Vermont Green FC men's team capture second consecutive Northeast Division title

Jeremy Francou had Connecticut Rush's number putting on a first-half show tallying a hat trick in 37 minutes during Vermont Green FC's regular season home finale.

>That performance helped the Green earn a 6-2 win over Connecticut Rush and clinch its second consecutive Northeast Division trophy. Francou scored the first five Vermont goals and was a one-man wrecker that no one could stop.

>What made the game even more special to Francou was that his father and friends came all the way from France providing extra support.

>"First time in my career," Francou said on his five-goal performance. "Really nice feeling to help the team and grateful to be here."

>The senior finished off the hat trick with his best goal of the night. Francou won a tight battle for the ball and burst out the speed. He flew by two other defenders with his sight on the goal. Francou let go of his shot on the edge of the box and sent it past the goalie.

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>Francou entered the game as the Green's (12-0-1) leading scorer with eight goals. He made sure to pad his stats. By the end of the night, Francou had tallied Vermont's first five goals extending his tally to 13 goals. With his outburst, Francou set a new club single-season scoring record, passing Yaniv Bazini who scored 12 goals in 2024.

>The reason Francou is spending the summer in Vermont is that his former college teammate Julien Le Bourdoulous recommended him. Le Bourdoulous was a key member during Vermont's run to the 2025 title.

>"I'm really glad that I asked him about coming here," Francou said. "So have to say thank you to him of course."

>During the team's celebration with the fan section, Francou accepted his Maple Man of the Match award by drinking the maple syrup out of the Northeast Division Cup.

>Francou's second tally helped flip the momentum of the game. The Frenchman out ran his defender to create space. No one could catch up to the University of Missouri-Kansas City forward, who just had to beat the goalie. That's exactly what Francou did giving Vermont Green the lead back in the 33rd minute.

>Still Francou had a rough start to his Green career taking Vermont's 2-2 draw with Seacoast United on June 16 personally according to head coach Chris Taylor.

>"We kept faith with him after that game," Taylor said. "Against Boston City FC (on the road) he came on at halftime and gave us the lead. He's been the guy for the big moments."

>Connecticut Rush's (4-8-2) goalie Michael Sipples' saved a couple more good looks from Francou as he had a dominant performance.

>Francou was not the only player to set club records. Midfielder Alex Hall set a new club record tallying his ninth assist in the Green's win against New England FC. Hall continued his torrid pace with assists, dishing out two more to Francou during his two-year tenure with the club.

>Samson Kpardeh provided another insurance goal with him beating his defenders as well in the 69th minute.

>The regular season concludes on Friday, July 10 with the Green playing Western Mass Pioneers on the road. Even though the division title is wrapped up there is still a lot to play for.

>"There's point records and trying to host," Taylor said. "We want to be the number one team in the country."

>Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.

>This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont Green FC men's team capture second consecutive Northeast Division title