petersburg Kickers. Three years later under Shannon, the Glens captured their second SFSFL title.
Return to the SFSFL
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 the California Soccer Association North (CSAN) State Cup Final, falling to Club Marin in extra time, 4–2.
A New Era in USL League Two
In 2018, the Glens announced the establishment of a new franchise in the USL Premier 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 champion FC Golden State Force.
In September 2018, the club announced that U.S. World Cup veteran and MLS Cup champion Jimmy 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 the 2019 MLS SuperDraft and two (Sam Junqua and Roy Boateng) in the first round—a first for any San Francisco club and the third-most among all clubs in the PDL, now rebranded as USL League Two.
The Glens entered an official partnership with 2. Bundesliga club Holstein Kiel in 2019, as San Francisco and Kiel are sister cities. The team had a tough USL League Two season on the field, but Nabilai 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-seeded Capital FC (the rebranded Portland Timbers U23) 3-2, but fell by the same score in extra time in the semifinals to host Ballard 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 Mayor London Breed one of the guest speakers. Two days later, they hosted the San Jose Earthquakes' second team at Negoesco Stadium and ran operations for their MLS Next Pro game against Real Monarchs. A sellout crowd was on hand to watch the first professional soccer game in the city since the now-defunct San Francisco Deltas won the NASL championship game at Kezar 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-seeded Redlands 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 rival Ventura 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.
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.
Glens add Women's First Team
In December 2022, the club announced the addition of a women's first team in the new NorCal Division of the USL W League, with Mike Sharabi announced as head coach. Their first signing was Stanford National Freshman of the Year and U.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, blasting Oakland Soul SC 5-1 in the semifinals and outlasting California 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 champions Indy 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 and Amy Sayer signing pro contracts with the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars and Sweden's Kristianstads DFF, respectively. Maquiñana also departed for a front-office position with the San 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.
Supporters
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 at Skyline College for matches and travel on the road to support the club.
Kit sponsors
The SF Glens made history when they announced that global brand Carlsberg would be the presenting sponsor for their inaugural season kit, as Liverpool F.C., Wimbledon F.C., and F.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 with Casa 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 2024 USL League Two and USL W League seasons, the Glens announced a multi-year front-of-kit partnership with Guinness.
The following 18 players were named in the squad for the USL League Two regular season game against Davis Legacy on June 16, 2023.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The following 18 players were named in the squad for the USL W League Away Game against The Olympic Club on June 18, 2023.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^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
