of Wisconsin. On September 27, 2018, Daryl Shore was announced as the first head coach of Madison. He will also serve as the technical director of the team. Shore had previously worked in various roles at Chicago Fire with Peter Wilt, and served as the interim coach of Real Salt Lake in 2017. In September 2018, Don Smart was the team's first player signing, which was announced on October 24. On December 7, 2018, the club announced a one-year affiliation agreement with Minnesota United FC of Major League Soccer. Following the club's inaugural season, Peter Wilt left to take a position with the league, developing supporters groups and assisting teams with their fan engagement. On March 5, 2020, the Forward Madison FC announced a one-year affiliation agreement with the Chicago Fire FC of Major League Soccer. On December 1, 2020, Carl Craig was announced as the head coach and technical director. Craig had previously served as the head coach of NASL club Minnesota United. Following a 9th place finish in 2021, Craig was dismissed. Leading up to the 2022 season, Matt Glaeser was hired as head coach and technical director. In an email to season ticket holders before the final game of the 2022 season, COO Conor Caloia confirmed that Glaeser would return for the 2023 season. Social media presence The team started receiving national attention in January 2019, during the polar vortex, when the social media intern tweeted a photo of a plastic flamingo stuck in the snow accumulating on the field. Within a few days, the snow became deep enough to cover the entire flamingo. This second tweet went viral, ending up with over 22 thousand likes, and 7.8 thousand retweets. "Full mingo" has become a catchphrase for the team. Forward Madison has continued to have a strong digital media presence, which the club uses to promote itself to fans outside of the Madison area, billing itself as "the world's second favorite team". Mascot On May 4, 2019, Forward Madison unveiled its dairy cow mascot, named "Lionela Bessi" following a fan vote. Bessi was brought back for the club's second season. When Lionela had a calf, the club adopted her as a mascot as well, and had another fan vote, ending up with the name "Rose Cowbelle," after the University of Wisconsin alumna and pro player Rose Lavelle. Stadium The team plays their matches at Breese Stevens Field