Pink and Green Podcast

Send us Fan Mail What keeps a player crossing Lake Champlain for late-night training sessions while balancing college classes and an engineering degree? In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, A.J. and Chris sit down with Vermont Clover FC midfielder Henry Gibson. A mechanical engineering student at Clinton Community College, Henry shares the unconventional path that has taken him through s...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take for young Vermont players to leave their comfort zones, navigate college recruiting, and prepare for the next level? In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, A.J. and Chris sit down with Vermont Clover FC players and Taft School roommates Mason Barron and Fields Deshaw. The two young midfielders discuss their shared soccer journey, the transition from Vermo...

Send us Fan Mail What separates a great soccer referee from someone who simply knows the laws of the game? In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, A.J. and Chris sit down with Corey Cenate, a longtime Vermont referee and the director of assignments for youth and adult soccer through the Vermont Soccer Association. Corey traces his journey from playing youth soccer in Southern Vermont and co...

Send us Fan Mail What does the voice behind a match bring to the experience—and what can one person’s soccer journey reveal about the history of the game in Vermont? In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, A.J. and Chris sit down with Andrew “Drew” Lafrenz, the public-address voice of Vermont Clover FC, an experienced college soccer coach, educator, musician, and longtime member of Vermont’...

Send us Fan Mail Soccer journeys rarely follow a perfectly straight line. In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, Vermont Clover FC midfielder Rieanna Murray shares the decisions, relationships and determination that have carried her from youth soccer in Vermont to the college game in Florida. Rieanna traces her path from Queen City and CVU to UMass Dartmouth, where she began her college ca...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to build a soccer club that serves players, families and an entire region? In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, we sit down with Brandon Smith, President of Vermont Fusion Soccer Club, to explore the growth of soccer in southern Vermont and the work required to create meaningful opportunities for young players. Brandon walks us through Vermont Fusion’s...

Send us Fan Mail This week, AJ & Chris are joined by John O’Connor, Head Coach of the VSU Castleton Men’s Soccer team & the Vermont Wild.  OC talks about why he loves coaching (spoiler: it’s about relationships), the differences in coaching a wide variety of teams, what he’s excited about in Vermont soccer, how clubs work together, and being a sports dad. Vermont Clover FC is home to both...

Send us Fan Mail How does a young coach turn a love for soccer into an opportunity to shape the next generation of Vermont players? In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, A.J. and Chris sit down with Oscar Loomis, a Vermont Clover Elite 11 coach and the new head coach of the Middlebury Union High School boys’ soccer team. Oscar shares how growing up in a small Southern Vermont community le...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to lead a new team while also helping establish its identity? In this episode of the Pink and Green Podcast, A.J. and Chris sit down with Vermont Clover FC captain Michael O’Connor. A Vermont State University Castleton alumnus, Michael reflects on his soccer journey, the experiences that shaped him as a player, and what brought him to Vermont Clover. Michael disc...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode A.J. puts his co-host in the hot seat and we get to learn a little bit more about Chris George!  We also recap what this first season for Vermont Clover FC has been like and talk a little bit about what next season may bring.  Vermont Clover FC is home to both men’s and women’s semi-professional soccer teams, with sponsorship opportunities ranging from jersey place...

Send us Fan Mail Chris & AJ talk with Assistant Coach Alfred Karam about how Al fell in love with the game, how he got to Vermont (spoiler: it was soccer), and what he’s been learning on the VT Clover staff. Vermont Clover FC is home to both men’s and women’s semi-professional soccer teams, with sponsorship opportunities ranging from jersey placement to match-day, digital, and community partne...

Send us Fan Mail A.J. Murray - Network guy, VT lifer, Clover photographer & podcaster extraordinaire and all around nice guy.  Chris & AJ talk about AJ’s photography inciting incident (spoiler: it’s all about dogs), balancing passions, and A.J.’s experiences working closely with the team. More from A.J. https://www.ajmurrayphotography.com/ https://www.instagram.com/aj.murrayvt/ Vermont Clo...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, AJ and Chris talk to Shane Bufano, the founder and director of Queen City FC, co-founder of Clover, and Chris’s longtime collaborator.  Shane talks about why he founded Queen City FC, offers advice to sports parents and players, drops a bit of Vermont soccer history, how Chris roped him into helping found Clover (spoiler: he’s got no idea), and how the Queen City...

Send us Fan Mail AJ and Chris talk with Brian Buczek, perennial winner, Founder and Director of Vermont United Soccer Academy, and co-Founder and Head Coach of Vermont Clover. Brian talks about getting players on the same page, how he became Head Coach of Clover, shares some deep knowledge he’s picked up along the way, and gives some advice for young players (spoiler: be a great teammate). Vermont...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, AJ & Chris welcome Aubrey Ouellet, Head Coach of the Vermont Clover FC Women’s team. Aubrey is a highly decorated coach at the High School and youth club level. In 9 years at Rice Memorial her teams have won 96 games and 4 state championships in 7 finals. Coming up on Clover’s first ever women’s game, Aubrey talks about her start in coaching, what drove her to...

Send us Fan Mail AJ & Chris welcome Trey Bosworth, Creative Director and co-founder of Vermont Clover. Trey talks about where the idea for Clover came from, what he’s excited to see, playing for Chris (spoiler: he liked it), and what makes a team special to play in. More from Trey: LinkedIn Instagram While the UPSL season is over there's still plenty of games left to play this summer! New...

Send us Fan Mail The beginning of something new! In this episode, you'll meet your cohosts and we'll set the stage for what we plan to cover in this new show, focused on soccer community, and culture in the State of Vermont.  While the UPSL season is over there's still plenty of games left to play this summer! New England Cup July 5th - Portland Maine July 11th vs Maine Legends - Du...