Spokane Velocity FC is an American professional soccer team based in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

, competing in

USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championsh ...

History

In March 2021,

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

announced a proposal to build a 5,000-seat stadium in downtown Spokane to serve as home to a new

club. In May 2021, the Spokane Public School Board voted to approve the $31 million stadium project. In December 2021, the Spokane Public Facilities District met with USL and

MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro is a men's professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer. It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and will expand to 28 in 2023. The league comprises 27 reserve sides for MLS club ...

officials over which league would place a team at the city-run stadium. On October 7, 2022, the club announced their new ownership group, Aequus Sports, LLC (led by Ryan and Katie Harnetiaux) as well as that their men's team would start play in USL League One in 2024. The club announced a partnership with

Capelli Sport Capelli Sport is an American sportswear and footwear company based in New York, United States, subsidiary of the GMA Accessories Inc. Founded in 2011 by Lebanon-born and New York-based entrepreneur George Altirs, Capelli Sport also has location ...

on June 21, 2023, making them their exclusive uniform, equipment, and training apparel provider. The official team name, Spokane Velocity FC, and crest were announced at a launch event on July 21, 2023. On November 15, 2023,

Charleston Battery The Charleston Battery are an American professional association football, soccer club based in Charleston, South Carolina, and member of the USL Championship. Founded in 1993, the Battery are one of the oldest continuously operating professiona ...

assistant coach

Leigh Veidman Leigh Veidman (born 9 June 1988) is an English professional football coach and former player who is an assistant coach of USL Championship club Charleston Battery. Playing career His career started with stints at both Liverpool and Everton ...

was named Spokane Velocity's first-ever head coach. The team's inaugural match was a 3–1 loss to

Greenville Triumph SC Greenville Triumph SC is a professional soccer team based in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. The club began play in USL League One in 2019. History The formation of USL D3 was first announced in April 2017, and league officials beg ...

played on March 9, 2024, at

Paladin Stadium Paladin Stadium is a 16,000-seat stadium located near Greenville, South Carolina, USA. It was built in 1981 at a cost of $2 million, and originally seated 13,200 fans. It was expanded to its current capacity in 1985, and is currently home ...

in South Carolina. Josh Dolling scored the first goal in Velocity FC history—a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

taken in the 13th minute. The team's first home match is scheduled for March 16 against the

Richmond Kickers Richmond Kickers is an American professional soccer club based in Richmond, Virginia. The Kickers compete as a member of USL League One (USL-1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...

Club identity

The team's name and crest were unveiled on July 21, 2023. Both reference the

Spokane River The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington in the United States. It drains a low mountainous area east of the Columbia, passing through the Spokane Valley and the city ...

, which runs through

Downtown Spokane Downtown Spokane or Riverside is the central business district of Spokane, Washington. The Riverside neighborhood is roughly bounded by I-90 to the south, Division Street to the east, Monroe Street to the west and Boone Avenue to the north. The t ...

and passes near

One Spokane Stadium One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is home to the professional soccer teams Spokane Velocity of USL League One and Spokane Zephyr FC of the USL Super League and USL W League, as well a ...

. The crest features four vertical blue bars that represent the river's waterfalls, while the "Velocity" wordmark above is shaped similar to a simplified version of the Monroe Street Bridge. The Velocity's official colors are named basalt, impact blue, and river rapid white.

Sponsorship

Affiliated women's teams

In June 2021, Spokane was named as one of the founding cities of the

USL W League The USL W League (USLW) is a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2022. It was announced on June 8, 2021 by the United Soccer League with eight founding clubs. It follows the USL W-League, a simi ...

, a women's league that began play in 2022. The team is set to join W League for the 2024 season, along with the completion of

. Spokane's ownership announced in October 2022 that they wanted to bring professional women's soccer to the city. A women's team representing Spokane in the

USL Super League The USL Super League (USLS) is a planned Division II professional women's soccer league in the United States, beginning play in 2023. The league will be owned and operated by the United Soccer League. History USL announced the formation of th ...

was announced in May 2023. It will be owned by the USL Spokane ownership group and begin play in August 2024, sharing their home stadium with the men's team and W League team. The team name was announced in November 2023, as

Spokane Zephyr FC Spokane Zephyr FC is a future professional women's soccer team based in Spokane, Washington, United States. It will be a member of the USL Super League, a new Division I league operated by the United Soccer League, and is scheduled to debut ...

Players and staff

Staff

Current roster

Team records

Head coaches

* Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup. Excludes friendlies.

References

External links

* Soccer clubs in Washington (state) Association football clubs established in 2021 2021 establishments in Washington (state) USL League One teams Sports in Spokane, Washington {{Washington-footyclub-stub