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Spokane Velocity

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Spokane Velocity FC
Founded2021
StadiumOne Spokane Stadium
Spokane, Washington
Capacity5,000
OwnerAequus Sports, LLC
(Ryan and Katie Harnetiaux)
Head coachLeigh Veidman
LeagueUSL League One
20247th Place
Playoffs: Finals
Websitehttps://www.spokanevelocityfc.com/
colors
colors
Current season

Spokane Velocity FC is an American professional soccer club based in Spokane, Washington, competing in the third tier of the United States soccer pyramid, USL League One. Their home stadium is ONE Spokane Stadium. The club's current head coach is Leigh Veidman.[1]

History

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In March 2021, United Soccer League announced a proposal to build a 5,000-seat stadium in downtown Spokane to serve as home to a new USL League One club.[2] In May 2021, the Spokane Public School Board voted to approve the $31 million stadium project.[3][4] In December 2021, the Spokane Public Facilities District met with USL and MLS Next Pro officials over which league would place a team at the city-run stadium.[5]

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.[6][7] The club announced a partnership with Capelli Sport on June 21, 2023, making them their exclusive uniform, equipment, and training apparel provider.[8] The official team name, Spokane Velocity FC, and crest were announced at a launch event on July 21, 2023.[9] On November 15, 2023, Charleston Battery assistant coach Leigh Veidman was named Spokane Velocity's first-ever head coach.[10]

On December 20, 2023, Spokane Velocity signed its first two players, midfielder Morgan Hackworth and defender Derek Waldeck.[11] The club made a marquee signing of Luis Gil on January 22, 2023.[12] Gil has two appearances for the United States men's national soccer team.

The club's inaugural match was a 3–1 loss to Greenville Triumph SC played on March 9, 2024, at Paladin Stadium in South Carolina. Josh Dolling scored the first goal in Velocity FC history—a penalty kick taken in the 13th minute.[13] The Velocity's first-ever home match, at ONE Spokane Stadium on March 16, was a 2–1 victory against the Richmond Kickers in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,086.[14] The club entered the 2024 U.S. Open Cup and won their first cup match against Ballard FC, the defending USL League Two champions, on March 20 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.[15]

The club qualified for its first postseason in history, the 2024 USL League One Playoffs, on October 12, 2024. They would be the third USL League One club to do so in an inaugural season. [16] On November 2, 2024, Spokane Velocity won 3-0 in its first-ever playoff match against Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC.[17] On November 9, 2024, the club won a semi-final match in penalties against Forward Madison FC resulting in an appearance in the USL League One Championship. They would be the lowest-ever seed to qualify for the title match and the second expansion team to do so in an inaugural season.[18]

Stadium

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Spokane Velocity home opener vs. Richmond Kickers on March 16, 2024.

Spokane Velocity play its home matches at ONE Spokane Stadium, located in downtown Spokane next to the The Podium and the Spokane Arena. 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 high-school football games and events including concerts and comedy shows. The capacity was reached during Spokane Velocity's home opener in March 2024.[19]

Clubs crest and colors

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The team's name and crest were unveiled on July 21, 2023. Both reference the Spokane River, which runs through Downtown Spokane and passes near One Spokane Stadium. 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.[9][20] The Velocity's official colors are named basalt, impact blue, and river rapid white.[21]

Sponsorship

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Seasons Shirt manufacturer Shirt sponsor
2024–present[22] United States Capelli Sport Front: QR Code rotating sponsor
Back: Brick West Brewing Company
Sleeve: Gallagher

Club culture

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The team's largest supporters' group is the 509 Syndicate, which organizes a march to the match through Riverfront Park to One Spokane Stadium.[23][24] The 509 Syndicate takes part in drumming and chanting during each match, and stand behind the goal at the south-end of the stadium.

Affiliated women's clubs

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Main article: Spokane Zephyr FC

In June 2021, Spokane was named as one of the founding cities of the USL W League, a women's league that began play in 2022.[25] The team is set to join W League for the 2024 season, along with the completion of One Spokane Stadium.[26]

Spokane's ownership announced in October 2022 that they wanted to bring professional women's soccer to the city.[26] A women's team representing Spokane in the USL Super League 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.[27]

The team name was announced in November 2023, as Spokane Zephyr FC.[28] The club held their first match at a fully occupied ONE Spokane Stadium on August 17, 2024. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.[29]

Staff

[edit]
As of October 18, 2024
Technical Staff[30]
Head coach Leigh Veidman
Assistant coach Renato Bustamante[31]
Goalkeeping coach Vito Higgins
Front Office Staff[32]
President, USL Spokane Katie Harnetiaux[33]

Roster

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As of October 18th, 2024[34]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Mexico MEX Carlos Merancio
2 DF Spain ESP Javier Martín Gil
5 DF United States USA Marcelo Lage
6 MF Peru PER Collin Fernandez
7 MF United States USA Michael Rojas
8 MF United States USA Morgan Hackworth
9 FW England ENG Josh Dolling
10 MF United States USA Luis Gil
11 MF United States USA Pierre Reedy
12 DF United States USA Camron Miller
14 MF Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Ariel Mbumba
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF The Gambia GAM Ismaila Jome
16 FW Colombia COL Anuar Peláez
17 MF England ENG Kimarni Smith
18 DF United States USA Derek Waldeck
19 MF England ENG Jack Denton
21 DF United States USA Ahmed Longmire
22 DF Madagascar MAD Romain Métanire
23 MF United States USA Grayson Dupont
24 MF United States USA Azriel González
30 MF United States USA Masango Akale
31 GK United States USA Brooks Thompson (on loan from Hartford Athletic)
61 MF United States USA Joe Schmidt (on loan from Hartford Athletic)
77 MF Jamaica JAM Andre Lewis
93 DF United States USA Luke Merrill

Team records

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As of November 10, 2024[35]

USL League One

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Season USL League One Play-offs Top Scorer 1
P W D L GF GA Pts Pos Player G
2024 22 7 6 9 26 35 27 7th Finals United States Luis Gil 6

^ 1. Top Scorer includes statistics from regular season league matches only.

USL League One Playoffs

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Season Qualified Round Entered Round Finish
2024 Yes Quarterfinals 2nd Place

USL Cup

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Season USL Cup Play-offs Top Scorer
P W D L GF GA Pts Pos Player G
2024 8 1 2 5 9 17 5 4th, West Did not qualify United States Luis Gil 4

U.S. Open Cup

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Season U.S. Open Cup Top Scorer
P W D L GF GA Entered Exited Player G
2024 3 2 0 1 3 2 First round Third round Jamaica Andre Lewis 2

Head Coaches

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Includes USL Regular Season, USL Playoffs, U.S. Open Cup, and USL Jagermeister Cup. Excludes friendlies.[36]

Coach Nationality Start End Games Wins Losses Draws Win %
Leigh Veidman[37]  England November 15, 2023 present 37 13 16 8 0.35

Broadcasters

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Spokane local channels KHQ/SWX broadcast a handful of Velocity matches throughout the season. Similarly, KREM 2/KSKN 22 cover some home matches. The club has also been televised on CBS Sports Network, which is nationally broadcast. [38] With a couple of exceptions, all of the matches are televised on ESPN+. [39]

References

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  1. ^ "Spokane Velocity FC Hires Leigh Veidman as Club's First Head Coach". USL Spokane. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  2. ^ USLSoccer.com Staff (March 2, 2021). "USL, Downtown Spokane Partnership Announce New Proposal for Downtown Stadium". USLSoccer.com.
  3. ^ "Spokane Public Schools board votes to build new stadium downtown". KREM. May 5, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  4. ^ USLLeagueOne.com Staff (May 5, 2021). "New Downtown Spokane Stadium Development Approved by Public School Board". USL League One. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  5. ^ Allen, Jim (December 13, 2021). "MLS or USL? Decision on professional soccer is up to the Spokane Public Facilities District". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  6. ^ Robertson, Erin (October 7, 2022). "United Soccer League announces addition of men's team to Spokane club". KXLY-TV. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  7. ^ "New USL Spokane Ownership Introduced to Community". USL League One. October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  8. ^ "USL Spokane". Capelli Sport. June 21, 2023. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Allen, Jim (July 21, 2023). "Spokane's United Soccer League team debuts 'Velocity FC' name, logo". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  10. ^ Reed, Justin (November 15, 2023). "Leigh Veidman announced as first Spokane Velocity FC head coach". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  11. ^ None (December 21, 2023). "Spokane Velocity FC signs first two players in club history". Bonner County Daily Bee. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Staff, USLLeagueOne com (January 23, 2024). "MLS, Liga MX veteran Luis Gil joins Spokane for 15th professional season". USL League One. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Myers, Ethan (March 9, 2024). "Spokane Velocity start fast, but lose inaugural match 3–1 to Greenville Triumph". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  14. ^ Reed, Justin (March 16, 2024). "'The atmosphere was phenomenal': Spokane Velocity start party early during 2–1 home-opening win over Richmond". The Spokesman-Review.
  15. ^ Evans, Jayda (March 20, 2024). "Ballard FC falls to Spokane Velocity in U.S. Open Cup after late controversy". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  16. ^ "Velocity clinches playoff berth but falls short against Triumph". USL Spokane. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  17. ^ Spokane, U. S. L. (November 2, 2024). "Spokane Velocity FC's Inaugural Season Continues After Playoff Win". Nonstop Local SWX Sports. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  18. ^ Staff, USLLeagueOne com (November 9, 2024). "Spokane Velocity FC becomes second expansion side to advance to USL League One Final in inaugural season". USL League One. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "'The atmosphere was phenomenal': Spokane Velocity start party early during 2-1 home-opening win over Richmond | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  20. ^ Spokane Velocity (July 21, 2023). "Our Crest". Spokane Velocity. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  21. ^ Craven, Brock (December 19, 2023). "Spokane Velocity FC releases first look of inaugural jerseys!". SWX Right Now. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  22. ^ "Spokane Velocity FC Announces Kit Sponsors" (Press release). Spokane Velocity FC. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  23. ^ Hyun, Nathan (March 17, 2024). "Thousands of fans bring the energy to Spokane Velocity's first home game". KREM 2. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  24. ^ "Know Before You Go". Spokane Velocity FC. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  25. ^ "United Soccer League Announces Addition of a W League Team in Spokane". USL Spokane. June 23, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  26. ^ a b "New USL Spokane Ownership Introduced to Community". USL W League. October 7, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2023.
  27. ^ Allen, Jim (May 16, 2023). "Spokane gets top-tier USL women's soccer team". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  28. ^ "New Women's Spokane Soccer team name revealed". KREM. November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
  29. ^ "Zephyr Earns Draw Against Fort Lauderdale in Inaugural Season Opener". USL Spokane. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  30. ^ "Meet the Technical Team". February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  31. ^ "Spokane Velocity FC Hires Assistant Coach, Renato Bustamante". February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  32. ^ "Meet the Staff: Front Office Team". January 10, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  33. ^ "Katie Harnetiaux Joins USL Spokane as President". Spokane Velocity Football Club. October 18, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  34. ^ "Velocity FC Signs 29-year-old Ish Jome". USL Spokane. June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  35. ^ "Velocity FC Signs 29-year-old Ish Jome". USL Spokane. June 21, 2024. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  36. ^ "2024 Velocity FC Schedule". USL Spokane. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  37. ^ "Spokane Velocity FC Hires Leigh Veidman as Club's First Head Coach". USL Spokane. November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  38. ^ "NonStop Local KHQ/SWX and KREM 2/KSKN 22 to Broadcast Spokane Velocity FC Games". USL Spokane. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  39. ^ Staff, USLSoccer com (February 27, 2024). "United Soccer League and ESPN Renew Multiyear Broadcasting Agreement for USL Championship and USL League One". USL Championship. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
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