Spotlight: Fall River Marksmen

So who are you and what's your soccer story?

Currently I am Andre' P. Ruette, the owner & President of the Fall River Marksmen FC, and along with three other great people, we run the newly revived club.

Soccer or as I know the sport, football, has been apart of my life since I was born thanks to my father, a London born Arsenal season ticket holder. I played the game from a very, very early age up into my late teens when my other love, ice hockey took over my athletic duties. I moved to Ontario to try and become a professional hockey player at 17, an experience that helped me to understand how the professional side of sports work. In my late twenties, I found myself still thoroughly engaged and obsessed with football and was yearning to get involved with the sport in an operational or managerial aspect. At the time I was living in South Carolina and was lucky enough to become very friendly with the staff and owners of the Charleston Battery. It was through my experiences with them that I came up with a plan to create my own club and try to build something that would stand out, even then in the early 00's it was obvious the way our club/league system was being run was less then efficient and still mirroring the many issues that plagued the decades previous. I wound up moving out of South Carolina to South Florida to begin my plans for a club team when I managed by chance to bump into former MLS player Sneaky Pete Marino. We wound up becoming friends and partners in what would turn out to be a plan to run a club team (Treasure Coast Galleons), academy and our own semi-pro league. The league, Florida Elite Soccer League, grew in five years from five regional teams to twelve clubs based across the state. We also managed to host a few international friendly matches, including playing against Haiti & Bahama Natl teams, along with moving players into the professional world. There weren't many regional leagues like ours at the time and it brought about a good amount of resistance from teams and leagues that laid outside of our own, a definite eye opening experience in just how dysfunctional the inner workings of the domestic game was. My career outside of soccer eventually got the best of me though and we closed our league as my non-soccer career required my complete attention. I'm now back involved with the game due in part to seeing the domestic game continue to suffer from the same mistakes from decades past. I love this game too dearly to sit idly by and watch it continue to squander players and fans alike. Thankfully through my previous experiences I know you don't have to begrudgingly confide yourself within the accepted norm of US club soccer and with the Marksmen, I hope to show that.

Why rebuilding a brand instead of just doing something new?

To me the choice to bring back the Marksmen was an all too obvious one as opposed to being just another new club on the block. I was shocked when I found out that no one owned the name or the rights to the team and when I saw I could bring this beautiful story back to life and create more chapters in their history, I was sold instantly. I don't want to rely on the history of the club as our means to operate but being able to reignite the potential that lies within the city of Fall River & the South Coast is a challenge I couldn't not accept. The past is also not just a reminder of what was but also a reminder to myself that this club can't be average and that goes with the efforts and visions of those of who run the club, we have to push ourselves to be the best in everything we do so that we can rightfully call ourselves the Marksmen as well as standing as a reminder to the people of Fall River that our community still holds the power to be the best in the nation in all things we aspire to do.

Fall River has a history unmatched in American soccer, can you talk about that history and what stands out to you?

The history and accomplishments of this club still to this day allow it to remain as one of the greatest clubs in American history. It's crazy that in all this time, possibly only the Cosmos could triumph what the Marksmen managed to do. To me personally, what also makes so many of the accomplishments even sweeter was that it was done with a nice amount of players who were from the city with some even permanently resting within the city as well as having living relatives who still call Fall River home, a beautiful circle of life if you will.

Growing up in Northern New Jersey, our historical side of club soccer is also pretty hefty and for all of the amazing teams and players that were pumped out of North Jersey, there was always Fall River sitting right there with equal claims of fame and fortune, I always found that forever intriguing. Adding to my own intrigue of the Marksmen and the city of Fall River was I found myself visiting the city somewhat often due to family members who lived near by. If you appreciate history, you can't help but fall in love with a city like Fall River and the South Coast region. You can just feel the soul of the past still moving through the streets, the large brick and stone factories littered throughout the community along with so many other beautiful architectural offerings from yesteryear, it's a wonderful reminder of the potential that lies within the city.

How do you plan to connect the history to the current club?

We have a few exciting aspects that I can touch on at the moment, one them being is that we've managed to contact a few relatives of the former Marksmen and we hope to in the very least to bring them out for a match to honor their family members legacy's.

We're also we're working on announcing a club historian in the near future. It's our hope that the historian will act as an ambassador, educator and liaison to the clubs storied history & accomplishments of the past.

We have a few other items that will require some time to put into play but with a little luck and some patience we hope to announce a few other items by the end of the year, 2020, which we think would tie in nicely to the Marksmen of the past. The Marksmen used to host numerous high level friendly matches as well as their tour of Europe in 1930. We're in the midst of initial talks with a few overseas clubs with the hopes of putting together a tour as well as hosting a team or two in the coming year or so. I'm also looking into getting a store front in Fall River or at the site of the original Marks Stadium. This store front would act as a club shop and community gathering spot but the long term goal would be to turn it completely into a museum for soccer. The depth of the footballing history of Fall River & New England is so deep and so important, that I really want to not only help display & educate the public but turn this museum into a destination for people outside of the area to visit. I want our club to bring people to our community and shine some light on what Fall River stands for and what it can offer to the public. This all sounds nice and I'm hopeful to make this happen but I also know that we can't put the proverbial cart before the horse, so with fingers crossed, I hope to make some of the previously mentioned aspects come to fruition over the course of the next few years, if not sooner if the stars all align for us.

I'm also asked about Marks Stadium during these type of conversations (connecting the past)... all I can say at this time, is that we're talking with the land owners. If I could do only one thing that honors the past, having our season's played out on the original site would probably be my #1 choice.... don't hold your breath on this one but I can say talks have happened and I hope something positive comes out of these discussions.

You went with Icarus for your kit designs, can you talk about those and how you chose the style you did?

I'm a kit nerd myself, I probably have over 100 jerseys from across the world, so the creation of our kits really, really means a lot to me. I must of gone over the details of our home kit with Robert from Icarus over a thousand times, he's got a heart of gold and the patience of a monk. Given the club's history, it was only right that we unveiled a home kit that honored the past and wasn't just another kit picked from a catalog and Icarus enabled us to provide what I think is great looking original kit. The red and white hoops are a great classic look that really stands out and the draw string collars are great touch that pulls in the look of the past. I could be wrong but I believe we're the only domestic club who offers a draw string collar top, I think that alone would make Sam Mark smile, a man known for always looking for an angle to be best or standout among the others. I also opted to not place a sponsor on our kits to ensure it held that vintage feeling to it but added some patches on each sleeve and on the back to give it a piece of modern flair as well.

Our away kits, we'll be releasing those extremely soon. I wanted a modern look for away kit that drew attention to the power and respect that lays within the city of Fall River. There's a subtle brick design that is over the entire top and shorts, these symbolize the many factories that line our town as well as the tough resilience of the community, past & present. The red slash going through our top represents that we can't be divided and the slash moving in nontraditional style from the right to the left was done to ensure the club crest stands alone. These kits will also not have a sponsor on the front to ensure both our kits have a traditional look and honor our past. I'm really excited for these kits to drop, I think they are going to really turn some heads. As a kit nerd, to be able to produce two kits you designed is a pretty special feeling. All in all, Robert w/Icarus was an absolute dream to work with, from all angles, he brought our visions to life and the quality of the kits are simply amazing as well, you're honestly taking the foolish route if you're not getting yourself a proper kit from Icarus.

Where is the club at currently in the process of rebuilding?

We are getting ourselves ready to play league football this up and coming spring, 2020. We held tryouts in the middle of the summer to find ourselves a base of players to work with, along with the hopes of not disrupting the rosters of any of the other regional teams. We've played a few friendly matches so far and have a few others lined up for the fall and early spring. Some of our players are now currently playing college soccer and the remaining group of our players are playing two to three times per week in a local 7v7 indoor league. We believe that playing week in and out is going to really help everyone get comfortable with each other and give us an extra boost to our maiden voyage into league football come spring time.

We're also still exploring our possibilities for a home pitch and hope to have an announcement in the winter time as to where we will call home. We want to play in Fall River but the lack of playing fields as well as the club's history of calling Tiverton, Rhode Island home, has us exploring a few options. We also may play a match or two in Providence as we're looking to host a friendly match or two that may require a seating capacity more geared for a large stadium.

Lastly, I've been very fortunate with having some really positive discussions w/clubs outside of America. I want our club to have affiliations based across the globe so that we can offer our players a literal path to world of professional football, as well as one day bringing in players from these respective affiliates. Not only do I want our players to have the chance to play the game at the highest levels but also learn the game as well. Not enough clubs offer their players a chance to a have an actual life in football and I want to ensure ours is one of those clubs. The reality of the matter is that most players probably won't earn a large pay check to play football week in and out & have a playing career that will set themselves up for life...but many, many players can remain involved with the game at a coaching or front office position and this is something we want to help our players with. I want our affiliates to not only offer the chance of playing time but also offering a path into the business side of football, an aspect that if taken seriously, can become a lifetime career in the sport we love. I want our players who love this sport and are seeking a life in it to have the opportunities to stay within the sport, so I want to ensure our guys are leaving prepared to take on the footballing world, no matter what side of the touchline they are on.

What league will the club play in?

This aspect of our operations is very exciting but also very serious for ourselves. We will be the first club to openly take on promotion and relegation in America. We will look to start at the bottom of the American pyramid and work our way up via sporting merit. I'm unequivocally against the current structure of US club soccer and will look to use our club's journey up & down the ladder using FIFA's accepted policy (Article 9) of sporting merit to determine promotion & relegation. The process as it stands now with most domestic lower leagues would allow for us to move and up, albeit with a lot of legalese and money involved but we believe starting off the right way will allow us to grow the club responsibly... we also believe that Sam Mark our founder, an always vocal advocate for fair treatment by the leagues, would approve of us taking this route and helping to bring to light the issues that lay within U.S. club soccer. We'll be bringing this side of the club to the forefront very soon and we look forward to helping liberate US club soccer from the perennial pitfalls that have laid within it for far, far too long.

I've spoken with a few leagues in regards to the Marksmen joining them, including one or two new regional leagues which are set to take off in 2020 (not NISA). I'm pleased to say that a few of the leagues have been receptive to our approach and we're not closing any doors just yet but there is one league and path for the club that seems to fit our blue prints pretty well and I look forward to announcing our official league affiliation in the coming month or two.

Anything else we should know about the club?

Here's your fair warning .... the American Menace is back.

Fredericksburg City United

Fredericksburg City United, a not so new team making new noises. They are set to take part in the Commonwealth Soccer League this fall season. They are returning to the league for the first time since 2015. The club founder, Claude Masheshe, took some time to speak with us about the current state of the club and the future they have planned.  - Geovanny

Tell us about your background in the sport?

My name is Claude Maheshe. I was born in the DR Congo; came to the United States 10 years ago at the age of 18. I attended college at the University of George Mason and graduated with a bachelor’s in information systems. My background with soccer started since I was a little boy. For my friends and I soccer was a way for us to enjoy life and forget about the trials of life in Africa. At the age of 16, I started coaching a group of teenagers my age in the town where I lived.

Tell about who you are and what you do for the club?

As the founder and president of FCU. I manage, provide and recruit players for the club. 

How was this club founded?

FCU was founded in 2014. At first, we were a small group of people who organized pickup games. With some help from a few friends we saw a future for not us, but the next generation. I then started to organize and look for a way to make us an official team. 

Where have you been playing before the commonwealth soccer league?

Before the Commonwealth Soccer League, FCU played friendlies and helped in organizing a summer tournament to provide students with a place to play and stay in shape.  

What could you tell us about the CSL? How is the competition?

Back in 2015 we joined CSL but with financial difficulties and lack of players we were unable to continue. We weren’t in the league long enough to scout the competition. 

Where did most of your players play before?

Most of my players played and still play in high school, college, and travel teams around the area. 

Have you guys played together before hand?

A lot of us have never once played together but with practice and dedication we have come to have great chemistry.

What is the target or goal for the fall season? What about after this fall season?

FCU is going to be joining CSL for the Fall season and play hard in hopes of winning the league. After the fall season we plan to put our time into practicing and developing our game in order to reach the next level. This will help us in getting ready for the Spring season.

Beside a first team, do you have a youth team or teams, or perhaps a women’s side?

Now we have one men’s team, but in the future, I hope to expand and build more teams for women and kids alike.

You guys are known to host an 8v8 tournament. How has this helped your club? Has it been successful?

The 8v8 tournament was very successful. It helped bring many new dedicated and competitive players to the club. This helped push and motivate the players already playing for FCU.

Is there anything that you want people to know about your club that we haven’t covered?

Mission: To create a community where every individual is free to express their uniqueness and bring their dreams to life through playing soccer.  

Vision: To unite and empower the Fredericksburg community and its surrounding areas, FCU is excited and looking forward to reshaping the lives of many young individuals through coaching and positive association. FCU is determined to utilize soccer to challenge the idea of what it means to be an all-around athlete.   

Values: Friendship, Dream, Opportunity, Community.  

Any last comments, remakes, or quotes you would like to public to read?

Most of FCU players are student who are not as financially advanced in order to help in supporting the club. Right now, FCU is looking for any sponsors who would like to support FCU’s mission in helping reach their goals. 

- Geovanny Monterroso

Northshore United

So who are you and what's your personal background in soccer?

My name is Robbie McCray and I am the owner/general manager of Northshore United. I started playing soccer at U8 when some friends from my school basketball team invited me to play club. I've been involved with soccer in some form for the last 30 years.

How did you get involved with Northshore United?

I created United with the idea of having friends to stay fit over the summer between club/school seasons. The secondary reason was that no outlet existed for players who wanted to continue playing competitive soccer within our area after their youth club career concluded. I heard about it all the time from players and parents so I decided to do something about it.

Last season your club finished runner up, losing narrowly in the final, can you talk about the success last year?

We saw more success from year 2 to year 3 and most of the success came from better organization. Mostly on my part of controlling what I could control and also getting the right people in the right positions to manage the team better.

How can the club go further next year?

We have a lot of options in front of us at the moment to bring about changes to our club. My goal is to not make any negative steps. We hope that any moves, even laterally, will be positive. The club will evolve naturally move forward either way.

Two of your players made the Best 11 for the league last season, can you talk about these players and what makes them special?

Mason Robicheaux and Zac Breaux come to mind first. Maybe it's because both made the GCPL Top XI, but that's something we saw every day and it was no surprise they received league recognition. Mason had growth in both mind and body following his first year at Appalachian State. He came back a completely different player, but was still just a great, openly honest player. I felt he made the difference in several games. The coaching staff felt he listened and responded to everything they suggested to him.

Zac Breaux was the first player that I called to invite him to play without ever meeting him or seeing him play. After a good conversation over the phone I knew he would fit right in with the other guys. Zac gave us many game-winning goals and always energized at practice and games. He, like Mason, are the beating heart of the team. The team is better with when both guys are involved.

What about Covington generates this type of talent?

I don't think it's any one thing. I think it's probably a mixture of good family environments and quality youth club coaching that sets the Northshore apart. We had several players willing to travel two plus hours three times a week for training and games because they wanted to be apart of what we're doing.

Can you talk about the history of the club?

We're still a young club so there's not much history to share. We have made progress in our short existence in the in making playoffs and the GCLP final as well as the creation over our United Academy program. The idea of United Academy was that we would integrate younger players into first team sessions. You may see a match up of a high school sophomore against a college sophomore. The experience for the younger player is valuable to his growth.

I recently heard a story from one of our UA parents telling me about his sons first training session with our Academy team. The player was a high school sophomore goalkeeper at the time and there was a play in the box which seemed routine for him so he jogged over to scoop up the ball. He was then bested by striker who he didn't think could cover the ground. The striker took the ball from him and finished with a simple open net goal. The more experienced striker give the young keeper a pat on the back and told him to get used to the speed. During the next water break, the two spoke again and the striker continued to offer encouragement to the younger player to always be aware and keep his head in the game. An experience for the young guy that he'll never forget which was due to our choice to challenge young players. One of many opportunities for growth that may not have occurred if not for our club.

How would you describe the GCPL to those not familiar with your league? Who are your biggest rivals?

The GCPL is a hyperlocal/regional league which focuses on young, talented players. The better talent seen in the GCPL is equal to if not better than the supposed more elite national leagues. No rivals yet. I've heard some teams dislike playing us. Take-a-number I guess.

Anything else we should know about Northshore United?

We want to continue to grow and find success in what we're doing regardless of the league we're playing in. We will continue to focus of training and push for growth in knowledge of the game. That will always be our number one goal.

Federal City Wanderers

We spoke with Amit Singh, manager and captain of the club, to find more about Federal City Wanderers. This club is the reigning DC Premier League champs and this year’s only Open Division team from D.C. in the U.S. Open Cup.

What’s your background in soccer?

I started playing soccer when I was 5 years old right here in the nation's capital. I remember my very first game like it was yesterday. I consistently ran away from the ball, and my only contribution to the game was protecting my face from a throw-in with both my hands. For some reason, after that game, I really wanted to learn to play soccer and don't exactly remember when I made the transition from running away from the ball to scoring goals, but it happened at some point. My parents were very supportive of me wanting to play, and that gave me the passion for the game that I still hold today.

Fast-forward to high school, I co-captained the School Without Walls HS soccer team for my junior and senior years with Oliver Samuel-Jakubos, a current fellow Federal City Wanderer teammate. It's a fairly small school, so we both started all 4 years for our varsity team and had a total blast playing together.

At Carleton College, I tried out for the school team and didn't make it my freshman year. The team was full of fantastic players, some of whom are now teammates of mine funnily enough, and I was this skinny kid with quick feet but only moderate endurance, so it wasn't too surprising that I didn't make the cut. I played pickup and intramural soccer for the rest of the year, but that ultimately wasn't enough. My sophomore year (2010), a friend of mine and I decided to create a club soccer team there, and it absolutely took off. Today, the club has around 35 members and it is an incredibly well-run and tight-knit group of kids. I am filled with tons of joy whenever I think about that.

Talk a bit about Federal City Wanderers. Club history, your league, etc.

Federal City Wanderers was originally World Bank/City FC, a WPL [editor: Washington Premier League] team formed back in 2008. There was a very strong core of players on that team, but as that core got older, more and more people left and finding quality replacements was difficult. I took over managerial duties, with help from Ben Mingo, a current team member and assistant manager, for the team in the spring of 2016 and had to do a complete rebuild, with only Ben, Spencer Gottlieb and myself as the surviving members of that team. We struggled to find quality players. Sometimes, it would even be tough to field 11 players (games on Sunday nights in VA [editor: DC’s Northern Virginia suburbs] were a tough sell).

Thankfully, District Sports formed a men's league called District Sports Premier (now called DC Premier League), a league that has high ambitions for itself as a premier soccer league in the DMV area. Having grown up in DC and playing a lot of District Sports post-college, I knew plenty of players that were interested in playing Sunday afternoons in DC vs Sunday nights in VA. The decision to switch was easy, and from there, the quality of our team skyrocketed to where it is today. The team name "Federal City Wanderers" was inspired as a result of our move from the WPL to District Sports Premier, the idea being we go around the DMV area playing and winning games.

The core of the team is the team itself. We have a very tight-knit group of committed players that are fantastic on the field, and are friends off the field. To quote Jackie Moon from Semi-Pro, "everybody love everybody". That is what makes our team as good as it currently is.

What are some short term and long term goals for the club?

The short term goal, of course, is to win as many games and championships as possible. The long term goals are to develop the club in a positive and fun way while also consistently improving on the field. The ultimate dream would be to become so good that we advance all the way to the US Open Cup and have Federal City Wanderers play an MLS team, like Christos FC did when they played DC United.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a club and as owner/operator of the club?

Honestly, the biggest challenge is keeping everyone happy, which I think we do a good job of. Every single player on our roster is a really good player, and they all deserve to play more than they do. I am extremely blessed to be able to play with a group of guys that have all bought into the idea of team success above individual success. They're willing to take subs even when they can easily keep playing just to give some playing time to a fellow teammate. While there is competition within the squad, we all push each other to become better players while also keeping an incredibly positive environment. Without this balance, we don't win the league last season, and I wouldn't be chatting with you guys right now.

Is there a player on your squad we should be on the lookout for?

We have fantastic players all over the field, each as important as the player to his left and right. Look out for any player in a Federal City Wanderers shirt.

Is there anything else you'd like to share about the club?

Just that, once again, we're excited about being DC's representative for US Open Cup qualifying, and we look forward to round 2 on October 20th! [Editor: Federal City has received a bye in the First Qualifying Round of the 2020 U.S. Open Cup.]

Vancouver TSS Rovers

While we’ve covered men’s programs here, and women’s programs there, we’ve yet to get a two-for-one in a Spotlight; well, wait no longer. Protagonist has reached out to our Canadian friends in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the TSS Rovers organization to tell us a little bit about both their top women’s and men’s sides. Brendan Quarry, TSS Academy co-owner and Girls’ programs technical director, answered the email and sent in a few photos for us to see what they’re up to, up there.

Tell us about TSS Rovers - what does it stand for? What's your organizational mission? When were you founded and when did you add your top men's and women's teams?

TSS Academy has been around since 1997. We are the most established soccer academy in the province of British Columbia. In addition to providing supplemental training in our indoor soccer facility, we also run a soccer club called TSS FC, which started in 2011. We have girls’ and boys’ teams ranging from U11-U18. As an evolution of TSS FC, we wanted to have a level of adult soccer to which our youth players could aspire. That's what started the TSS Rovers. We purchased a PDL franchise from the Washington Crossfire back in late 2016 and fielded our first Rovers men's team in the spring of 2017. A year later, we decided to do the same on the female side and purchased a WPSL franchise for the spring of 2018.

TSS Rovers Men’s program competes in USL League 2 against some of the most competitive lower divisions sides in the region.

How many of your youth players transition to the top squads? Are you dependent on that development funnel or do you bring in polished men and women players from outside the program to fill out your rosters?

In our first year of the PDL, we weren't able to transition any youth players since our oldest boys’ team at the time was U15. But in our 2019 season, we were able to field 3 of our youth players ranging from 15-16 years old. Obviously, they weren't starting players at that age but they were able to get invaluable experience training with the men's teams and getting some playing time minutes. In fact, our 3 youth players received 450 minutes of playing time last season. In the coming years, we plan to field more and more male players from our youth system as our oldest boys are now at the U18 age.

On the female side, we could field many more players who originated from our youth system since that part of our program has been fielding U18 players for the last 8 years. As a result, our 2019 Rovers WPSL squad had 11 of the 20 players come from our youth system ranging in age from 17 to 25 years old.

Did TSS Rovers see an increase in attendance during this World Cup year? Do you have a group of supporters outside of the natural interest from within the club?

We wish that could have been the case but no, we did not see an increase. There's a real challenge in our soccer community to get people interested in supporting soccer beyond the immediate interests of their own child's participation.

We do have a supporters group called the "Swangardians" in reference to Swangard stadium out of which the Rovers play. These supporters use to attend Whitecaps games when they played out of Swangard stadium before they joined the MLS. When these supporters heard about the Rovers bringing soccer back to the iconic stadium, they came out in support with much fanfare. I've attached a photo of the Swangardians.

The Swangardians, supporters named for the stadium in which they express their support, do show up to boost the Rovers squads

Which league do your men play in and what league do the women play in? Do you put those on par in terms of relative competition? Do both squads get equal travel accommodations?

The Rovers men's team play in USL 2 (formerly PDL). The women play in the WPSL. The WPSL is considered a tier 2 league since the only league above it is the NWSL professional league. USL 2 is considered tier 4 since there is USL League 1, US Championship, and then MLS in that order. That being said, we now have the CPL (Canadian Premier League) which is having its inaugural season. That is the Tier 1 Canadian league so the Rovers men are just below that.

The teams get equal accommodation but the women's league has half the number of games in the playing season so it's more manageable financially.

Have you had any players or coaches move on from TSS Rovers to play in a fully professional organization? Have any coaches taken the reigns elsewhere and manage their own clubs?

Yes, we had 3 players from our Rovers men's squad selected into the CPL, which is a significant achievement. So, in reality, we had some players step directly from USL 2 into the status of professional soccer player. None of our coaches have left the club.

The Rovers’ WPSL side competes at the highest level available, aside from the NWSL, in the region and battles Seattle’s Sounders women as well as Vancouver Whitecaps’ women.

Generally speaking, do clubs have an obligation to job placement or helping players advance to new opportunities? Do TSS Rovers help young players find colleges or trials with professional clubs?

The vast majority of Rovers, both men and women, are either already playing university level soccer or they're graduates of that level. We do a great deal to help our U17-U18 players play at that level. In fact, over 90% of our grade 12 players have been recruited to university level soccer. In terms of professional clubs, our main goal is to push these players to higher levels of the game. We regularly communicate with CPL coaches on the progress of players. In fact, our Rovers coaches attended the CPL combine last year.

For more information about TSS Rovers

For more information about WPSL

For more information about USL League 2

Washington Premier

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

Yakima United FC

The Northwest Premier League, a Pacific Northwest regional league for elite amateur women, was founded in 2015-16 and began their first season in the Spring of 2016. Yakima United was there from the get go, and have never finished outside of the playoffs. Joshua Vega, the club’s general manager, who spent two years as a player for the men’s squad, has also been the head coach of the Reds’ women’s side since its beginnings. We reached out to find out a little more about the growth of the league and the role of the organization as one of the league’s pillars.

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Yakima United was a founding member of the NW Premier League - can you tell us if there was a women's team before then? When and why was the squad founded?

To my knowledge there’s never been a premier women’s club in Yakima. For us, it was an easy decision, as soon as the opportunity was available, we jumped in. So, the NWPL and Yakima United’s Women’s Program are linked in terms of founding. We want to help grow the game in any way we can and why should that just be the men’s game? We’ve been extremely pleased with the growth and shape this team has taken. It started with some of the older players in the valley who we wouldn’t be where we are now without, they believed in our concept. Since then we’ve taken on a more “summer program” role for college players as well as some older players finishing their youth club season.

Yakima United FC helped found the NW Premier League and battle every year to stay amongst its best sides.

NWPL is likely to expand by at least one club next year - what's it been like to see the league grow and has the level of soccer increased as well?

I think it’s fantastic, when a new league starts like this there’s always the possibility of it being a one and done or a few seasons, but it seems to keep growing and getting stronger each year. That’s all down the leadership that’s in place and a bunch of like-minded people involved for the right reasons. It’s a player first league, and that’s always going to be the correct approach. As far as the level growing? The league has been strong since day 1. I’m not sure the overall talent level has grown necessarily, but what’s been interesting is to see the evolution of all the clubs involved, you have a team like the stars that, at the beginning, was probably one of the weaker teams, or middle of the pack, now being literally unbeatable. Additionally, seeing new clubs like Capital come in and be strong right away is great for the league.ems to keep growing and getting stronger each year. That’s all down the leadership that’s in place and a bunch of like-minded people involved for the right reasons. It’s a player first league, and that’s always going to be the correct approach. As far as the level growing? The league has been strong since day 1. I’m not sure the overall talent level has grown necessarily, but what’s been interesting is to see the evolution of all the clubs involved, you have a team like the stars that, at the beginning, was probably one of the weaker teams, or middle of the pack, now being literally unbeatable. Additionally, seeing new clubs like Capital come in and be strong right away is great for the league.

Is Yakima United connected to a youth organization in your community? If so, how many young players transition from the academy to the women's top side (and men's side for that matter)?

While we aren’t directly linked with a youth club in the area, both Dennis and Myself coach for the Central Washington Sounders. So, we do have a strong relationship with that club and receive a lot of support from that. Our women’s team at times is about 70% alumni or current players from the youth club, our men’s program is a bit more diverse. We want to remain an open option to any player interested in participating, but at the same time we enjoy having a relationship with an organization with a similar mindset. On the women’s side we also have a great relationship with Yakima Valley College, and have been getting some quality players from that program and that has proven to be very mutually beneficial.

Yakima United’s women, and men, source its players from multiple places: Central Washington Sounders youth program, Yakima Valley College and other collegiate programs.

In a World Cup year, did you see any noticeable increase in support for the team from outside the organization; did fans from the community start to show up? Do you see increasing community interest as a goal of the club?

In short, no. Support for grassroots soccer has always been a tricky thing. There’s ebbs and flows, there’s times where you beat your head against the ground wondering why people don’t want to come support their local teams. You have large groups of people heading 2.5 hours over the mountains weekly to support the pro game that never come out to a game. I’m not directing any vitriol toward those types of people, that’s completely their prerogative and they “owe” us nothing. What I wish people would understand is how much attendance to even one game held clubs like ours. If every person in Yakima who goes to a sounders game every season came to just one of our games it would go a great way toward helping us become more sustainable. Besides that, it’s actually really good soccer and a terrific value.

Travel can't be cheap, even if it's only throughout Washington and Oregon. What's the farthest you've had to take the squad? How many players travel on an away day? How do you budget for multiple away days; club dues, sponsorships, donations, selling soccer swag?

It is expensive, but it actually isn’t our biggest cost. We’ve been so fortunate to have players on both sides who understand the struggles and pay for most of their own travel. It’s not ideal, and we’d like to always travel together but it is what it is. Salem is the definitely the longest trip out women’s team has had. This year we made that trip twice both times I had a car full of girls and the gas, food, etc. for those trips comes out of my own pocket. That may be the other thing local soccer supporters don’t realize. How much personal injection of funds comes from our ownership and staff, and the families of players just to survive. Don’t get me wrong we do have fantastic sponsors who without we wouldn’t exist. But the costs associated with running a small club like this are far greater than those who see from the outside, and sometimes the inside, just do not understand.

The club has done a great job of utilizing catchy graphic design to market their matches and promote themselves.

Have you had any players or coaches move on from Yakima to play in a fully professional organization? Have any coaches taken the reigns elsewhere and manage their own clubs?

As YUFC, no. But in the past, with the Yakima Reds we’ve had several players move on. Jake Sagare, Aaron Heinzen, Santa Maria Rivera are a few of the home-grown players who went on to have professional careers, and there’s been more. We’ve also had some players from outside the area play here who had careers as pros like Mike Chabala, Chris Eyelander and a few others. As far as women, none yet but I believe there will be eventually, the pay scale for professional women is a huge hinderance. Could someone like Lauryn Peters or Natalie Nagle play professionally? Probably not in the US and be financially secure enough, so the only option would be going to another country and that presents a different set of obstacles whereas a male counterpart with the same relative talent would have far more options.

Delaney Romero of the Reds sinks Twin City Union in the 2019 NWPL playoffs.

For more information about Yakima United FC

For more information about the NW Premier League

OSA Seattle (WPSL)

Soccer in the US, whether men’s or women’s, is made up by a variety of clubs in so many different leagues that it can make the head spin. While we had previously covered OSA Seattle’s NPSL side, we remembered that their WPSL squad was built a little different than others. From teaming up with local development academies in order to fill out their roster and provide top-level soccer to locals to providing an exchange program to Italian internationals, club President Giuseppe Pezzano of OSA Seattle shows the world that there is more than just one way to build an organization.

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When OSA Seattle was first set-up in 2013 your women's side were instantly successful and won their conference. Now that the rest of the Pacific Northwest is starting to catch up and several new teams are joining WPSL and the NWPL, have you noticed any impact on the talent and competitiveness?

This is a team that we couldn’t put together again because women’s soccer in Italy has exploded. Our 2013 team was a very strong team made up of talented players, some of whom played on the Italian World Cup team (Guagni and Giacinti).

The WPSL has added so many new teams in our area that the level of the conference has diminished, because the player pool is so even more divided between the teams. For players to have a chance to improve, they have to play at a high level, against other strong players, but the way our conference is now there just isn’t enough of that consistent talent. This was one of the main reasons I choose to merge and partner with Crossfire Premier, to give opportunities to their young talented academy players to play in an adult league and improve.

In the USA both men’s and women’s leagues have other business priority, and they lose the ability and focus to really help the development. I am hopeful that things will eventually change and begin to mirror how soccer is run throughout the rest of the world.

Valentina Giacinti and Alia Guagni, teammates for Italy in the World Cup, were once teammates in Seattle for OSA

Some clubs are directly connected to youth programs, providing an adult end to a development funnel, while some clubs don't have access to players like that and are made up mostly of college women from around the region. Which type are you and do you see a difference in the long-term ability to remain in business?

We do not have a youth program of our own, but have partnered with Crossfire Premier, which has a very strong program, giving us access to players, and giving players opportunities to develop. We also have great connections in Italy and always try to bring some players over to give an on the pitch exchange experience where everyone is learning from each other.

Women's soccer has lacked a sense of stability; leagues come and go. Why have you stuck with the WPSL when the UWS, UPSL Women's League, or even the regional NWPL are options?

We are always looking at the competitive national league landscape to see what's available. The pro league has only 9 teams and a franchise already in the Seattle area, so it’s not an option. The WPSL is just one step below the pro league and it has a lot of teams nationally, so it has been the best option for us so far. The other leagues are regional, so I am not interested.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion surrounding the pyramid, which makes things confusing for players as these leagues are not necessarily good for their development, and fans as they continue to be confused about the proper pyramid structure.

Soccer is not an American made sport like football or baseball there’s an already established structure that should be followed with the other soccer federation.

OSA has teamed-up with Washington development powerhouse XF to provide local players and select internationals the highest-possible level of soccer available, without competing with existing NWSL sides, in the Northwest.

The men have access to the US Open Cup and National Amateur Cup, do you think it’s time for Women's soccer to have an Open Cup as well? If it existed, would OSA Seattle pursue it? What obstacles would the concept of a women's open cup have to overcome?

Yes, I think it would be a good thing to have more games and tournaments and I’d be interested in pursuing it, however, in the past when I proposed more games or tournament ideas to the other local teams, they all declined. Some didn't want to spend the money; another excuse was that adding more games was too complex to work into the schedule. I don’t agree with this mentality, but I have to accept it. (This year with 9 clubs in the conference we play only 8 games)

How important is drawing support? Did the recent World Cup bring anybody out; did you see any interested fans or players from other OSA squads come to the women's matches this year?

Unfortunately, we didn’t see fan base increase but we have seen a lot of interest for my consulting services and the OSA organization as it was integral in the explosion that Italian women’s soccer has seen.

What's the most important aspect to operating a women's team?

Passion and love for this beautiful sport. Soccer is soccer, there’s no women’s or men’s soccer, it’s all soccer!

The OSA XF squad competes in the WPSL, head here for more information.

California Storm

The California Storm are one of the winningest teams in women’s soccer, having won the WPSL three times since they helped found the league back in 1997. Their history goes back even further than that, really, as they were themselves founded in 1995 and began play in the USL W-League when they helped found that league as well. While in the W-League, they went by the Sacramento Storm, and made their way to the National final two out of the three years in their tenure there. When they switched and contributed to the beginning of the WPSL in 1998, they switched their name to California Storm and continued their domination of women’s soccer. We wanted to know more about their past, pedigree, but also of their present, so we reached out to the organization and current owner and head coach, Jamie Howard-Levoy was considerably generous with her time and answered all of our questions.

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The California Storm have 10 Division titles and 3 WPSL League titles; Tell us more about the organization - when were you founded? Have you always been the California Storm?

The California Storm was founded in 1997 in Sacramento by Jerry Zanelli. Official name is California Storm of Sacramento. I have been with the California Storm since 2010.

Some soccer clubs exist as an adult end to the development funnel, and some squads don't have a connection to a youth program; how is your club built and what's the overriding mission? Developing elite players is the dream of most soccer programs; after the development, how should clubs help players advance their athletic and professional goals?

The great thing about thing about the California Storm is that we are not one club affiliated. We cater to every club primarily in the Sacramento region but not limited to just those clubs. We focus on growing the game of soccer for both girls and women. We do this by providing free soccer clinics and free girls soccer festivals in the community. The Storm partners with the clubs, the clubs advertise it to their players and then together we put it on.

Our mission for our team is to play at the highest level possible. If it is one of our players' goal to play in the NWSL or overseas, we will do whatever we can to help them achieve that. Our goal in the community is to be the role models for girls so they have someone to look up to and to get them excited about the game. It is also important for us to teach girls about goal setting, confidence building, healthy choices and injury prevention.

For developing elite players to play at the next level, it is important to stress to players that they have to do the work. So many players rely on their natural talent and don't completely dedicate themselves to playing to their fullest potential. As coaches, it is our job to network and develop contacts for these players. It does take time and work on our part which can be tough after a full day of being out in the hot sun. As a coach, we should be excited for them to take that next step and be thankful that we were part of their journey. This is their time, their chance, and if there is anything we can do to help them get achieve their dreams we must do it.

Now that the World Cup is over do you expect any reduction in attendance for your club? How dependent are you on funds from the turnstiles? Have any players, or even coaches, moved on from California Storm to play for NWSL or even any national teams?

The World Cup brought a lot of attention to our team which is something we needed. We have had great players play for the California Storm such as Sissi, Brandi Chastain, Alex Morgan, Leslie Obsborne, Aly Wagner and Julie Foudie to name a few. Alex Morgan played for the California Storm and is now playing in the NWSL and for the US National Team. We just had one of our goalkeepers, Abbie Faingold, sign a professional contract and is playing over in Japan.

This team has always played at a high level, but we fell behind in marketing the team on social media and in the community. I believe that our attendance will continue to grow because of we are out in the community building relationships with players. This past year, we did not charge for admission into games which was new for us. This really helped us build a fan base. Since we don't charge admission, we rely heavily on team sponsors to pay for game day expenses.

Sacramento has a lot of options for soccer fans, with The Republic, Sacramento Gold, and even a short drive to Davis - are there any cross-promotions with men's sides? Do any supporters’ groups come out to Storm matches?

This year we partnered with UC Davis Health and the Sacramento Republic FC which has been huge for us. Both of them have been so supportive of us and share our passion to better the community. We recently did a 4v4 Watch Me campaign with the Sac Republic. This event focused on building the girls game. The players competed at Papa Murphy's Park and the California Storm players warmed the players up and officiated the games. The California Storm also played the first round of the conference playoff at Papa Murphy’s Park before a Sac Republic game. The partnership with the Sacramento Republic FC has brought more awareness to the women's game and we have more fans as a result. Building our fan base is a constant focus for us.

What is the future of your organization? Will we see Storm return to the WPSL in 2020? If anybody is interested, how can they support your organization?

The California Storm will be playing in the WPSL season in 2020 and we are very excited about the upcoming season. We have grown tremendously in 2019 but have so much more to accomplish this upcoming year. If anyone is interested in supporting the team, we are looking for team sponsors and you can follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

For more information about WPSL Soccer.

For more information about California Storm.

Or check out their Facebook.

Capital FC Atletica

The Northwest Premier League was founded in 2016 and has largely been dominated by teams in Washington; however, since their addition in 2018’s season, Capital FC Atletica have risen up the table and increased the standard of play in the league. CFC Atletica are a member of the Timbers’ Alliance, and the Salem, Oregon-based women’s soccer team represents a competitive end of a development funnel. The organization provides a place to grow and play soccer to girls from all over the capital of Oregon, but it also provides a home for student athletes and women soccer players of all ages, to extend their footballing career. When we had a few questions about how their organization is run and what sets them apart, we were directed to Capital FC Women’s Soccer Director of Operations Whitney Pitalo—she took the time to answer our questions and provided some great photos from the club.

How long has Capital Fútbol Club been providing soccer to the city and what is it's working relationship with the Timbers organization? Some clubs, like Seattle Sounders Women, go the obvious route when it comes to naming the team and building the aesthetic; when was Atletica formed and what was the motivation behind naming the team?

CFC has been providing the competitive soccer experience for youth in our city since 1993. We became a Timber's Alliance club in 2013. Then our club acquired the U23 Timbers in 2017 - the same year I started the women's WPSL team (that then moved to the NWPL). The club had been wanting a professional men's soccer team back in Salem since the folding of the Cascade Surge. That team was special for the soccer community here in Salem. I remember their games vividly as a child. When I returned to Salem after graduating from USC I started my master's program at Willamette where I decided to start a competitive women's team. I started the team with help from my MBA team, community members and club directors. Atletica came from a re-branding in 2018 where we sought to have a stronger brand. This was heavily influenced by long-time women's sports advocate, Kate Sorem, who helps run the team today. We had a few names we were choosing from to accurately represent women's soccer in our community. We decided Atletica was the best fit because of diversity of our team and our community.

CFC Atletica celebrates its diversity, showcasing players from around the world.

Why NWPL? With national models like UWS and WPSL making higher profile soccer available, why join a regional league instead? Conversely, how does the standard of play in the Northwest Premier League compare to a metro league, like Portland's NUWS?

The team started in the WPSL, but we ended up transferring leagues in year 2, since it didn't prove to be the right fit for the team. I believe the NWPL is a great league for elite women's team's that are looking to stay local and for teams that are new. They provide excellent social media support, all games are held in the Northwest and league fees are lower. This helps a new team get their feet under them, gain visibility in their communities and perform better in their first years. The NWPL is the most competitive regional league in the Northwest and is more accessible than the travel demands on teams in the WPSL (that go to Canada and California) and is still excellent competition for players looking to play in college or athletes looking to keep playing competitively after graduation.

What's the age range of the players in the side and where do they come from? I know the Timbers U23s side of the house does an amazing job drawing collegiate players from all over the country, is that model in place for Atletica?

We have players from the ages of 17 to 28 currently. We have the top high school players in the area, collegiate players from Oregon, retired professional players, national team members from Ghana, Namibia and Mexico, and international players that we recruit. We have a diverse player pool and that's what makes the experience so fun. We have connections overseas in Africa and Korea, in the states and in our city. We even have players who are local mother's coming back to play. It's a wonderful environment for all players of all ages to learn from each other, stay healthy and make connections that will help their life & soccer careers.

We were all just treated to a fantastic World Cup, with amazing match ups and exciting player performances, but was the interest in women's soccer already on the rise prior to that? What influence has the NWSL, with teams like the Thorns and Reign, had on players looking to continue playing after high school? How about the supporter’s aspect, has an increased interest in women's soccer shown itself in the stands?

This year with an amazing World Cup we had a lot of extra attention to draw on, but I believe women's soccer was already on the rise. In our third year, we had many more supporters and volunteers. The World Cup felt like a celebration of where women’s soccer has come and where it's going. We held watch parties for the US games at a local brewery - Salem Ale Works (SAW) - and attendance was amazing (75+ during a work day)! I think that's when I started to realize that it's not just players who loves the game, but the community wants to be a part of it. It was a special year and I only see growth from here. We love attending Portland Thorns and NWSL games as a team and I think the World Cup has put the league on the map.

You're in the NWPL Final! What's next? What actions represent growth for the organization?

The next goal for the team is to win the NWPL championship. With victory comes visibility and I think that's what the team and club need to establish women's soccer as a powerhouse in our city. For us this year and next, growth means being more involved in our community (volunteering, school visits, events) and I think we've done a great job of it this year. Next year's plan is to continue to be involved in our community and grow our visibility. When we give back to our community they come back in full support; this is something we want to foster. The more support and recognition we receive the more sustainable this team and league will be.

CFC Atletica take on NWPL competition on their way to the 2019 league championship match (Photo: Jeremy McDonald)

For more information about CFC Atletica’s program

For more information about the NWPL

ISC Gunners

The WPSL recently called it a wrap on the 2019 regular season – and with it, Issaquah Soccer Club (ISC Gunners), one of 119 clubs in the league. They were founded in 1980, but it wasn’t until 2012 that the women’s side were brought into the organization’s fold. WPSL Hall of Famer, Macy Jo Harrison, is the Gunners’ WPSL Program Director, as well as the league’s Associate Director for the West. We at Protagonist were elated to have somebody of such high regard take the time to answer our question for this week’s Spotlight article!

Issaquah Soccer Club, founded in 1980, has probably seen a lot of change in the community since then. When and why did the organization, founded as a youth club, choose to add a women's team?

ISC Gunners chose to add a women’s team back in the summer of 2012. We wanted to provide a top of the pyramid women’s team within our club for all of our female youth to aspire to be on, train with and learn from. Over the years, our women’s team has provided great leadership and role modeling for the youth within the club, and we really pride ourselves in that.

Why the WPSL? With a regional league available in the Pacific Northwest; what is the vision of the club for the women's squad which prompted it to join, what is technically, a national league system?

The vision of the club was to provide an elite women’s team for the youth within the club and the surrounding area to aspire to play on as mentioned before, and also to ensure that ex-professional, current professional players on break, current collegiate players etc… to have a place to play in the summer months when their on their summer breaks.

The WPSL is the largest women’s soccer league in the world with competition from all over America, Canada, Mexico etc. We chose to join the WPSL instead of the regional league provided in the Northwest to ensure we gave our women’s team the best opportunity to compete against teams from all of these locations nation/worldwide, at a higher level of play.

There are several types of club setups, some of which are open to fan support and even charge at the gate. While others focus solely on player development and providing opportunity for personal and technical growth. Where do ISC Gunners fall in that spectrum?

Our ISC Gunners WPSL team hits both ends of the spectrum. We strive to compete and win the Northwest Conference with players we bring in from England, Spain and throughout America for the summer months, and we look to get our youth players involved who are on our oldest/second to oldest girls teams within the club. We stress the importance of our oldest girls teams/players to join in with training, and potentially games throughout the summer to ensure they are prepared for their college endeavors and to ensure that they are improving significantly in playing with very experienced players who’ve been around the block a few times!

In the Pacific Northwest, we are fortunate to have two huge NWSL clubs in both the Reign and the Thorns, but does that make it hard to draw talented players to the squad? Conversely, do the local big clubs ever reach out for talented players? Do NWSL scouts ever come looking?

We’ve not seen a negative effect in having the two NWSL clubs in the Pacific Northwest as of yet. We continue to draw in talent as best as we possibly can and we have several committed, loyal players who come back to our squad each year because of the camaraderie and family feel that we create within the squad. Back in 2013, our ISC Gunners WPSL team was the official Reserve team for the Seattle Reign, so several of our players were invited into first team training throughout the summer. In 2014 and 2015, we were not the official Reserve team, but we kept that relationship alive with the Seattle Reign FC. We’ve not seen any NWSL scouts at our WPSL games in the Pacific Northwest conference, but they might have been there without us knowing. It’s difficult for them as their season is in full swing as well, so there’s not always time to do these things.

At the U23s level, I imagine most of the women are also college players and cannot accept payment without risking NCAA eligibility - how does that affect training and how do you maintain motivation?

You’re correct - a ton of our WPSL players are current collegiate athletes who are on their summer breaks and we are NOT allowed to provide them with any sort of payment. We’ve been very adamant with our players that they are to attend as many training sessions as possible, and we demand commitment from our players year in and year out. We maintain motivation by ensuring our training sessions are full of learning experiences as well as making them fun and entertaining. The family feel our ISC Gunners WPSL team has is one of the major reasons we continue to draw players back to us each year - we are family. We also do not charge our players any money to play on our women’s team - instead, we require them to attend our club tournament and events each summer as volunteers to give back to the club.

The very nature of women's soccer seems politicized, at least at the national and even NWSL-level; do these tendencies reach your level? Do you have any players who really take current events, such as equal pay and gender equality, to heart? Or do the players and the club steer clear of politics and focus on the soccer?

I wouldn’t say that the politics side of women’s soccer is prevalent in the WPSL. The league owners and commissioners are all for women in sports so I haven’t seen a negative political presence personally in the WPSL. We absolutely have players who take the current events such as equal pay and gender equality to heart, myself being one of them. With that being said, we do steer clear of the politics and focus on the soccer side more often than not on a team and club level and we ensure our main focus is on the soccer at hand.

For more in formation about the ISC Gunners’ programs

For more information about the WPSL

Vancouver Island FC

Just as 2019 World Cup was coming to an end, the WPSL was also quietly wrapping up it’s 2019 regular season. In their inaugural season, Vancouver Island FC finished second in the Northwest Conference with five consecutive wins to close out their fixture list. However, it wasn’t enough to secure a playoff spot and after a great first season, Vancouver Island FC have to sit-out the post season. Protagonist was interested in getting to know a little more about our semi-professional Canadian neighbors, so we reached out to their organization and Head Coach Neil Sedgwick was happy to reply to our questions about their identity, mission, and…

I love your badge - often I run across club crests which are borrowed directly from an associated men's team or just taken from a template online. What's the story with the badge elements, the colors, and the name?

We provided the designer with a number of ideas, Vancouver Island concepts which we wanted them to consider within the design. As ever, they came back with several designed which we offered feedback on. From there we took these designs to our first community meeting and they selected, almost unanimously the design. We followed a similar process for the name. The group came up with a number of variations, they discussed them and then voted on the name. We wanted this team to be owned by the community. It was important that there was input.

As for the colours, we have taken the same colours as Pacific FC. We believed that it was important that the top men's and women's teams shared certain aspects, and colours were something which we felt made complete sense.

Vancouver Island FC, a Canadian pro-am women’s side, play their soccer in the WPSL.

What is the primary objective of the women's side? Vancouver Island has a unique soccer history all to itself, with famous men's clubs from bygone eras; has there ever been women's soccer in Victoria or on the island? What's the history of the women's game there and where are you taking this squad?

There has been a W-League team with the Victoria Highlanders FC, however, it has been 4-5 years without that opportunity. We simply wanted to provide the opportunity for players to compete at a high level whilst providing the opportunity for young players to watch the top female players from the island. We can only become what we see, and it was important to us to be advocates for the women's game when there are so many wonderful things going on for the men.

Where do we want it to go? We are looking to create this as a sustainable opportunity for players and spectators on Vancouver Island.

It’s hard running a club in any league, some organizations have certain advantages like built-in youth teams to funnel players up, or ownership of the facilities to reduce overhead. What, if any, advantages do your club have, are they effectively wielded, and what assets or advantages do you wish you had?

We have been connected to BCSPL as a coaching staff and a number of our current VIFC players have worked with us in this environment or in academy environments. That is a natural connection and gives them a reason to come watch. But we are hopeful that other clubs and academies also encourage the young girls to come out and watch these players.

Cascadian rivalries transcend leagues, as Vancouver Island FC’s Rachel Baird (left) tries to a beat Seattle Sounders Women player to the ball. (Photo: League Website)

Your club seem brand new, I don't imagine you've had any player or coaches move into the ranks of NWSL squads? Are there any notable players or coaches from other locales who have decided to join you at Vancouver Island FC?

We are fortunate to have a number of players who have had fantastic careers and there are players who are still on the rise. People like Mariel Solsberg, Katie Krautner, Liz Gregg have all been in professional environments. Ashley Cathro, Cecilia Way, Emily McCue have been part of the REX program. Then so many university players who are currently contributing or have been strong contributors to programs such as North Dakota State, UBC, UVIC, UNBC, Queen's, UCalgary, Stoneybrook, to name a few. We have a strong group of players on this island who are training and playing at really good levels.

We're in a World Cup year for women's soccer and there seems to be a heightened level of interest, is the future of the women's game as bright as it seems? Do you see fan interest increasing? For any new teams forming, what words of wisdom would you offer to grow that club? What is a pitfall to avoid?

We may see more Canadian teams enter our conference. I think there is a good level of interest there. We hope that this will bring more interest from Victoria soccer community. I believe we have a lot of soccer fans who would enjoy what they see on the field, we just have to get the word out. We are not operating with a large budget so we rely on a few means to market the program. But the word is spreading, however, we are near the end of our season. With a point in our last game, we finish 2nd behind the Seattle Sounders in our first season. The only team the Sounders have lost to is us... a great start.

Bin-4-Burgers, a community restaurant, have gone all-in and become a sponsor of their local soccer team.(Photo: Island Independent Sports News)

For more information or to follow Vancouver Island FC, check them out here:

http://wpslvancouverisland.ca/

https://www.instagram.com/vancouverislandfc_wpsl/

https://twitter.com/VanIslandFC

Thor FC

Asgardians rejoice, your King is home! Okay, so maybe I went a little overboard with that but recently I came across a club on Twitter that really caught my attention, Thor FC. I decided to get in touch with the club and find out more about them.

Before we talk about the club, can you tell everyone who you are and your role within the club?

Yes, Hi! My name is Austin Healy, I’m from the Twin Cities, I’m 20 years old. I’m the founder of Thor Football Club.

What is your background in soccer?

I’ve had somewhat of a nomadic soccer experience. I played 1 year at Eastview HS in Apple Valley, MN. I played with Metro United Homeschool Soccer for 2 years. I played for Dakota Rev (now Salvo SC) for a year. I played with Eagan Wave for half a season. I played 2 years of college ball at North Central University. I played with Turbo Sports FC the last 2 seasons as well. I’ve coached with Eastview Athletic Association, The Tony Sanneh Foundation, Fusion Soccer Club, and next year I’ll be with Salvo SC. Through all these groups I’ve been with I’ve got to know a ton of great people and see how these organizations are run, which has helped me start this project.

When was the club initially formed and what was the catalyst to start your own club?

The club officially kicked off last week. But I’ve been working with various start up clubs for 2 years now. I’ve had my own ideas and just waited until I had the right group of people who believed in my ideas as well. I’m a business student and I felt that some clubs are purely a sports team. I haven’t seen a lot of business minded people in the industry of low level amateur soccer. So I think for me I wanted to play and be part of a group that was business minded while also sports focused. I didn’t find that in the way I wanted so I started Thor F.C. Essentially I have a similar vision on the pitch as many clubs, but administratively I feel I bring a whole different game and mentality.

You have an interesting name for the club. Did the rumors/stories of Vikings reaching Minnesota play any part in the naming of the club?

Short answer: Kinda. Scandinavian culture and history has played a huge part in shaping the culture of Minnesota and the Minneapolis area. I myself am part Scandinavian. So the name has more to do with the culture here than anything. Why I choose Thor specifically is he’s the hero of all the old tales. So why not have our famed god of thunder on the badge?!

What league do you play in?

it’s not 100% official yet, but we’ll join the Minnesota Amateur Soccer League (MASL). It’s a great competition with a Promotion/Relegation system in place and has some really good squads that compete there as well.

Where do you play your games?

Still working out the details, but hoping/planning for Richfield, MN. It’s a great community south of Minneapolis with some great fields that met our needs. I’ve grown up in that area as well. Its like a second hometown for me because my best friends growing up live in Richfield. I’d love to play there and give back to that community if we can seal a deal.

What are some short term and long term goals for the club?

Short term, we want to really develop ourselves as a club and establish our club culture. Of course we’re always going to aim for success on the pitch, but we’ll let those goals form once next season roles around. Long term, I personally see this club as a dominant presence in the state and in the region down the road. I’d love to see us enter on the national stage, but we want to prove ourselves locally and have multiple teams established within the club before we make that jump.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face as a club and as owner/operator of the club? Do you see these challenges as insurmountable?

As a club, money is always gonna be the primary concern early on and where we raise that money as well is an issue that’s on all our minds. For me personally, I think pulling my ideas and implementing them into reality can be difficult. I have big dreams, but my challenge is finding out what is reasonable and what is not. What can I do now and what should I wait to do until later. Do I see either of these challenges as insurmountable? No. I’ve got a great group of people around me that I fully trust so I feel very confident looking down the road.

How have these challenges changed your views of the soccer landscape, if at all?

In a way, yes. I have a ton of respect for anyone who has started this journey that Thor F.C is starting now. There are so many clubs out there right now in Minnesota and the US in general and I think that’s awesome. Each one has a group behind the scenes making magic happen and I see that more clearly now. The world we’re entering as a club has a load of talented individuals and really cool people. I’m excited now more than ever to get to work and join that community.

If there is anything else you’d like to share about the club, please don’t hesitate to tell us. I want to make sure everyone gets a good look at your club and generate more interest in the club.

Well we have plenty of news coming through the pipes here soon. But what I can share now is our vision statement and how it’ll be played out. The goals and vision of Thor Football Club’s is to bring quality soccer to the South Metro of the Twin Cities, grow local talent, and positively impact the communities around us. Obviously we want to compete and win this next season and in future seasons. We want to give our players a step up to move on to the next level. We believe there’s plenty of talent across the twin cities that’s just in need of that little boost up. We’re also not just a soccer team. We want to volunteer in our community and really start to establish ourselves as neighbors and friends as much as we are soccer players and a soccer club. So that being said, anyone who’s interested in finding out more about how to join Thor F.C can email us directly at thorfcmn@gmail.com. We’re looking for volunteers, staff, and players who want to be a positive impact in their community and be part of great group of people that have big goals and dreams.

To all the clubs in the MASL and throughout Minnesota, keep an eye out for this young upstart club. Otherwise, they’re liable to drop Mjolnir on your heads and take the title of Kings of the North.

Fortuna Tulsa

One of our new favorite things at Protagonist Soccer is digging into WOSO all across this country. Tulsa Fortuna is a second year club, but one that is already making waves, playing in the WPSL National Playoffs this weekend. We spoke with Wayne Farmer, General Manager for the club, to find out more about this team from Oklahoma.

So tell us about Fortuna Tulsa. Your league, your club origins, etc.

Fortuna Tulsa finished its inaugural season last year in the 2018 WPSL. Overall, we saw the first season as a success in setting the WPSL league attendance record of 1,720 people on May 25th 2018 vs Oklahoma City FC. We also won Franchise of the Year, as well as other WPSL recognitions for social media, marketing, and game day broadcasting.

Your crest looks like it borrowed its look from Fortuna Dusseldorf, any particular connection to that club? Just like the look?

Some similarities, but we take pride in the uniqueness of our logo. The meaning of Fortuna spoke to team owners Barry Williams and Dave Hibbard. The specialty of reading ‘Good luck Tulsa’ also had a great ring to it. After entering the league and announcing our brand, the following and support continued to grow.

Image courtesy of Tulsa Fortuna. Photographer - Lori Scholl

We follow Tulsa Athletic (of the NPSL), how's the overall soccer scene like in Tulsa? Is the enthusiasm equal for the women's game?

The soccer scene in Tulsa is great! I just came from the park watching the A’s play against Ozarks FC. We have 2 great amateur teams with the Athletics and Fortuna Tulsa that both won conference championships this season, and a USL Championship team in the Roughnecks that is pushing for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The enthusiasm around the women’s game is fantastic, this can be seen in the anticipation around our games and the attendances.

Where do you draw your talent from?

Yolanda Thomas, our Head Coach, has done a great job selecting players that reside in Tulsa but now attend some of the best schools around the nation. It is important to note that our team is not just made up of college players. Yolanda selected the best elite players that live in Tulsa that have graduated college as well as the 3 high school players to complete the roster.

Which player(s) should we be focusing on from your squad?

Taylor Malham is a US youth national team player who is currently at the University of Arkansas. Taylor, has played both seasons with us and continues to be a huge attacking threat. We could also highlight our captain, Rachel Hummingbird-Garcia, a player who has graduated from playing division 1 soccer at the University of Tulsa. Rachel is a mother, works full time, and still makes time to prepare and play at the elite WPSL level. The coaching staff have done a great job forming a team with true depth, where most positions are 2 or 3 deep with little drop off from the last player.

How does your club create connections to your local community?

We have a very strong connection through our media platforms where we provide a true insight into training and games, but also keep that connection while the players are out of season with us. We are very active in the community attending local festivals and events, as well as hosting youth soccer clinics.

If someone just found your club, what's the first thing they should know about your club?

Great question! Barry Williams (Fortuna Tulsa owner), has instilled into the club the saying ‘treat people how you want to be treated’. We hope that is something individuals experience when coming to a game as a fan, an opposing team, or in everything we do.

Your club is making a strong run in the WPSL Playoffs currently, how's that run been and who's your next opponent?

So far our games both home and away have been a lot of fun, with Yolanda and her staff giving a lot of players playing experience. We play Salvo SC in St Paul, MN. Salvo are a first year team that need to be congratulated for their season so far. The team travels up Friday morning and play the regional semifinal Saturday at 1:00pm. I would invite all Tulsa fans and readers to tune in and support Fortuna Tulsa this weekend.

For more information about Tulsa Fortuna check out their website or follow them on Twitter.

Madison Dragons Soccer Club

The independent amateurs from Eastern Idaho, formed in 2002 by Peter Stilling, are now run and coached by Tikal Johnson. Playing their soccer outside of the normal lower league set-up, these players get their soccer fix by playing a season of matches against collegiate squads from within Idaho and surrounding states – and occasionally against club competition from leagues as well. We were really curious about their set-up, what makes them tick, and how it all got started—Tikal Johnson was happy to spell it all out for us.

What's your origin story? When and why did you start Madison Dragons SC? Why Dragons?

I grew up in Lehi, Utah where I started playing soccer at age 8. I played for Utah Arsenal S.C. and then went on to play for Lehi High School but I figured my "playing career" was going to be over after that. After high school, I went to college at BYU-Idaho where I started playing intramural soccer. After one semester, I took a two-year break from college to serve a mission in Spain. In 2016, when I came back to Idaho, I was told about a club soccer team, Madison Dragons S.C., by a former intramural teammate which I went and tried out for. After one year as a player, our coach/manager stepped down due to a career change and asked if I could take charge of the team. I started trying to balance playing, coaching, and managing in the Spring of 2017 and ended up tearing my ACL that summer, which led to focusing solely on coaching and managing.

I took over the team in 2017 but the team originally was formed in 2002 when the junior college in Rexburg, ID (Ricks College) was turned into a 4-year university and discontinued its collegiate sports programs. The members of the Ricks College soccer team wanted to continue playing so they put together a club team that would play against other university club teams. The team was managed and coached by Peter Stilling who had coached the Ricks College team. After playing a handful of games the players gathered together before kickoff and one player put his hand in and jokingly suggested they cheer for "Pete's Dragons." The name stuck and the county of Madison was added to the name to create Madison Dragons Soccer Club.

Tikal Johnson (left) runs the club and coaches the men, while Jacob Fagersten (right) is the women’s head coach.

According to the schedule on your website, you seem to only play college teams? And you don't seem to have any "home" matches--what's the soccer scene like in Idaho? Are there other non-MLS clubs within a reasonable distance? Have you played in any leagues before? Any Cup competitions?

We are part of the West Coast Soccer Association, and are made up of BYU-Idaho students so we mainly play against college club teams hence our schedule being mainly against other universities. However, we do play against UPSL teams Idaho Falls FC and Boise Cutthroats FC during our Spring/Summer season. We typically don't have any home games from November to April due to snow which is why we haven't had any listed home games in a little bit. We typically have around 10 home games throughout the year for the men's team and around 4 home games throughout the year for the women's team. The majority of those home games come in the Fall when we have our league season or in the spring before the semester has ended and all of our players have gone home for the summer. Currently we have not participated in any cups or tournaments due to travel costs but we are always evaluating our options to try to have more opportunities to play.

The soccer scene in Idaho is small but definitely growing, in the last 3 years the UPSL has expanded to Idaho by adding teams in Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls. The closest team to us is now Idaho Falls FC (about 25 miles South of us), but prior to that the closest opponents we had were in Utah. Beyond adult amateur leagues, youth soccer is growing rapidly with more teams being added each year.

The Madison Dragon’s men’s squad plays about 10 home matches a season, but have to get them done before the snow comes in late autumn.

Some clubs exist solely for the development of players, some are formed to extend soccer careers, but invariably fans find a club, no matter how small. What's your fan situation like?

We definitely fall under the extending soccer careers category but our fans come from the community and the university. For the last 17 years we have just played in a local park so anyone who wants to come watch can but I'd love to be able to get into a stadium so that we can create a full fan experience.

One of the hardest parts of running a club is keeping it running; for the benefit of other clubs who might be wondering, how do you find sponsors? Where do you look for the best deal on soccer kits? What advice would you give to fund a brand-new soccer team?

Sponsorships have come for us through business owners that my players have known in the area and business owners I have reached out to. Although we have a couple different sponsors, the majority of our funding is covered by player fees. For the best deal on kits, I've worked through Soccer.com but this year we are looking to try and switch to Icarus FC. We loved their designs and the price point! Advice for funding a brand-new team... I would say to tap into the community first. Reach out to local businesses and offer low cost sponsorship methods. It is definitely easier to get a lot of small sponsorships than to try and land one big one.

Omner Morelos of Dragons attacks Boise State University during a competitive match for the Squad.

You have a men's team and a women's side too, are you affiliated with any youth clubs? Do your men and women players spend any time coaching?

Initially when the club started there was a men's side and a women's side, but the women's side folded after a season or two. At the beginning of last year, a handful of BYU-I students approached me about starting up a women's team. A player from the men's team and a friend of mine, Jacob Fagersten, volunteered to coach and together we started up the women's program. Currently we aren't affiliated with any youth teams, but we have provided several youth teams with prep scrimmages before state cup during our offseason. In the future we would like to start up an academy and run a summer camp which would provide some opportunities for players to coach, but currently we don't have anything set up yet. Thanks for the opportunity to share a bit more about my club!

- Joshua Duder

Madison Dragons’ women’s side is back up and running, providing an opportunity to play for women athletes in their community.

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For more information about the Madison Dragons, check them out here: https://www.madisondragons.com/

If you’re interested in volunteering or following on social media, contact them here: https://www.facebook.com/MadisonDragonsSC/

Yinz United

Today’s Spotlight club is the four-time Washington Premier League winners, four-time Helge Boes Cup holder, and the current Rowland Cup champion, Yinz United. Let’s learn about the club’s past, future, and current state. I had the pleasure to speak to Kareem Najib, a representative of the club. He shed some light on Yinz United’s origin and future. 2018 was a great year for the club, winning a double championship, both the league and then the Helge Boes Cup. Their amazing run continued and took them to be crowned Rowland Cup champions in early 2019.

Kareem is a pure product of the Marylander soccer system. He began his playing career with his time in a youth club in Maryland known as Soccer Association of Columbia. Then he would go on to play club soccer at the University of Virginia. Now he is a youth coach for Arlington Soccer Association going on 3 years. His story with Yinz has led to him to play for 5 years. He also is one of the two social media managers for the club. Here is how the rest of our conversation went:

What is the club’s origin?

The club was originally founded in 2004 by a group of guys from Pittsburgh, hence the black / yellow colors and the “Yinz” moniker, a term very specific to western PA.

What inspired the new badge?

We all felt like it was time to update our badge to go along with our new kits. The most popular idea within the team was to officially adopt our team nickname, the Pups, which stemmed from the old sponsorship we had on the front of our jerseys for years. And then the brick wall outline behind the pup is a unique design, but also represents our stout defense and goalkeeping, which has been a major part of why we’ve been a consistently great club in WPL for the last ten seasons. We also wanted to pay homage to the founders by ensuring the establishment date of the club was part of the badge going forward.

We love that badge isn’t necessarily intimidating because it’s a unique and distinct identity for our club in the DMV going forward and our game speaks for itself.

Your take away from the Spring 2019 season?

This season has been a learning experience for everyone in the club on how to manage to be consistent in the league while progressing through a long regional cup run. It’s not easy for the team to play at peak level every Sunday when you’re dealing with additional mid-week games, multiple games in a weekend, and limited time to practice. But we’ve got a deep, talented roster and every player has had to step up at different times to keep the 10-season playoff streak alive.

We were disappointed to not come away with a positive result in our final WPL regular season game to win the league, but our eyes are now set on a fifth Helge Boes Cup.

Why did you guys choose to play in the WPL? Did you guys always play in the WPL?

The Washington Premier League is the highest level of amateur soccer competition in the DC area. It’s been a no-brainer for us to remain in WPL since joining. The club originally started out in WISL, and even fielded a team there up until 2016, but we’ve shifted our focus entirely on WPL recently.

The WPL also gives us a chance to compete against top Maryland Majors teams in cup competition. This area is rich in talented soccer players and we’re grateful for these top leagues that give us a chance to compete against them year-round.

What experience do your players have playing soccer?

We have such a wide variety of experience on this team. About half of the guys have D1 college soccer experience, while the rest of the team is made up of guys that played college club soccer, D3 college soccer, and some even have NPSL experience. Our starting forward didn’t even play college ball and instead was a top track athlete at Yale.

Some highlights from our team include:

Spencer LaCivita, our starting goalkeeper, was a member of the national championship University of Virginia team in 2014

Chris Fanet, a former American University captain, went on to play in the Welsh Football League for Swansea University before returning stateside

Kjell Crooke, former Marymount standout, has experience playing professionally in Sweden for Robertsfors IK

Can you tell us about your Werner Fricker Cup run? How did you guys prepare for the tournament? How did you guys handle the lost in the finals? What did the team take away/learn from the awesome cup run?

Well it starts with the Rowland Cup which started way back in January. We put in work as a team all offseason with practices and track workouts to make sure we come into that well-prepared. We love getting a shot against all the extremely talented Maryland based clubs that we don’t get to see regularly.

But it should be no surprise that we most look forward to getting a shot against Christos FC, who have had our number in the Rowland and Stewart Cup in recent years. In 2015 we were eliminated by them in the quarterfinals of the Stewart Cup in penalties. In 2016 and 2017, they knocked us out of 3 finals and one semi-final, each match being by one goal, including two extra time thrillers. We haven’t forgotten about any of those and use it as motivation to get better every season. This season it finally paid off with our tough win over them in the Rowland final.

The Werner Fricker Cup has been great to give us a chance to compete against top teams in the region. BSC Raiders, who we had to travel up to Buffalo to face in the semi-finals, are easily one of the toughest teams we’ve faced over the last few years. Managing to get 14 players to show up for that game, most of whom drove 7 hours up to Buffalo directly prior to the match, without the resources of a pro or semi-pro team, is something we’re very proud of. And gutting out a 1-0 result with a tenacious defensive effort made that trip worth it.

The loss to Landsdowne Yonkers FC was tough to grapple with because we felt we were in control of most of that game. They deservingly scored about 30 minutes in, but after that we felt as if we had more of the possession, more of the scoring opportunities and should’ve put them away with a second goal in regular time. We went into extra time confident, but they scored in the first period and did a good job holding on to that lead. That’s a damn good team they have up there, and we hope we get a rematch in August at nationals.

Cup matches are always a challenge because we’re dealing with official substitution rules. So, the biggest takeaway every year, particularly this one, is to make sure our talent depth allows us to always have a strong lineup on the field and not falter at the end of matches due to fatigue. We also now have an idea of what resources it takes to play matches across the region. We need to make sure the team is set up financially to help with these deep cup runs, so we’re not limited in roster due to financial difficulties. Succeeding at nationals this summer is the first step to making sure we’re able to do that for the next few seasons.

What plans do you guys have for the club’s future?

Our top goal is to make a US Open Cup run. I think every amateur team in the country is envious of what Christos FC did in 2017, going on a magical run and earning the chance to play against DC United. We want to be the next team to do that. For us, that opportunity begins this summer and fall with nationals and US Open Cup qualification. With nationals being held locally in Elkridge, MD, we hope that we can gain some strong local support going in.

What can you tell us about your coach and his vision for the team?

We’re a completely self-run club without a coach. Our captains, Mike Zoellner and Dan Schoeff, along with other senior members of the team, organize all our practices, register us for tournaments, and manage the team on and off match days. This model works great for us because it’s an entirely self-motivated group of individuals who are always looking for like-minded players to be a part of this team and eventually be part of this leadership group. We hold each other accountable to always be prepared for the season and to be consistent on match day. If you’re not in good playing form and bringing down the team, we must have guys in charge who are willing to make tough decisions and adjustments.

Despite not having a coach, our vision is to always remain competitive in the WPL and Maryland State Cups to give our team a chance at Regionals and beyond every year. Players that are given a chance to join the club know the high level of expectations that are expected, and it keeps everyone motivated on maintaining their standing in the team.

Anything you’d like to add?

Support local soccer however you can! Go to your local pro or amateur matches. Get involved in coaching or refereeing. Anything you can support is all the better for it, and the game in this country can’t grow without it.

Bell County FC

Not all of the clubs we have the pleasure of putting in the Spotlight on Protagonist Soccer.com are already playing their soccer—for newly-minted President and Club Director of Bell County FC, Chris Glynn, this is an opportunity to introduce our soccer community to their brand-new side hailing from Belton, Texas. Even a warm thank you to him for answering our Spotlight questions was treated with kind words and praise… I think we’re all going to like this new club!

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Thanks for the opportunity to raise awareness of your club--we genuinely appreciate being able to chat about soccer with people from all over the country.

Thank you for the opportunity! Protagonist Soccer is one of the leaders in stories and communicating so much about lower league soccer as well as giving us small market clubs a voice to the rest of the country. Absolute massive honor and brilliant we get to be in the spotlight!

Bell County FC made their announcement on twitter, as well as other social media platforms and have made it easy to follow their path toward the 2019 Fall Season.

Looks like your slated to begin play in Fall 2019--are you a brand-new club, or an existing club who's taking it up a level?

Bell County Football Club (or BellCo FC, Bell County FC, and BCFC for short) is a brand-new club beginning play this Fall in the UPSL. We will begin with our inaugural first team of semi-professionals, which have a lot of exciting talent coming in after finishing our tryouts. Our ages in the first team range from 16 to 38, so we have players from all walks and ages in the community! We will also begin this fall with our first youth academy team in the U16 age group with players ages 13 to 16. The goal is to gives these young players a pathway to the next level.

There's really no right or wrong answer, but why did you choose UPSL? For aspiring clubs who may be trying to decide which league to join, what was a deciding factor for your organization?

The UPSL was the obvious choice! That is the short answer, but really the UPSL for aspiring clubs that want a Pro Development league and want the Promotion/Relegation as the model, look no further! The amount of growth the UPSL has shown has been staggering, especially in Texas. I was fortunate enough to help found and bring in another team as one of the founding members of the Central Conference in Texas. Texas started with 10 teams and now has over 60 teams! To now bring in a club that needed a club of this level in the area and to Belton, Texas was the easy to choose. Plus, to be one of the first in the Heart Division of this conference to start with a fight for Promotion, I mean who wouldn’t like that opportunity and that feeling of saying, “We are going up, we are going up!”? For those aspiring clubs not sure, JOIN! The league is growing and is providing further opportunities in a country where Pro/Rel Model and getting small market clubs a platform and voice is more important than ever.

Some thought and care went into this badge, Its original and well-executed.

Are you linked to a youth club? Some clubs grow their own players and bring them through a system, some clubs draw strictly on local talent, while others draw from local colleges. How are you building your team?

As mentioned above, we have had experience with other youth clubs through playing and coaching. This is the first time, however that we will venture into the youth side of things with our first UPSL Youth Academy U16 Team. This will serve as a pathway to our first team as well as give players a better chance of playing ball with a known pathway as well as knowing the journey does not have to stop. So many players dropout of the sport between the ages of 13-15. I am a middle school teacher and coach, so I see this happen so often and needs a better outcome and opportunity for the youth in this area that we serve. It is also personal, as I grew up in this area both as a player and coach.

For a lot of teams, facilities costs are a huge factor - where will you be playing, is it the same grounds where you'll be training?

Currently, we are training at Chisholm Trail Park in Belton, Texas. We are currently weighing our options within community about our game facilities, but for now we are really doing wonderful things in the community. In addition, we have also become a member of the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce, we have participated in Belton Market Days, helped Eldred’s Nursery Foundation in Belton, and so many other events. We even have other events coming up! Our goal is to give back on and off the pitch, so while we are continuing to build, we know it’s important to grow in all areas.

Bell County FC are friend and supporters of local soccer themselves – they attend Austin Bold matches together.

Your badge is unique and looks sharp, was there a designer involved? Do you have your kits sorted out for fall?

Our uniform kits are being finalized, so be on the lookout for another big announcement. I feel like I post and share “BIG” announcements so often in the last month or so we have had this club started. It’s Crazy! But at the club we think everything is HUGE and so be on the lookout for that and so many other new things coming up! Our badge is rather unique and pays homage to our local community and important landmarks in the area. It’s funny, we weren’t sure how to go about the badge and our friend Bernie Koelsch offered. Bernie, who is the head coach of the All-Army Soccer Team, we met when we played them on another team and we just loved the conversation and friendly both on and off the pitch. So, one day, we get a message and the offer to have his business make our badge via his world-class design business called Drawfection brought one of the biggest contributions we could ask for. Could not have asked for a better person and business to this! I’ve got nothing but fantastic review on his work and have been in love with that badge ever since!

Do you have a mission statement? What's your short term and long-term goals?

Our vision and goals are to promote high-level soccer while also bringing a winning and competitive team to the scene. Just like the UPSL, we also promote and are huge advocate of Pro-Development to help our young athletes to pathways and opportunities to college, professional, and other high-level forms of soccer in a league that promote our advocacy for promotion and relegation for fair and competitive play. From a club standpoint, our short-term goals are to bring joy and the beautiful game to this area for all ages with continuing to build and cement ourselves in the local community. The long-term goals are just to be a contender and gain promotion with club culture know not just in the community, not just in Texas, but throughout the country. Overall, we want to give back and prove small market clubs can be just as fantastic as the clubs several divisions and tiers above us on the pitch and off the pitch.

I only want to add and thank all our supporters, players, coaches, and staff for all their hard work so far. I want to thank all our current partners and sponsors Drawfection, K Designs, Nutmeg-Consulting.com, and Belton Area Chamber of Commerce! They have been awesome getting us started and we hope more support, partners, and sponsors will consider Bell County Football Club. GO BENGALS!

- Josh Duder

We’re as excited to see them play as they are to get out there and to their thing—good luck this fall to Bell County FC!

For more information about Bell County FC, visit their website: http://www.bellcofc.com/

To stay up to date, follow them on twitter… we do! https://twitter.com/bellcofc

Arctic Rush

The badge and name, Arctic Rush, seem brand new, but what is the history of Rush in your community? How long has the Rush organization been home to soccer in Fairbanks?

Back in 2005, the Alaska Goldstrikers Soccer Club combined with Rush Soccer to become one of the biggest youth soccer organizations in Alaska. Arctic Rush came from the affiliation of Alaska Rush SC and Arctic North FC, an amateur men’s league team that was run by myself. I was approached by Josh Banks of AK City FC about the UPSL wanting to start a conference in Alaska, and he thought my team would be a good fit. With the help of Alaska Rush, the club I grew up playing with and now coach for, we were able to enter Arctic Rush in to the UPSL for this first season in The Last Frontier Conference.

For some soccer fans, the introduction of a men's side into a national league can be exciting? It can signal an interest in becoming a competitive market or in interest in greater things to come... but what's the goal of Arctic Rush? Why form a top-tier squad and join the UPSL?

The main goal of Arctic Rush is to help push the overall competitiveness of soccer in Alaska to the next level. By being part of Rush, we can move forward with the idea of promoting from within and having players "come up through the youth system into the first team." It gives kids something to look forward to locally, and can possible motivate a few to pursue a higher level of soccer.

Training for Arctic Rush, and other Anchorage-based sides, may mean getting on the pitch in less than optimal temperatures.

The logistics of running a club in a national league can be complicated at best, how do you navigate the possibility of playoffs, financially speaking? Would you dare enter the US Open Cup qualifying rounds in the fall, knowing you could draw an away match?

We would never shy away from participating in any competition, especially one as big as the U.S. Open Cup. Financially, it will always be a little tougher on teams coming from Alaska, but that is what we are used to. In order to be a high-level athlete from Alaska, travel is more-or-less a requirement. So, our players are not unfamiliar with the idea of travel, and local businesses have always been willing to help out local sports teams. Also, just being associated with a nationwide league such as the UPSL can really attract some attention. So, I believe it's a hurdle that can easily be jumped when the time comes to start thinking about travel.

The seasons are fairly different to what we're used to down here; how has that affected your scheduling? What is the best time of year for a match? Are all matches indoors or are there outdoor facilities?

Unfortunately, the seasons do affect our schedule quite a bit. But just like with travel, it's nothing we aren't used to dealing with. On top of the summer being the only time to play, high school soccer is a spring sport in Alaska. So, we could technically start our UPSL season as soon as mid to late April, but that would cause quite the scheduling conflict, and would prevent those players from participating in the UPSL altogether. We are limited to playing games in June and July if we want to be involved in the playoffs that happen within the rest of the UPSL. The best time for a match in Alaska is probably the first week of June. It's that perfect transition from spring to summer, and produces the best weather more often than not. Outdoor matches can start in mid-April and be played all the way into September sometimes! During the winter months though, everyone becomes restricted to using one of two facilities to play soccer on turf. The Dome is the only facility with a full-size field and track, so it is obviously the most sought after, and thus, very expensive and availability is very limited. The other facility is the Fox Hollow Sports Dome, who have a 9v9 size field inside their dome, so some play is available there, but as is the case with The Dome, Fox Hollow has limited availability as well. Most indoor play is done on gym floors wherever they are available.

Are there any standout players who have developed from your organization in the past and moved onto do well in the college ranks, maybe played at another UPSL or NPSL side? (Women players are of interest to us as well, any player who has developed through your ranks, we'd love to know about!)

As for standout players from Alaska, the most well-known name from my lifetime has been Alev Kelter. She is now known for her rugby play at national level, but when she lived here, she was known for being one of the best and toughest women hockey and soccer players. Other than her, there have been so many Alaskans that have gone onto play at different levels of the game, from junior colleges to D1 athletes to UPSL and PDL clubs. The one that stands out to me the most, obviously, is my brother, Zak Naylor. Zak played his whole youth career here in Anchorage, graduating from South High, going onto Edmonds CC, then to Concordia University, then went on to play for the Vancouver Victory, Portland Spartans, and currently plays for Boise FC Cutthroats.

Arctic Rush, now in the UPSL Last Frontier, is an homage to both Arctic North FC and Alaska Rush SC

For more information or just to follow Arctic Rush: Website, https://www.alaskarush.com/ and Twitter, https://twitter.com/ArcticRush1

Georgia Revolution

Can you tell us a bit about the club? Why the name Revolution?

The team was originally formed as the top of Rockdale Youth Soccer Association and their name was RYSA Revolution. New owners purchased the team in 2016 and kept the name Georgia Revolution, adding FC and changing the crest to differentiate from RYSA Revolution. The team has not been affiliated with RYSA since 2016.

What started as a single NPSL team in 2016 now has 4 adult teams and a strong youth program through our affiliates at AFC lightning and Southern Crescent Soccer Foundation. The club is very active in the community, growing soccer through free after-school programs.

What are some things that lower league soccer teams like the Georgia Revolution can offer that MLS clubs like Atlanta United can't?

This is a two part answer. The first is for the fans. We offer fans a minor league soccer experience similar to minor league baseball. It’s inexpensive, fun, and the fans are more part of the team. They interact directly with the players, coaches and front office. We know our season ticket holders and many other fans by name and spend time talking to them during and after the game. It’s really a cool experience. We're not trying to replicate the MLS, we are providing a different way to enjoy soccer.

For the players, it’s a chance to move into the professional ranks. The club is like a family, it’s not about the money (there isn't much) or personal ego, the players support each other, the coaching staff, and the club as a whole. We hear this from our players on all of our teams and it’s something we are very proud of.

Is there any collaboration with Atlanta United?

Not at this time. Hopefully in the future we can schedule a friendly with ATL United 2, or in a perfect world, face ATL United in a U.S. Open Cup match.

The club has a very developed youth and reserve system, with players from the U19s U21s and U23s often breaking into the first team. Is player development important to the Revolution?

Player development is the most important part of the Revs. We commit significant time and resources to make us the destination for players who have aged out of youth but want to continue to play at a high level. There are many quality players in the Atlanta area and we provide an option for those who commit to professional training, buy into our club philosophy, and want to play on competitive teams. This makes us unique, I don't know of any other club in our area (and possibly the U.S.) that so aggressively focuses on player development after youth and/or college and provides levels of play as high as the NPSL.

The Reserve teams compete in the Atlanta District Amateur Soccer League, how's the level of play in this league? Does it help prepare players for the first team?

Our Reserves, U23 and U21 (formally Revs Blue) all play in the ADASL. Our Reserves won the 1st division championship this year and are going to participate in the U.S. Open Cup qualifiers. Our U23 and U21 teams play in the 2nd division and are considered developmental teams that feed players to our Reserves. Six Reserves are now playing on the NPSL team. The level of competition in the ADASL is very high. Division 1 is not your typical Sunday league, most teams are comprised of former professionals and high level college graduates. The ADASL is entering its 52nd year and was recently designated a premier amateur soccer league by USASL.

Our youth play with our affiliate, AFC Lightning and Lake Country United FC. AFC is one of the oldest and most successful youth organizations in the state and we are very excited to have this new affiliation. Lake Country was our first affiliate and they are a great organization east of the Atlanta metro area which provides elite soccer in one of the most economically challenged areas of the state at a very low cost.

Does the club work with the community in McDonough at all?

Absolutely. We work with the Southern Crescent Soccer Foundation to provide free after-school soccer leagues in several elementary schools. Our goal is to give every child the opportunity to play soccer regardless of their financial means and to continue to grow the sport. In addition to that, we work with local businesses to promote each other and have developed some great relationships over the years.

There are a few players currently in college on the roster, can you say something about working with college players?

College players are a great addition to our NPSL team in the summer because they are fit and ready to play on day one. At times it’s a bit hit or miss, not all college players want to play in the summer for only the pride of wearing the badge. Over the years we have really refined who we take on the team, ensuring that they have the right attitude and want to be a Rev. The groups of college players we have now are fantastic both on and off the field.

There are also a good number of international players coming in from all over the globe. How does the club go about recruiting these players?

Atlanta is an international city. Most of our international players are local to the area, several of them are college players who play at local schools and want to continue playing with the revs during the summer.

What are long term visions for the club?

To continue to grow the sport. From our after-school programs to adult amateur to the NPSL, we are 100% focused on growing soccer and providing opportunity to players. Our goal is to one day consistently draw 1000 or more fans and become the pride of Henry County.

After the rebranding of the Silverbacks to Atlanta SC is the rivalry still alive?

Yes. Different name, same rivalry. The name change may not have gone over well with some of their fans, but Atlanta SC made the right decision based on many business factors and have kept the team alive. At the end of the day, all lower level clubs, including the Revs, are working towards long term sustainability and we support one another to make this happen.

Is there any player we should keep an eye out for this season?

There are a few but if I have to pick one, its Jack Gurr. He's our team captain and a dynamic player. He was an NAIA All-American and last season was NPSL Southeast All XI. I have no doubt he will sign a pro contract in the near future.

Anything else we should know about the club?

That we are a family. When a fan comes through the gate it’s our family members selling tickets, running the store, and doing the other dozens of things that make the match an entertaining experience. The Revs club is just that, a club that players, fans and staff can call home.

- Paul Kowalczyk

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For more information on the Georgia Revolution:

Team Website: http://georgiarevolutionfc.com

Tickets: http://georgiarevolutionfc.com/2019-single-game-tickets/

Team Store: http://georgiarevolutionfc.com/store/

Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @GA_Revolution

Like on Facebook: @Georgia Revolution FC

Kalabash Academy

In the process of covering International Portland Select FC, attending their US Open Cup qualifiers and running into coaches and their social media manager at various Portland soccer events and venues, I’ve become quite fond of the organization and what it stands for. So, when IPS FC assistant coach and former player Foday Kabba reached out to let me know about his other project, I was floored at the opportunity to help and to share. But instead of my telling you all about Kalabash Academy, I asked a few questions to help get the story out.

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You’ve started a fairly new club here in Oregon, but what city and what league do you participate in?

We are a non-profit academy founded here in Portland, OR but operate in three different countries in West Africa (Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea).

Our academy focuses on providing an age-appropriate learning environment for kids who otherwise will never have this opportunity. You’ll find increased training, less total games, and more meaningful games.

What's your club's mission? What do you hope to accomplish?

Our primary purpose is to build communities and encourage growth through education, sports, and wellness in West Africa.

Mission: To build communities by delivering an inclusive soccer academy, fitness AND wellness experience to all.

The idea is to use education and soccer to offer youth in this poverty ridden countries a way to a better life. Those kids can in turn transform their immediate families and community.

It is also important to note that we are taking a new approach in making sure this academy will be around for a long time with a sustainable model. We will have a wellness/fitness center that is open to the general public and revenue generated from the wellness/fitness center is the means to sustaining the academy.

Who are the founders and coaches so far? Have they been connected to any clubs we might know of in the area?

I am the founder. We have a list of our coaches on the website. I am connected to FC Portland where I played as a youth and now coach for. And IPS as both a player and assistant coach.

How can locals get involved? Are you looking for assistance and support?

Locals can get involved by following our story, sharing our story, and getting involve by donating anything they can (time, money, material things, etc.)

And yes, we are always looking for assistance and support in whatever form that may be.

When does your club plan on starting play and where can people get in touch?

We have tryouts coming up in June (8th - 21st). Then the education and soccer curriculum start shortly after tryouts and selection process.

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Kalabash Academy are sponsored by local Portland business, Nike, The Far Post, and by the youth organization founded by Portland soccer legend Clive Charles, FC Portland. Coach Kabba left on May 28th to get the Academy prepared for tryouts, which take place starting the first week June. Protagonist Soccer will be making stickers for Kalabash Academy, if you are interested in picking up a sticker reach out to the club—visit their website here and to become a sponsor or support their sponsors.