Spokane Velocity
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Spokane Velocity FC is an American professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club based in
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...
. The Velocity compete in
USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...
, the third tier of the U.S. soccer pyramid, and play home matches at
One Spokane Stadium One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Downtown Spokane, 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 L ...
. The team was founded in 2022 and began play in the 2024 season, where they finished as runners-up in the playoffs. The Velocity shares its ownership and stadium with
Spokane Zephyr FC Spokane Zephyr FC is an American professional women's soccer club based in Spokane, Washington, that competes in the USL Super League (USLS). Zephyr FC is owned by Aequus Sports, which also operates Spokane Velocity FC of USL League One (USL1). ...
, a women's team in the first-division
USL Super League The USL Super League (USLS), officially known as the Gainbridge Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional women's soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the National Women's Socce ...
. The club's current head coach is Leigh Veidman.


History

In March 2021,
United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...
announced a proposal to build a 5,000-seat stadium in downtown Spokane to serve as home to a new
USL League One USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's association football, soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019 USL League One season, 2019. The United States soccer league system, Division III league is operated ...
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 (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
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 locatio ...
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 the oldest continuously operating professional socc ...
assistant coach Leigh Veidman was named Spokane Velocity's first-ever head coach. On December 20, 2023, Spokane Velocity signed its first two players, midfielder
Morgan Hackworth Morgan Christopher Hackworth (born January 2, 1997) is an American soccer player. Playing career On December 20, 2023, Hackworth was announced as one of the first two signings for USL League One expansion club Spokane Velocity. Spokane opted no ...
and defender
Derek Waldeck Derek Waldeck (born February 1, 1998) is an American soccer player who currently plays for USL League One club Spokane Velocity. Playing career Youth, college and amateur Waldeck played youth soccer with FC Los Angeles, SCV Magic and Real So Cal ...
. The club signed veteran midfielder Luis Gil, a former MLS and
United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
player, on January 22, 2024. The club's inaugural match was a 3–1 loss to
Greenville Triumph SC Greenville Triumph SC is a professional association football, 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 ...
played on March 9, 2024, at
Paladin Stadium Paladin Stadium is a 16,000-seat stadium located near Greenville, South Carolina, US. 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 t ...
in South Carolina.
Josh Dolling Joshua Jordan Dolling (born 29 December 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward. Career Youth Dolling began playing with the Blackburn Rovers academy, before getting scouted by Manchester United's under-14 team, where ...
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 Velocity's first-ever home match at
One Spokane Stadium One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Downtown Spokane, 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 L ...
on March 16 was a 2–1 victory 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 (USL1). The club was established in 1993, and began play that same year as a United States Interregional S ...
in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,086. The club entered the
2024 U.S. Open Cup The 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 109th edition of the U.S. Open Cup, the knockout domestic cup competition of American soccer. Houston Dynamo FC were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the round of 32 by Detroit City FC. L ...
and won their first cup match against
Ballard FC Ballard FC is an American soccer club based in Seattle, Washington, competing in the Northwest Division of USL League Two. They began play in the 2022 season and won their first league championship in 2023. The team plays their home matches a ...
, the defending
USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...
champions, on March 20 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle. Spokane were the third expansion team in USL League One history to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season, doing so on October 12, 2024. The team won 3-0 in its first-ever playoff match against
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Windsor, Colorado. The club was founded in 2021, and made its competitive debut in 2022. The team is owned by the Katofsky family and the Futur ...
on November 2. The Velocity then defeated
Forward Madison FC Forward Madison FC is an American professional soccer team based in Madison, Wisconsin. The team was founded in 2018, and played its inaugural season in 2019. The team competes in USL League One, the third division of the United States soccer l ...
in a penalty shootout to decide the semifinals and clinch their place in the USL League One championship match. They were the lowest seed to qualify for the title match and the second expansion team to do so in their inaugural season. The team lost 3–0 to
Union Omaha Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. Nicknamed the Owls, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1) in 2020. In the clubs first five seasons, the Owls finished in ...
and finished as runners-up in the playoffs.


Stadium

Spokane Velocity play its home matches at
ONE Spokane Stadium One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Downtown Spokane, 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 L ...
, located in downtown Spokane next to The Podium and the
Spokane Arena Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena (Spokane Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the northwestern United States, located in downtown Spokane, Washington. Opened in 1995, it is home to the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Facility C ...
. It has a capacity of 5,000 and can expand to 12,000 with on-field seating. The venue was competed in September 2023 and plays host to Velocity-affiliated club Spokane Zephyr, along with
Spokane Public Schools Spokane Public Schools (District No. 81) is a public school district in Spokane County, Washington, and serves the city of Spokane. The district includes oversight and administration of seven high schools, six middle schools, and 34 elementary ...
high-school football games and events including concerts and comedy shows. The capacity was reached during Spokane Velocity's home opener in March 2024.


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 o ...
, 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 ...
and passes near
One Spokane Stadium One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Downtown Spokane, 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 L ...
. 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


Club culture

The team's largest supporters' group is the 509 Syndicate, which organizes a march to the match through Riverfront Park to One Spokane Stadium. The 509 Syndicate takes part in drumming and chanting during each match, and stand behind the goal at the south end of the stadium. Their mascot is the "Goats", a reference to the Garbage Goat sculpture in Riverfront Park.


Broadcasting

Local Spokane television stations KHQ/SWX broadcast a selection of Velocity matches throughout the season. Similarly, KREM 2/KSKN 22 cover some home matches. The club's matches have also been televised on
CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports ...
as part of a national contract with USL League One. With a couple of exceptions, all USL League One matches are streamed on
ESPN+ ESPN+ is an American over-the-top subscription video streaming service available in the United States, owned by ESPN Inc., which is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communicati ...
.


Affiliated 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 Women's association football, women's soccer league in the United States. It began play in May 2022 and follows the USL W-League (1995–2015), USL W-League, a similar league that existed from 1995 to 2015. It is c ...
, 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
One Spokane Stadium One Spokane Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Downtown Spokane, 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 L ...
. 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), officially known as the Gainbridge Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional women's soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system, alongside the National Women's Socce ...
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 an American professional women's soccer club based in Spokane, Washington, that competes in the USL Super League (USLS). Zephyr FC is owned by Aequus Sports, which also operates Spokane Velocity FC of USL League One (USL1). ...
. The club held their first match, which ended in a 1–1 with Fort Lauderdale United FC, at a sold-out One Spokane Stadium on August 17, 2024.


Staff


Players


Roster


Team records


USL League One

1. Top Scorer includes all goals scored in regular season, league playoffs,
U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...
, and other competitive continental matches.


USL League One Playoffs


USL Cup


U.S. Open Cup


Head coaches

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


References


External links

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