Washington Premier FC’s General Manager and Women’s Head Coach, Adam Becker took time away from his busy schedule to answer questions about, not only his squad, but the Men’s side as well. WPFC had formerly gone by South Sound Shock and is a founding member of their regional men’s league in Washington, the EPLWA – additionally, they helped to found the Northwest Premier League, a women’s regional league with sides in Washington as well as Oregon. Becker’s women’s team finished 2nd in 2016, before the playoff era of NWPL began and the men’s side, now led by club Technical Director Roy Lassiter of USMNT fame, had never finished outside the playoffs and has now won their league back-to-back-to-back.

Tell us about WPFC - when was the organization founded and what is the overall mission? When did you add a men's premier team to EPLWA and a women's team to NWPL?

The U23 program was founded in 2016/2017. Previously the men’s side competed in the EPLWA and the USASA U23 national tournament as South Sound FC. Our first year with Premier we were named the Washington Premier South Sound Shock, I know it’s a lot hence the simplification of the name to just Wpu23. In previous years it was only a men’s side but Premier was open and willing to add a women’s program into the newly formed NWPL.

Some clubs work with youth programs, and some work without; for Washington Premier FC, how do you incorporate players who have come up through the ranks to the EPLWA and NWPL level? Do you have to augment your elite rosters with collegiate players or local talent who might not have come through your academy?

At premier we use athletes from all aspects. We use current WP youth aging from 16yrs - 18yrs, collegiate athletes from all over and Wp alumni. You do not have to come through premier to play for this team. We’ve had athletes from all over the United States, Brazil, Australia and China.

Formerly South Sound FC, Washington Premier FC of regional league EPLWA has been seen as far south as Salem, OR for pre-season tournaments against NPSL and USL L-2 sides.

Working with college-level student athletes comes with obstacles, do any of your players get compensated for their play for your men's and women's sides? Do they have to pay for their own player cards and training equipment to avoid NCAA eligibility complications?

Whenever working with college athletes there are certain obstacles. As our preseason and season begins most D3-D1 schools are in their spring league. During that time players aren’t available to play for anyone other than school. As the season winds down depending where their college is located some athletes have to return early. So, you can imagine the complications that might arise with scheduling and team chemistry.

Have any of your women or men players moved into the pro ranks? Have any coaches, who might have started off as assistants or positional coaches, moved on to larger clubs?

The men’s side has been able to move guys onto the next level. The women’s side is still new to myself (only coaching for two seasons). But for the men:

Vince McClusky - Tacoma Stars Pro

Derek Johnson - Tacoma Stars Pro

Sam Sizette - Tacoma Stars Pro

Eddie Na - Tacoma Stars Pro

Mike Arguello - Tacoma Stars Pro

Kodi Lida - Canadian Premier League

HFX Wanderers FC

Getting guys to the pro level is always a positive, I believe the work we do with the youth to prepare for college is priceless. Several guys have been able to move from community college to D1 programs as well.

Washington Premier FC’s women have been competitive in the NWPL, finishing in playoff positions since the playoffs started.

It would seem that Washington Premier FC has a built-in support base, with the youth players being able to watch and support the EPLWA and NWPL squads - do you draw supporters from outside the organization? Are there fans coming through the gates; does WPFC need that revenue stream?

We have a good local community outside of the Premier “family”. The core of our men’s team plays for myself on the Tacoma Star Reserve team competing in the WISL so we draw fans from there. The core of the women’s team plays in local leagues and draws a great crowd. It’s not about revenue for home games, it’s about creating a fun, safe family environment where we play an exciting style.

Washington Premier FC’s men have three-peated as winners of the EPLWA title since 2017 (photo: Width Photography)

For more information about Washington Premier

For more information about EPLWA

For more information about NWPL

The Western Washington Premier League is headed into their second season in 2019. With this comes expansion and one of the teams joining the league is BeSea FC out of Bellevue, Washington. I had the chance to talk to the man who will be running the club, Eduardo Millán. As the head coach for both Highline High School and Bellevue College, Millán is already pulling double duty, but he is still excited for this new adventure. Check out my interview with him below!

Who’s idea was it to start the club?

Everything started with an email I received from the league a few months ago. The league was looking for teams to join their league and after giving it some thought, and discussing with my coaching staff and my family, I’ve decided to move forward with this idea.

What does BeSea mean?
The idea for BeSea FC came about after much thought, and many other names in between. I wanted a name that people could identify with, a name with personality and strength. What better than combining two of the biggest cities in the Northwest – Bellevue and Seattle? BeSea means to be powerful and fearless like the sea. To me it represents growth, evolution, dreams, competitiveness, all anchored down with deep rooted values and the highest standards possible.

When / How will you look for players?

The soccer community in the Northwest is well connected, and somehow we all know of each other. Our goal is to find collegiate players, alumni players, high school graduates, and anyone who is open to learn from one another and become a better soccer player and a better person. We are going to ask coaches to invite their players to our tryouts, we are going dive into social media (Facebook, and Twitter) looking for players, and obviously asking players to bring a friend or two to join the team – hopefully.

What made the club decide to join the WWPL?

The league seems to be very competitive and it has a good a vision of where it wants to go. In order to push our players and coaches to the next level, we need to compete with the best.

What will the club mean to the Bellevue community?

With time, we hope to be a well-known team in the area, not just because of the game itself, but also because of what we do off the field for our communities, for the youth and businesses in the area.

Do you guys plan to work with the community to help charities?

Absolutely! Our goal is to help and assist others whenever possible.

What is the best way for fans to get involved and/or following the club?

We are still working on the details for this. We need volunteers and people that want to see this project grow. We have many open opportunities for those great minds to come on board. We also hope to build strong partnerships with local businesses and companies that can help the project reach higher places.

What is BeSea FC’s main goal?

The goal is to provide players the opportunity to play soccer in a supportive and rewarding environment that emphasizes player development in a competitive way. We are an elite team looking for many talented players out there that go unseen, some may need a second opportunity; we want to expose as many of these players to colleges in the area or professional opportunities.

Do you already have an idea of how you guys want to play tactically?
We want to outnumber our opponent in key areas of the field, be able to move the ball with fluidity, and be efficient in the attack. All of these while giving the opposition the least amount of opportunities to score.

- Aarik Long