Shadow Coach Gunning For Brother
It’s early in the season for the Spokane Shadow soccer team but forgive coach Sean Bushey if he spends a moment or two dreaming about the future.
Heading into this weekend’s game, the Shadow is sporting a 4-0 record in the USISL Premier League Northwest Division, 5-0 overall.
Down in Jackson, Miss., the Chargers are running away with the Mid-South Division.
That’s just the matchup Bushey would like to see in the national finals, considering his brother Erik plays for the Chargers.
“We talk weekly, we talk about that,” Bushey said. “We give each other a hard time.”
Like this bit of “Point, counterpoint”:
The Chargers have a loss, the Shadow doesn’t, but the Chargers have since avenged the setback.
Ah, yes, but …
While the Shadow beat the Chargers 4-3 in Spokane last season the Chargers went to the national finals while the Shadow fell a game short.
“They’re a team to be aware of. I know them a little more than most teams,” Bushey said. “The talent they possess, they set the standard, really.”
The Chargers are powered by the “Trinidad Trio” of Jeremy Short, Dwayne Demmin and Lester Felician.
Felician leads the Premier League with eight assists and 18 points. Short is tied for second with six goals and has 14 points. Demmin has five goals, as does Felician.
The trio, from Trinidad & Tabago, are students at Belhaven College, Bushey’s alma mater.
“When I was there it was rebuilding, but we ended up making it to the national championships,” said Bushey, who graduated in 1990. “We had a few South Africans, a Jamaican. The next year the first guy from Trinidad & Tabago came in.”
A new coach from Trinidad also came in since Bushey left, keeping the pipeline going. He also coaches the Chargers.
“In the South there is more of a foreign influence, especially at small schools,” Bushey said. “The quality of soccer is high down there.
”(The Chargers are) better than they were last year, (Erik) thinks,” Bushey said. “They added another guy from Trinidad (who played second division in Scotland). They’ve gotten deeper as well.
“They’re probably a little bit better technically overall than us. Therein would lie the difference. How they would incorporate that, I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen them play. Tactically we can be just as sharp and mentally we can be a little bit stronger. We’re probably a little more physical all around. It would be an interesting matchup.”
On the pitch
The Shadow gets its first look at the Yakima Reds Friday in Yakima. The team returns to Spokane to play the Bellingham Orcas on Saturday. The game begins at 7 p.m. at Albi Stadium. The Shadow beat Bellingham 3-1 last Friday.
Spokane should be in better shape for back-to-back games. Midfielder Kieran Barton will suit up after suffering a deep thigh bruise last week against the Orcas. Jeff Rose, who broke a toe in that game, will not be back.
The Shadow also have a second goalkeeper in Brian Mullan, who finished school at San Francisco.
“We should have a solid roster this weekend,” Bushey said. “We haven’t seen Yakima yet. It should be physical; they had seven yellow cards in one game.”
Corner kicks
Shadow radio announcer Jay Stewart pointed out that the team has a nine-game winning streak in the regular season, dating back to last season. … The Shadow had a 10-game winning streak, including five on the road, last year. Then came a 3-1 loss to the Puget Sound Hammers at home before the current streak started. … Overall, Spokane is 22-4 in the regular season, including 12-1 in one-goal games and 5-0 in overtime, including two shootouts. … Stewart also added a name to the list of favorites - Cascade Surge forward Ziggy Funk. … The A League Minnesota Thunder sold 4.19 percent of its franchise to the Minnesota Youth Soccer Association. The association includes 101 clubs.
, DataTimes