Chris Antonopoulos (soccer)

Chris "Antman" Antonopoulos

Personal information
Full name	Chris Charles Antonopoulos
Date of birth	December 17, 1968
Place of birth	Alexandria, Louisiana
Date of death	January 27, 2025 (aged 56)
Place of death	Miami, Florida
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper | Head Coach
Youth career
1982-1986	Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School
College career
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1987-1990	Florida International University	44 (36 starts)	(132 saves)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990-1992	Hollywood Kickers
1993	Fort Lauderdale Strikers	2 (1 start)
1994-2001	Socker Locker
2005-2006	Team RIO
2009-2010	Florida Beach Soccer FC
International career
2002-2006	U.S. Beach National Team
Managerial career
2006	Assistant Coach — U.S. Beach National Team
2011-2014	Head Coach — 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, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, and the U.S. Men's National Beach Soccer Team. He later coached Florida Beach Soccer FC, leading them to multiple national championships.

Early life

Chris Antonopoulos was born on December 17th, 1968, in Alexandria, Louisiana, and raised in Miami, Florida.

Youth and collegiate career

He attended Miami Curley High School, where he was the goalkeeper. In 1986, his senior year, he recorded 14 shutouts in 19 games, was named the Miami News High School Player of the Year, led Curley to the Florida Class 3A semi-finals in the playoffs, and played in the Dade-Broward All-Star Game.

Chris Antonopoulos continued at Florida International University (FIU) as the goalkeeper from 1987 to 1990, appearing in 44 matches with 36 starts in goal. He 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. He received a B.A. in Hospitality Management in 1990.

Club career

After college, Antonopoulos played soccer with the Hollywood Kickers in the Gold Coast Soccer League during the early 1990s. In 1992, he served as goalkeeper for the Kickers during their playoff run, reaching the semifinals before losing 3-1 to a Miami-based team.

Professional soccer career

In 1993, he turned professional with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL), signing as a backup goalkeeper to starter Jorge Valenzuela. Antonopoulos made his professional debut on June 5, 1993, against the Colorado Foxes at Lockhart Stadium, playing 51 minutes in relief and conceding one goal in a 2-1 loss. He earned his only start on August 29, 1993, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, allowing six goals in a 6-2 defeat. Across these two appearances, he played a total of 141 minutes and conceded seven goals.

International beach soccer career

Chris Antonopoulos pictured (top-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 an assistant coach. He participated in multiple international tournaments during his tenure, including appearances at the Mundialito de Futebol de Praia in Portugal. In 2006, Antonopoulos was a goalkeeper on 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.

Beach soccer career

Team RIO

During the same period as his national team stint, Antonopoulos also played for Team RIO as their goalkeeper, a beach soccer team that won back-to-back championships at the North American Sand Soccer Championships (NASSC) in 2005 and 2006. He played alongside several U.S. Beach Soccer National Team teammates, including Francis Farberoff.

Florida Beach Soccer FC

In 2010, Antonopoulos returned to competitive play as the goalkeeper for Florida Beach Soccer FC, a professional beach soccer team he would later coach. That year, he helped lead the team to a championship victory at the Clearwater Beach Soccer Tournament, part of the Major Beach Soccer National Championship Series sponsored by the United Soccer League. Florida Beach Soccer FC also placed third at the 2010 COOP U.S. Open at the NASSC.

In 2013, Antonopoulos played one period as a guest goalkeeper for a U.S. alumni team in a pro-am exhibition match against the Brazilian Legends at the NASSC in Virginia Beach, which ended in a 4-4 tie.

Coaching career

U.S. Nationals Team

Antonopoulos' coaching experience also includes serving as an assistant coach for the United States Men's National Beach Soccer Team in 2006. In this role, he contributed to the team's victory at the inaugural CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship in 2006, earning their first title and securing qualification for the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Florida Beach Soccer FC

After suffering knee and shoulder injuries, Antonopoulos transitioned to coaching in 2011, becoming the head coach and general manager of Florida Beach Soccer FC, a team he had helped found in 2010. The team featured U.S. Beach Soccer National Team players, including Benyam Astorga, Oscar Gil, and Francis Farberoff, among others.

Under Antonopoulos’ leadership, Florida Beach Soccer FC competed in national and international tournaments. The team won the U.S. Open Beach Soccer Championship at the North American Sand Soccer Championship (NASSC) in back-to-back titles 2011 and 2012, and finishing as runners-up in 2013. In 2011, the team also won the BagoSports Beach Football Invitational in Trinidad and Tobago, securing the Caribbean Championship with an undefeated record.

In 2011, he coached the team to another victory in the Major Beach Soccer National Championship Series sponsored by the United Soccer League. In 2013, he coached the team at the Beach Soccer Championships in Oceanside, California, where they competed against the U.S. National team.

Personal life and legacy

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

The NASSC referred to him as one of beach soccer's “OGs,” acknowledging his early contributions to its growth in the United States.

In a statement, Francis Farberoff, a former teammate from the U.S. National Men’s Beach Soccer Team and later coach of both the U.S. and Bahama's Men’s National Teams, commented on Antonopoulos’s contributions. Farberoff noted that Antonopoulos was a committed presence during their time together, emphasizing his intensity in matches and training, as well as his role in motivating teammates. He described their shared experiences as memorable, highlighting Antonopoulos’s lasting impression on those he played with.

Chris Antonopoulos was married to Michele Antonopoulos in November 1998 and together they had four children. Brandon, Jacob, Ryan, and Tiffany. He passed away in Miami in January 2025.