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Chris Antonopoulos (soccer)

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Chris Antonopoulos
2012 NASSC Championship
Personal information
Date of birth 1968
Place of birth Louisiana
Date of death 2025
Place of death Miami, Florida
Height 5'9
Position(s) Goalkeeper | Head Coach
Youth career
1982-1986 Miami Curley High School
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990 Hollywood Kickers
1993 Fort Lauderdale Strikers
1994-2000 Soccer Locker
International career
2002-2006 United States men's national beach soccer team
Managerial career
2009-2014 Florida Beach Soccer FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Chris C. Antonopoulos (1968–2025) was an American soccer goalkeeper and coach. He played for Florida International University,[1] the Fort Lauderdale Strikers,[2] and the U.S. Men's National Beach Soccer Team.[3] He later coached Florida Beach Soccer FC, leading them to multiple national championships.[4]

Early life and education

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Antonopoulos was born in Louisiana and raised in Miami, Florida. He played goalkeeper at Miami Curley High School,[5] where he recorded 14 shutouts in 19 games his senior year and was named Miami News High School Player of the Year in 1986.[6]

Chris Antonopoulos pictured (bottom right) with the 1988 FIU Panther's Men's Soccer team

Antonopoulos continued at Florida International University (FIU) as the goalkeeper from 1987 to 1990, appearing in 44 matches with 36 starts in goal.[7] The Miami, Fla., native recorded 134 career saves, ranking 5th on FIU's all-time career saves leaderboard. His season-high of 79 saves came in 1990. Antonopoulos' career total remains among the top 10 in program history.[8][9] He received a B.A. in Hospitality Management in 1990.

His amateur career included time with the Hollywood Kickers as a goalkeeper in the Gold Coast Soccer League.[10][11]

Professional soccer career

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Antonopoulos signed a pro contract with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 1993, where he played as the backup goalkeeper.[12] This team competed in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL). He was one of three players who went pro out of FIU at this time in 1993.[13][14]

International soccer career

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Chris Antonopoulos pictured (right) with the United States Men's National Beach Soccer Team

From 2002 to 2006, Antonopoulos represented the United States Men's National Beach Soccer Team as a goalkeeper and later an assistant coach.[15][16] In 2006, Antonopoulos was part of the U.S. team that won the inaugural CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, earning their first title and qualification for the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.[15]

Goalkeeper and coaching

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Chris Antonopoulos was the general manager, head coach, and former goalkeeper of Florida Beach Soccer FC founded in 2009, the team featured other professional Beach Soccer National players like Oscar Gil and Francis Farberoff.[17]

Antonopoulos was recognized as one of the early figures in the development of beach soccer in the United States. The NASSC referred to him as one of the "OGs" of the sport, acknowledging his role as a goalkeeper for Rio and Florida Beach Soccer—two teams that have competed in the U.S. Open since its inception.[18]

In 2010, Florida Beach Soccer FC, led by Antonopoulos, placed 3rd in the North American Sand Soccer Championship (NASSC) U.S. Open.[19]

Chris Antonopoulos pictured (second to right, in yellow) with Florida Beach Soccer FC at the 2011 North American Sand Soccer Championship, in Virginia Beach.

In 2011, the squad won the National Championship at the U.S. Open Beach Soccer Championship at the North American Sand Soccer Championship (NASSC).[20][21] Later that year, they won the BagoSports Beach Football Invitational 2011, which took place Trinidad and Tobago, with a 5–3 victory over Stokely Vale FC ending 5-0-1 in the tournament.[22][23]

Chris Antonopoulos in an aggressive save as goalkeeper for Florida Beach Soccer FC at the Clearwater Beach tournament.

Florida Beach Soccer FC also participated in the Clearwater Beach Soccer Tournament[24] sponsored by the United Soccer League, which took place in 2011 as part of the Major Beach Soccer Tour, winning the championship.[25]

2012 North American Sand Soccer Championships, Florida Beach Soccer FC, 15th-36th Street & Oceanfront, Virginia Beach, Virginia

The team achieved continued success by securing another national title at the 2012 U.S. Open Beach Soccer Championship at the North American Sand Soccer Championship (NASSC),[26] defeating Deerfield Beach, another Florida-based team, with a score of 3-2.[27]

In 2013, Florida Beach Soccer FC competed in the (NASSC) US Open Championship but lost to the Hampton Roads Soccer Council (HRSC) Elite in the finals.[28]

The team also competed at the Beach Soccer Championships in Oceanside, California.[29]

Personal life and legacy

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Chris Antonopoulos was married to Michele Antonopoulos in November 1998 and together they had four children.

After retiring from professional beach soccer, Antonopoulos returned to his passion for the sport by coaching youth soccer through various organizations.

He passed away in Miami in January 2025.[30]

References

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  1. ^ "2007 FIU Men's Soccer Media Guide by Ivan Irizarry - Issuu". issuu.com. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  2. ^ "APSL 1993 Season". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  3. ^ "CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship 2006 by Concacaf - Issuu". issuu.com. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  4. ^ News, Stabroek (2011-11-23). "Beach football team places third in T/dad Invitational tourney". Stabroek News. Retrieved 2024-12-28. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ By (1987-08-24). "HURRICANES' ANDRE BROWN BREAKS FINGER ON RIGHT HAND". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  6. ^ "Home - Florida International University (FIU) Library Digital Collection Repository System (dPanther)". dpanther.fiu.edu. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  7. ^ "2007 FIU Men's Soccer Media Guide by Ivan Irizarry - Issuu". issuu.com. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  8. ^ "FIU Athletics Mourns the Loss of Chris Antonopoulos". FIU Athletics. 2024-12-20. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
  9. ^ "M-Soccer All-Time Records". FIU Athletics. 2007-01-31. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
  10. ^ "Historical Results". Florida Gold Coast League. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  11. ^ "Callback". Sun Sentinel. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
  12. ^ "2007 FIU Men's Soccer Media Guide by Ivan Irizarry - Issuu". issuu.com. 2008-05-21.
  13. ^ "2007 FIU Men's Soccer Media Guide by Ivan Irizarry - Issuu". issuu.com. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  14. ^ "APSL 1993 Season". a-leaguearchive.tripod.com. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  15. ^ a b "CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship 2006 by Concacaf - Issuu". issuu.com. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  16. ^ "Callback". Sun Sentinel. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
  17. ^ https://www.pressreader.com/usa/sun-sentinel-broward-edition/20111211/286474320210938?srsltid=AfmBOoozhrvXoIoSh0YQSh6mb0usEcjqjIh9hIzr2okILZNSZL3cX4Zp – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
  19. ^ By (2011-11-06). "Getting their kicks in the sand". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  20. ^ By (2011-11-06). "Getting their kicks in the sand". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  21. ^ "NASSC | The World's Largest Sand Soccer Festival". North American Sand Soccer Championships | NASSC. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  22. ^ "Beach football team places third in T/dad Invitational tourney". Stabroek News. November 23, 2011.
  23. ^ "Top players for BagoSports beach tourney". Trinidad Express Newspapers. 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  24. ^ "Soccer Invades Clearwater Beach". Clearwater, FL Patch. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  25. ^ By (2011-11-06). "Getting their kicks in the sand". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
  26. ^ "US Open at NASSC: Celebrating 20 Years of Beach Soccer". North American Sand Soccer Championships | NASSC. Retrieved 2024-12-03.
  27. ^ "Photo gallery: North American Sand Soccer Championships 2012". SoccerWire. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  28. ^ "North American Sand Soccer Championships in Virginia Beach". News 3 WTKR Norfolk. 2013-06-13. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  29. ^ "Florida Beach Soccer competes in annual Beach Soccer tournament in Oceanside, CA | Soccer tournament, Soccer, Florida beaches". Pinterest. Retrieved 2025-01-03.
  30. ^ "Chris Antonopoulos Obituary (1968 - 2025) - Boynton Beach, FL - the Miami Herald". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
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