Panama City Pirates
Encyclopedia
Panama City Pirates was an American soccer team based in Panama City Beach, Florida
, United States
. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League
(PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid
, until 2010 when the franchise folded and the team left the league.
The team played its home games at Mike Gavlak Stadium on the campus of Arnold High School
, where it had played since 2008. The team's colors were black, white and red.
on consecutive dates, and despite a couple of battling ties, didn't pick up their first victory until the first weekend of June, a dogged 3–2 win at home over Nashville Metros
. This seemed to spark a turn in the Pirates' fortunes, as they suddenly became a goalscoring machine. The poor Palm Beach Pumas
bore the brunt of the Pirates' new-found prowess in front of goal, being annihilated 6-0, 7-0 and 5-0 in their three games in June. C.D. Harris and Bruno Conceição hit 12 of the Pirates' 18 goals against the Pumas between them, and helped the team enjoy a seven-game unbeaten streak which also included a 1-0 win over Bradenton Academics
, and an unexpected 3–-0 victory over the Central Florida Kraze
, the latter of which saw them playing with 10 men for over half an hour. Unfortunately for the Pirates, their late-season charge wasn't quite enough for them to make the playoffs, and their last-day defeat to Bradenton left them in 5th place in the Southeast; still an excellent achievement for a first-year franchise. C.D. Harris and Bruno Conceição were the season's top scorers, with 10 and 7 goals respectively.
The team folded in April 2010, just weeks before it the start of the 2010 PDL season, when owners Laird and Nanette Hitchcock informed the league no financial resources with which to continue running the club.
John Lesko
Matt Williams
Panama City Beach, Florida
Panama City Beach is a city in Bay County, Florida, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico coast. The city is often referred to under the umbrella term of "Panama City", despite being a distinct municipality from the older and larger inland Panama City to the east, making Panama City and Panama City...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 2007, the team played in the USL Premier Development League
USL Premier Development League
The USL Premier Development League is the amateur league of the United Soccer Leagues in the United States, Canada, and Bermuda, forming part of the American Soccer Pyramid...
(PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid
American Soccer Pyramid
The United States soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. The country's governing body for the sport, the United States Soccer Federation , oversees the system but does not operate any of its component leagues—with one temporary...
, until 2010 when the franchise folded and the team left the league.
The team played its home games at Mike Gavlak Stadium on the campus of Arnold High School
Arnold High School
J. R. Arnold High School is a public high school open in Panama City Beach, Florida, United States. Serving grades 9 through 12, it is part of the Bay District Schools. Its school mascot is the Marlin.-History:...
, where it had played since 2008. The team's colors were black, white and red.
History
The Panama City Pirates entered the PDL in 2008 to a great deal of local fanfare and publicity, but found the early going tough in competitive terms: they lost their opening two fixtures, both to Central Florida KrazeCentral Florida Kraze
Orlando City U-23 is an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference...
on consecutive dates, and despite a couple of battling ties, didn't pick up their first victory until the first weekend of June, a dogged 3–2 win at home over Nashville Metros
Nashville Metros
Nashville Metros is an American soccer team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1989, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference...
. This seemed to spark a turn in the Pirates' fortunes, as they suddenly became a goalscoring machine. The poor Palm Beach Pumas
Palm Beach Pumas
Palm Beach Pumas was an American soccer team based in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States. Founded in 2000, the team played in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2008, when the franchise folded and the team left the league.The team played...
bore the brunt of the Pirates' new-found prowess in front of goal, being annihilated 6-0, 7-0 and 5-0 in their three games in June. C.D. Harris and Bruno Conceição hit 12 of the Pirates' 18 goals against the Pumas between them, and helped the team enjoy a seven-game unbeaten streak which also included a 1-0 win over Bradenton Academics
Bradenton Academics
The Bradenton Academics are an American soccer team based in Bradenton, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference.The team is associated with...
, and an unexpected 3–-0 victory over the Central Florida Kraze
Central Florida Kraze
Orlando City U-23 is an American soccer team based in Lake Mary, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southeast Division of the Southern Conference...
, the latter of which saw them playing with 10 men for over half an hour. Unfortunately for the Pirates, their late-season charge wasn't quite enough for them to make the playoffs, and their last-day defeat to Bradenton left them in 5th place in the Southeast; still an excellent achievement for a first-year franchise. C.D. Harris and Bruno Conceição were the season's top scorers, with 10 and 7 goals respectively.
The team folded in April 2010, just weeks before it the start of the 2010 PDL season, when owners Laird and Nanette Hitchcock informed the league no financial resources with which to continue running the club.
Final roster
Notable former players
Two-Boys GumedeTwo-Boys Gumede
Two-Boys Gumede is a South African footballer.-Early life:Gumede was the second boy in his family, leading his mother to suggest she had "Two Boys"....
John Lesko
John Lesko
John Lesko is an American soccer player currently playing for AC St. Louis in the USSF Division 2 Professional League.-Youth and Amateur:...
Matt Williams
Matt Williams (soccer)
Matt Williams is an American soccer player who currently plays for Real Maryland Monarchs in the USL Second Division.-College and Amateur:...
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Southeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2009 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Southeast | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
Average attendance
Attendance stats are calculated by averaging each team's self-reported home attendances from the historical match archive at http://www.uslsoccer.com/history/index_E.html.- 2008: 270
- 2009: 357