Burlingame Dragons FC

Burlingame Dragons FC was an American soccer club based in Burlingame, California. Founded in 2014, the team played in the Premier Development League (PDL). The team was owned by Nick Swinmurn, founder of Zappos.com and a minority investor in the NBA's Golden State Warriors, and David Ebersman, former CFO of Facebook and Genentech.[1] The team played its home games at Burlingame High School stadium. They were the developmental affiliate of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer.

Burlingame Dragons FC
Full nameBurlingame Dragons Football Club
Founded2014 (2014)
Dissolved2017
StadiumBurlingame High School
Burlingame, California
Capacity4,000
OwnersDavid Ebersman
Nick Swinmurn
Head CoachJoe Cannon
LeaguePremier Development League
20175th, Southwest Division
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website

History

Burlingame Dragons FC (BDFC) signed an affiliation agreement with the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer to be their official U23 team on December 9, 2014. The Dragons replaced the San Jose Earthquakes U23 squad that played in the PDL in 2014.[2][3] Dana Taylor, former Earthquakes U23 and Cal State Stanislaus coach, was hired as the Dragons first head coach on January 27, 2015.[4]

Burlingame Dragons FC's inaugural season in the PDL was capped by its first ever division title, a playoff win and an appearance in the Western Conference Final Four.

In their debut season, the Dragons started strong with wins over the Fresno Fuego[5] and the Golden State Misioneros.[6] On May 29, they suffered their only loss of the season with a 3–0 loss to Ventura County; however, they finished the season strong going 8–0–2 to take the Southwest Division title. In the Western Conference Championships, they avenged their only loss by defeating the Fusion in the first round (1–0) but then lost in the semi-finals to the Seattle Sounders FC U-23 1–0.[7]

The Dragons also played in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by inheriting the spot earned by the San Jose Earthquakes U23 team. They lost in overtime 2–1 to Sonoma County Sol in the first round.[8]

The following season, Eric Bucchere replaced Taylor as head coach in 2016. After the Dragons advanced to the Western Conference semi-finals for the second consecutive year, Bucchere was promoted to an assistant coaching position with Reno 1868 FC of the United Soccer League (USL). Bucchere was then replaced by Joe Cannon.

In 2017, the Dragons won their first Open Cup game over El Farolito and even led future NASL champion San Francisco Deltas in the second round before falling 2–1. Matt Wiesenfarth finished second in the entire PDL with 13 goals in just 11 games, and the Dragons were the only team all season that the eventual Western Conference champion FC Golden State Force failed to defeat in two tries (0–0, 1–1).

Founder Nick Swinmurn had made a bid to obtain a USL team following the 2017 season but ultimately withdrew it. At the same time, he announced he would also cease operations of the Dragons.[9]

Year-by-year
YearDivisionLeagueRegular seasonPlayoffsOpen CupAvg. Attendance
20154PDL1st, SouthwestConference Semi-finals1st round1,700
20164PDL2nd, Central PacificConference Semi-finals1st round2,357
20174PDL5th, SouthwestDid not qualify2nd round—

Honors
Premier Development League
  • Southwest Division Champions: 2015

Head coaches

Players signed/drafted by Major League Soccer clubs

‡ Homegrown Signing

^ Selected in MLS SuperDraft

References
  1. "PDL Welcomes Burlingame Dragons FC". United Soccer Leagues (USL). December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  2. "Dragons FC soccer swoops into Burlingame". Nathan Mollat. The Daily Journal. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  3. "San Jose Earthquakes announce new USL PDL affiliate: The Burlingame Dragons". Robert Jonas. SB Nation. December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  4. "Burlingame Dragons Name Taylor Head Coach". United Soccer Leagues (USL). January 27, 2015. Archived from the original on January 31, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  5. Jonas, Robert (May 15, 2015), Burlingame Dragons FC win first-ever PDL match, securing an impressive 1–0 victory against the Fresno Fuego, Center Line Soccer, retrieved August 25, 2015
  6. Sperber, Marc (May 17, 2015), RECAP: Misioneros fall 1–0 to the Burlingame Dragons, www.lamisionerosfc.com, archived from the original on January 5, 2016, retrieved August 25, 2015
  7. Sounders U23 win Western Conference Championship, soundersu23.com, archived from the original on September 30, 2015, retrieved August 25, 2015
  8. Jaxon, Tim (May 14, 2015), 2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Substitutes steal show as Sonoma County Sol edge Burlingame Dragons 2–1 in OT, retrieved August 25, 2015
  9. "Dragons FC folds; the bid for a USL team is dropped". San Mateo Daily Journal. October 4, 2017.
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