Chris C. Antonopoulos (December 17, 1968 â January 27, 2025) was an American soccer goalkeeper and coach. He played collegiate soccer for Florida International University, spent one season with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the American Professional Soccer League, and later represented the United States Men's National Beach Soccer Team. He coached at the high-school and national levels and served as head coach of Florida Beach Soccer FC.
Chris Antonopoulos was born on December 17, 1968, in Alexandria, Louisiana, and raised in Miami, Florida.
He began playing outdoor soccer at age six at the Miami Shores Community Center. At age 11, Antonopoulos joined an indoor soccer league at the Miami Beach Youth Center, where he tended goal for F.C. Bayern. Despite being only 4 feet 10 inches tall and the youngest player in the league, he competed against opponents aged up to 16âÂÂ18.
League coordinator Richard Williams, described Antonopoulos as the second-best goalkeeper in the league despite his team's weaker defense. Williams noted that Antonopoulos had never played indoor soccer before but quickly improved.
He attended Archbishop Curley-Notre Dame High School from 1982 to 1986, where he was the starting goalkeeper.
During his sophomore year in 1984, Antonopoulos helped Curley High School in goal reach the Florida Class 3A state championship game, where they finished as runners-up after losing 2âÂÂ3 to Tarpon Springs. In 1985, his junior year, Antonopoulos made 15 saves in a 1âÂÂ0 shutout victory over Country Day in the District 15 AAA-AA-A title game. The team advanced beyond the district level but was eliminated in the sectional playoffs, losing 1âÂÂ3 to South Plantation.
In his senior year in 1986, he recorded 14 shutouts in 19 games, he led the team in goal to the Florida Class 3A playoffs by winning their district championship. The team advanced to the sectional playoffs, defeating Ransom-Everglades in the semifinal before falling to St. Thomas Aquinas in the Section 4 championship game.
Antonopoulos earned multiple honors in his senior year, including Miami News High School Player of the Year, selection to the Florida Super Select 11 squad, the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) All-State Team, Miami Herald Dade County Player of the Year, played in the Dade-Broward All-Star Game, and received two All-Dade team selections in 1985 and 1986.
Coach Karl Kremser regarded Antonopoulos as among the top high school goalkeepers in the nation at the time. He was recruited by 20 colleges (including American University, South Florida, and Old Dominion) but chose FIU where he received a full scholarship.
In 1984, during his sophomore year at Curley, Antonopoulos was chosen as the goalkeeper for the United States boys under-16 soccer team at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Jacksonville, Florida, where he played alongside his Curley teammates Kieran Clarke and Alfred Avila. He helped the Florida Gold team win the gold medal in a shutout 2âÂÂ0 championship victory.
Antonopoulos continued at Florida International University (FIU) as the goalkeeper from 1987 to 1990 (he tore ligaments in his knee on May 25, 1986, the day after graduating from high school and was redshirted during his freshman year at FIU in 1986). He appeared in 44 matches with 36 starts in goal during his 4 years there. 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.
During his time at FIU, in 1989 he was named Defensive MVP of the Viderson Vital Benefit Tournament, after helping lead FIU to a 2âÂÂ1 victory in the championship match.
He received a B.A. in Hospitality Management in 1990.
Hollywood Kickers
After college, Antonopoulos was a goalkeeper with the Hollywood Kickers a Division 1 team in the Gold Coast Soccer League (GCSL) during the early 1990s. In 1990, he served as goalkeeper for the Kickers during their playoff run in the Florida State Soccer Association's Men's Amateur State Cup at Dowdy Field, reaching the semifinals.
Miami Soccer Locker
Antonopoulos played for Miami Soccer Locker in the Dade County League during the late 1980s and the 1990s. The team competed in Division I. He participated in the Copa Latina '96, an amateur competition sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation. The team, coached by Bobby Pinto, secured third place after losing to IBC Courier in the semifinals and defeating Olimpia in the third-place match.
In 1993, he turned professional with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL), signing a one-year deal. Antonopoulos made his professional debut on June 18, 1993, against the Montreal Impact at Lockhart Stadium, playing in relief and conceding one goal in a 2âÂÂ1 loss. He earned his only start on August 29, 1993, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, allowing six goals in a 6âÂÂ2 defeat. Across these two appearances, he played a total of 141 minutes and conceded seven goals.
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 2005, he contributed to the team's third-place finish at the inaugural CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Championship held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the United States defeated Argentina in the bronze medal match; this result qualified the U.S. as the top North American team for the 2005 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Brazil.
The team received gold in 2006 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship in Puntarenas, Costa Rica defeating Canada in the final to claim their first-ever CONCACAF title, earning qualification for the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Team RIO
Antonopoulos served as the goalkeeper for Team Rio, which won the North American Sand Soccer Championships (NASSC) in 2005.
Florida Beach Soccer FC
In 2010, Antonopoulos co-founded Florida Beach Soccer FC, a Florida-based beach soccer team formed with several members of the U.S. beach soccer program, and served as its general manager. During the teamâÂÂs inaugural period, he served as its goalkeeper.
The team finished third at the U.S. Open at the North American Sand Soccer Championships in 2010. That same year, the team saw victory at the at the Major Beach Soccer National Championship held in Clearwater Beach, Florida.
After his playing career at FIU, Antonopoulos served as the head coach of the boys' varsity soccer team at Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School in Miami, Florida, his alma mater. In 1992, during his tenure, the team qualified for the FHSAA Class 2A regional playoffs but was eliminated in the regional round with a 1âÂÂ2 overtime loss to Gulliver Prep. The following year, 1993, the team compiled a 14âÂÂ7âÂÂ1 record and qualified for the district playoffs, with two players, including his younger brother Todd Antonopoulos, selected to the Class 3AâÂÂ2AâÂÂ1A First Team All-State.
Antonopoulos' coaching experience also includes serving as an assistant coach for the United States Men's National Beach Soccer Team in 2005 and 2006. In this role, he contributed to the team's victory at the with third place at the 2005 and first place at the 2006 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, earning their first title and securing qualification for the 2005 and 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
After sustaining knee and shoulder injuries, Antonopoulos became head coach of Florida Beach Soccer FC in 2011.
In 2011, Florida Beach Soccer FC won the North American Sand Soccer Championship (NASSC) U.S. Open, the BagoSports Beach Football Invitational in Trinidad and Tobago (with a 5âÂÂ3 win over Stokely Vale FC in the final), and the Major Beach Soccer National Championship at Clearwater Beach (1âÂÂ0 over Team Spartan). The team also participated in the Beach Soccer Championships in Oceanside, California, finishing third in the Pro Bracket with a group-stage win over eventual champions San Diego Sockers (4âÂÂ3), a semi-final loss to the US Beach Soccer National Team (4âÂÂ6), and a consolation victory over Nacional da Madeira (10âÂÂ3). The team won the NASSC U.S. Open again in 2012 (with a 3âÂÂ2 win over Deerfield Beach FC). In 2013, they reached the NASSC final but lost 2âÂÂ3 to HRSC Elite.
After retiring from professional beach soccer, Antonopoulos returned to his passion for the sport by coaching youth soccer through various organizations.
Antonopoulos was known to friends by the nickname "AntMan".
Antonopoulos married his wife in November 1998 and together they had four children. He died in Miami in January 2025.
In a statement on his death, Francis Farberoff, a former teammate from the U.S. National MenâÂÂs Beach Soccer Team and later coach of both the U.S. and Bahama's MenâÂÂs National Teams, commented on AntonopoulosâÂÂs contributions to the sport. 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 AntonopoulosâÂÂs lasting impression on those he played with.
The NASSC referred to him as one of beach soccer's âÂÂOGs,â acknowledging his early contributions to its growth in the United States.
Archbishop Curley High School
Youth national team
Miami Soccer Locker
Team Rio
Florida Beach Soccer FC
National team (beach soccer)
Individual
Records
Florida Beach Soccer FC