Bearfight FC of Wilmington
BearFight FC of Wilmington is an American amateur soccer club based in Wilmington, Delaware. BearFight FC of Wilmington plays in the United Soccer League of Pennsylvania in the fifth division of the United States soccer pyramid. The club is wholly owned and operated by BearFight FC – a non-profit shareholders group.
 "Loyalty, Inclusion, Family, Pride" | |||
| Full name | BearFight FC of Wilmington | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | BearFight FC, BearFight, BFC, BFFC | ||
| Founded | August 15, 2013 | ||
| Owner | BearFight FC Members | ||
| President | Jeremy Sharpe | ||
| League | United Soccer League of Pennsylvania; Major II | ||
| 2017–18 | USLPA | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
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History of BearFight FC
Founding
The club’s roots are in a supporters group for the Philadelphia Union, the BearFight Brigade. The BearFight Brigade started as a group of people who didn’t feel they completely fit in with other supporter groups, and founded their own. BearFight Brigade have a strong tradition of charitable fundraising, supporting such organizations as Ekisa Ministries who distribute medical and school supplies to orphan children in Uganda, the NF Foundation for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
BearFight FC was founded on August 15, 2013 at Stoney’s British Pub in Wilmington, Delaware. The three co-founders were Eric Shertz, Jeremy Sharpe and Justin Lee. Sharpe and Lee, two of the original members of the BearFight Brigade made the announcement. Like the BearFight Brigade, they wanted to start a club that would challenge the way that a soccer club is traditionally run. That is why from day one, BearFight FC has been supporter-owned and supporter-run. BearFight FC played their first season in 2013, just a few weeks after the club was founded. That night, the Philadelphia Unions first captain, Danny Califf, was announced as the first captain of BearFight FC
BearFight FC is a very diverse club that strives for inclusion. Players from six different countries and three continents have sported the navy and black through their history including Colombia, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Angola and Sierra Leone.
Colors/Crest
In the creation of the crest of the club, inspiration was taken from the flag of the city of Wilmington, Delaware with a ship over the left shoulder of an aggressive bear. The colors are navy blue, light blue and gold. The light blue and gold come from the flag of Wilmington, Delaware and the navy blue comes from the primary color of the Philadelphia Union, which is where those involved in the creation and operation of the club first met.
Players
Current roster
As of October 18, 2016[1]
| # | Pos. | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Zepp Mazzeo |  United States |
| 3 | DF | Issac Mitchell (C) | United States |
| 4 | DF | Kieran Todd | United States |
| 5 | DF | Cristian Barona |  Colombia |
| 7 | MF | Patrick Burns | United States |
| 8 | MF | Shaun Ferguson | United States |
| 9 | MF | Rodrigo Maghales | United States |
| 10 | FW | Sony Jaramillo | Colombia |
| 11 | DF | Edmund Waldeyer | United States |
| 12 | MF | Enrique Beltran | |
| 13 | FW | Kenny Jaramillo | Colombia |
| 14 | MF | Cris Campos | United States |
| 17 | FW | John Craighead | United States |
| 18 | GK | Gabe Shertz | United States |
| 19 | FW | Jason Bradley | United States |
| 21 | MF | Yhon Zuluaga | Colombia |
| 22 | DF | Ben Landau | United States |
| 23 | MF | Edgar Medina | United States |
| 24 | MF | Israel Beltran | |
| 25 | DF | Yaw Blake-Hwedie | United States |
Notable Past Players
BearFight FC has had some notable former players that played professionally. In the opening season of 2013, Danny Califf joined BearFight as their first captain. Danny was selected sixth over in the MLS SuperDraft by the LA Galaxy. Over a 13-year professional career, he also played for the Philadelphia Union, San Jose Earthquakes, Chivas USA and Toronto FC of Major League Soccer and FC Midtjylland and AaB Fodbold of the Danish Superliga. He also scored 1 goal in 23 appearances for the United States men's national soccer team.
In the 2015 season, goalkeeper Thorne Holder joined BearFight for their third campaign. He has played professionally for the Philadelphia Union of MLS, the Long Island Rough Riders of the Premier Development League, and F.C. New York of the NPSL.
Year-By-Year Results
| Place | W | T | L | Pts | GF | GA | GD | Head Coach | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14[2] | 7th | 0 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 40 | −25 | Brian Barrish |
| 2014–15[3] | 3rd | 4 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 17 | 26 | −9 | Brian Kammersgaard/Kieran Todd |
| 2015–16[4] | 3rd | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 17 | −5 | Kieran Todd |
| 2016–17[5] | Current | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 12 | −4 | Kieran Todd |
2013–14 season
BearFight FC had a tough time in the second division of the Inter-County Soccer League. The team managed to pick up just 3 points in 12 competitive games. The team had the leagues worst defense and goal differential despite being led by former MLS star and team captain Danny Califf. The club had the lead in 5 games before surrendering goals in what turned into a draw and 4 defeats.
Results
| Match | Date | Opponent | Score | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Upper Moreland Rebels | 1–5 | 0 | −4 |
| 2 | September 22 | FOX United | 4–5 | 0 | −5 |
| 3 | September 29 | Hunter Senior Men Hawks | 0–4 | 0 | −9 |
| 4 | October 6 | Ukrainian United | 5–5 | 1 | −9 |
| 5 | October 20 | Warrington Men's Soccer | 0–1 | 1 | −10 |
| 6 | October 27 | Ukrainian United | 1–2 | 1 | −11 |
| 7 | November 10 | Upper Moreland Rebels | 0–3 | 1 | −14 |
| 8 | November 17 | Colonial Senior Men | 1–5 | 1 | −18 |
| 9 | November 24 | Hunter Senior Men Hawks | 0–4 | 1 | −22 |
| 10 | April 6 | FOX United | 2–5 | 1 | −25 |
| 11 | April 13 | Warrington Men's Soccer | 1–1 | 2 | −25 |
| 12 | May 18 | Colonial Senior Men | 0–0 | 3 | −25 |
Roster
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | GK | Tony Clark | United States |
| 3 | DF | Mike Wray | United States |
| 4 | DF | Danny Califf (C) | United States |
| 5 | MF | James Brennan | United States |
| 6 | FW | Edgar Escobar | Colombia |
| 7 | MF | Pat Burns | United States |
| 8 | MF | Jason Martinez | United States |
| 9 | FW | Mauricio Garcia | Colombia |
| 10 | MF | Jason Lopez | United States |
| 11 | DF | Ed Waldeyer | United States |
| 12 | MF | Mike Sheehan | United States |
| 13 | DF | Kieran Todd | United States |
| 14 | GK | Camilo Burgos | United States |
| 15 | FW | Colin Cowperthwait | United States |
| 16 | FW | Thomas Farley | United States |
| 17 | FW | Jack Craighead | United States |
| 18 | MF | Jason Raguz | United States |
| 19 | GK | Peter Knoetgen | United States |
| 20 | DF | Wilson Grisales-Hernandez | Colombia |
| 23 | MF | Jhonny Tabares | Colombia |
| 0 | MF | Tom O'Neill | United States |
| --- | FW | David Masanga |  Angola |
(C) – Captain
2014–15 season
Results
| Match | Date | Opponent | Score | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 14 | Vereinigung Erzgebirge Senior | 2–5 | 0 | −3 |
| 2 | September 21 | Colonial Senior Men | 1–0 | 3 | −2 |
| 3 | September 28 | Upper Moreland Rebels | 3–2 | 6 | −1 |
| 4 | October 5 | Warrington Men's Soccer | 2–1 | 9 | 0 |
| 5 | October 19 | Upper Moreland Rebels | 4–2 | 12 | 2 |
| 6 | October 26 | Warrington Men's Soccer | 1–2 | 12 | 1 |
| 7 | November 2 | Vereinigung Erzgebirge Senior | 0–5 | 12 | −4 |
| 8 | November 9 | Colonial Senior Men | 1–1 | 13 | −4 |
| 9 | November 16 | FOX United | 1–3 | 13 | −6 |
| 10 | November 23 | FOX United | 2–5 | 13 | −9 |
Roster
| # | Pos. | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Jhony Medina-Acosta |  Mexico |
| 2 | DF | Brown Lugo | United States |
| 3 | DF | Issac Mitchell | United States |
| 5 | DF | Cristian Barona | Colombia |
| 6 | MF | Estevao Ngalabwe | Angola |
| 7 | MF | Patrick Burns | United States |
| 8 | MF | Isaac Sequi | Angola |
| 9 | GK | Melvin Ewulony |  Sierra Leone |
| 10 | FW | Sony Jaramillo | Colombia |
| 11 | DF | Edmund Waldeyer | United States |
| 12 | MF | Michael Sheehan | United States |
| 13 | DF | Kieran Todd (C) | United States |
| 15 | MF | Gerardo Lopez | Mexico |
| 16 | FW | Kenny Jaramillo | Colombia |
| 17 | FW | John Craighead | United States |
| 18 | MF | Jason Raguz | United States |
| 20 | MF | Wilson Grisales-Hernandez | Colombia |
| 21 | MF | Yhon Zuluaga | Colombia |
| 27 | MF | Alan Rivera | Mexico |
| 32 | DF | Edgar Medina | United States |
(C) – Captain
2015–16 season
Results
| Match | Date | Opponent | Score | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | FOX United | 6–1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2 | October 11 | Warrington Men's Soccer | 0–0 | 4 | 5 |
| 3 | October 18 | FOX United | 2–1 | 7 | 6 |
| 4 | October 25 | Ukrainian Avanhard | 1–2 | 7 | 5 |
| 5 | November 8 | Warrington Men's Soccer | 3–2 | 10 | 6 |
| 6 | November 15 | Ukrainian Avanhard | 0–8 | 10 | −2 |
| 7 | November 22 | Colonial Senior Men | 1–1 | 11 | −2 |
| 8 | December 6 | Colonial Senior Men | 0–1 | 11 | −3 |
Roster
| # | Pos. | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Raul Moratin | Mexico |
| 3 | DF | Issac Mitchell | United States |
| 4 | DF | Kieran Todd | United States |
| 5 | DF | Cristian Barona | Colombia |
| 7 | MF | Patrick Burns | United States |
| 9 | FW | Miguel Vega-Ventura | Mexico |
| 10 | FW | Sony Jaramillo | Colombia |
| 11 | DF | Edmund Waldeyer | United States |
| 12 | MF | Enrique Beltran | Mexico |
| 14 | MF | Cris Campos | United States |
| 17 | FW | John Craighead | United States |
| 20 | MF | Wilson Grisales-Hernandez (C) | Colombia |
| 21 | MF | Yhon Zuluaga | Colombia |
| 22 | FW | Kenny Jaramillo | Colombia |
| 24 | MF | Israel Beltran | Mexico |
| 25 | DF | Yaw Blake-Hwedie | United States |
| 27 | MF | Alan Rivera | Mexico |
| 32 | DF | Edgar Medina | United States |
| 33 | DF | Ben Landau | United States |
| 49 | MF | Marcos Jimenez | Mexico |
| 85 | GK | Thorne Holder |  Trinidad and Tobago |
| 99 | FW | Mauricio Garcia | Colombia |
| – | MF | Julio Rodriquez | Mexico |
(C) – Captain
2016–17 season
The 2016–17 season motto is "Forged by Heart and Hustle".
Results
| Match | Date | Opponent | Score | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | DPR Deep Run Senior FC | 0–6 | 0 | −6 |
| 2 | September 18 | FOX United | 0–0 | 1 | −6 |
| 3 | September 25 | Colonial Senior Men | 5–2 | 4 | −3 |
| 4 | October 2 | Penn Athletics Club Senior Men's United | 3–4 | 4 | −4 |
| 5 | October 16 | West-Mont United | 0–8 | 4 | -12 |
| 6 | October 23 | Penn Athletics Club Senior Men's United | 1–4 | 4 | -15 |
| 7 | October 30 | HUN Hawks | 2–3 | 4 | -16 |
| 8 | November 6 | Warrington Men's Soccer | 4–1 | 7 | -13 |
| 9 | November 20 | Colonial Senior Men | 5–1 | 10 | -9 |
| 10 | March 19 | DPR Deep Run Senior FC | |||
| 11 | March 26 | FOX United | |||
| 12 | April 2 | HUN Hawks | |||
| 13 | April 9 | West-Mont United | |||
| 14 | April 23 | Warrington Men's Soccer |
References
- "Inter-County Soccer League". www.icslsoccer.org. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- "Inter-County Soccer League". www.icslsoccer.org. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- "Inter-County Soccer League". www.icslsoccer.org. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- "Inter-County Soccer League". www.icslsoccer.org. Archived from the original on August 1, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- "Inter-County Soccer League". www.icslsoccer.org. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2016.