Erie Commodores FC

Erie Commodores FC is an American soccer team based in Erie, Pennsylvania which competes in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), a nationwide amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays their home matches at McConnell Family Stadium.
The "Commodores" name alludes to Oliver Hazard Perry, a United States Navy commodore who based his operations at Erie's Presque Isle Bay during the Battle of Lake Erie, a flashpoint in the War of 1812. The "Don't Give up the Ship" motto on the crest also derives from Commodore Perry.
History.
Pedro Argaez, a local soccer coach, formed Erie Admirals SC in 2009, developing the club from an established youth soccer program by the same name. John Melody, an alumnus of Mercyhurst University in Erie, served Argaez as head coach, later acquiring full ownership while continuing to lead the team. On April 24, 2015, Melody officially re-branded his club as Erie Commodores FC. He also hired fellow Mercyhurst graduate, Micky Blythe, as head coach for one season. Subsequently, Neil Brown, who received an internationally prestigious “A” license from UEFA, helped lead Commodores FC in their 2015 NPSL campaign.
Several players who once played for Commodores FC moved on to the professional soccer ranks: Adam Clement with Vancouver Whitecaps FC of Major League Soccer (MLS); Jeremy Deighton, Greg Blum, and Neil Shaffer with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the United Soccer League; Dan Howell in Iceland; Billy Colton in New Zealand, Sam Dorf in Ireland and Israel, and, most recently, Danny Deakin, who was drafted by Orlando City SC of MLS.
Erie Commodores FC has rivalries with other Rust Belt conference NPSL clubs, to include Cleveland SC (Cleveland, Ohio), FC Buffalo (Buffalo, New York), and Rochester Lancers (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). They had a rivalry with Detroit City FC (Detroit, Michigan) until Detroit left the NPSL for the National Independent Soccer Association. The club participates in the Erie County Derby against FC Buffalo, a regional NPSL rivalry pitting Erie County, Pennsylvania and Erie County, New York.
In 2020, the Commodores competed in the NPSL Members Cup along with Cleveland SC, FC Buffalo, and the Pittsburgh Hotspurs.
Honors.
National:
Region/Historic Equivalent:
Conference/Historic Equivalent:
Rivalry: