Spokane Shadow ready to defend National Premier Soccer League regular-season title

The Spokane Shadow are back on the pitch Saturday at 7 p.m. against OSA (Seattle) FC at Spokane Falls Community College to defend their Northwest Conference regular-season title.

The Shadow played OSA FC three times last season, winning the final two matchups after giving up four unanswered goals in a 4-all tie in the first game.

“A team we feel we should beat, but it is hard to approach opposition with a decisive plan because the rosters change a lot,” Shadow team captain Jesse Retan said. “The word is they have some (University of Washington) players on the roster, but they’re going to be good, they’re going to be organized. They are a team that we feel we should beat them every time we play them.”

After the home opener, the Shadow will play all five of their regular-season road games before returning home for four games to end the season.

This is the third season the Shadow have competed in the country’s fourth division, the National Premier Soccer League. Last season, the Shadow were knocked out of the NPSL playoffs by FCM Portland 2-1. But even with the less-than-desired finish, the Shadow are looking to at least repeat their success.

Head coach Mike Pellicio thought last season was a solid building block for years to come. He said he hopes the Shadow can make a longer run in the postseason while noting the difficulty with an ever-changing roster.

The Shadow have seven players returning – three of whom made the league’s Best XI team.

“We have some consistency across our player pool, more than we have ever had in Spokane since the reignition of these teams in 2014,” Pellicio said.

The consistency helps the team adjust to the new players who are bound to be added each year. The Shadow’s style of soccer isn’t revolutionary, but it’s fairly unique to the United States. They build out of the back, push numbers forward and stay on the attack, suffocating opposing teams with their possession.

Only recently have more Major League Soccer teams – including the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC – played more attacking styles, pushing the outside backs forward and holding the ball in the opponent’s half.

“We are just hoping that we can put the best product on the field when it matters most, but we also hope we can entertain the fans and provide a style of soccer that is faithful to the youth club,” Pellicio said.

Pellicio is the key component in building the roster. Retan has seen the work pay off around him.

“The last couple years, it has seemed to come together really well,” Retan said. “To be fair, I think Mike does a really good job of pulling in players who we have looked at and would fit in with what we want to do. We want footballers. We want guys who are good with their feet and who want to build out of the back, outpossess, outpass, high-IQ soccer players.”

Retan has been involved with the Shadow in some capacity for 13 years, since he played for the team while at Cheney High.

“He believes in the club. He believes in the badge,” Pellicio said of Retan. “He has probably sweated more than anyone in our club colors. He really wants youth players to improve. He wants to win and he is the embodiment of what I would want on the field as a player and as a captain.”

Finding players who fit the Shadow mold has become easier as the team continues to build a contender in the NPSL. The team is peppered with local players at the collegiate level and beyond.

“Each player has to understand what they’re part of as far as the program goes and put their ego to the side for the benefit of the team, including myself. I admit when I am wrong to the players, I do it all the time,” Pellicio said. “That sets aside from most other programs, because we all understand at the end of the day that we all have the same goal.”

A new addition to the Shadow experience this season is the introduction Supporters Club. A $100 donation earns admission to all home games, special T-shirts and other perks.

“You’re a member of the club, like in Europe,” Pellicio said. “Once we get enough fans, we’ll turn it over to the fans who will elect a president and come up with promotions and songs for the team.”

Pellicio wants the community to embrace the Shadow, the highest-level professional soccer team in the area.