Final Four At A Glance
Chicago Sockers
Conference: Central
Record: 18-5, second in Great Lakes Division
Road to nationals: Defeated the Sioux City Breeze in the conference final 3-1. Sioux City shocked conference favorite Mid Michigan in the semifinals, 2-1.
Players to watch: Forward Matt Hamnett, who had two goals in the conference title match; goalkeeper Adam Throop. Throop had 12 saves in a 1-0 win at Mid Michigan on July 31.
Notes: The Sockers have won seven straight and 10 of their last 11. They were created as a development team for the D3 Pro League Chicago Stingers, who took this season off. Coach Brett Hall is a former North American Soccer League player.
New York Freedoms
Conference: Eastern
Record: 18-6, first in Northeast Division
Road to nationals: Upset the Jackson Chargers 1-0 for the conference title.
Players to watch: Goalkeeper Christian Sir; reserve Alex Vargas entered the conference title game in the 73rd minute and scored at 79 minutes to lead his team to a national tournament berth.
Notes: The Freedoms have won nine straight, but are plagued with injuries. They only practice twice a week because they share a stadium with the A-League Long Island Rough Riders. New York is the Rough Riders’ development team.
Spokane Shadow
Conference: Western
Record: 17-8, second in Northwest Division
Road to nationals: As host team, the Shadow received an automatic berth in the tournament.
Players to watch: Dave Berto, the team’s second-oldest player at 31, leads the Shadow in scoring with nine goals and three assists; defender Joe Marks, an all-league selection at defender who earned co-defensive MVP honors; goalkeeper Brian Mullen, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder who has 102 saves this season.
Notes: The Shadow finished second in their division to Willamette Valley but beat the Firebirds twice at home, where Spokane owns a 7-1 record. The Shadow defeated the A-League Seattle Sounders 1-0 in a June 13 exhibition match at Albi. Player/coach Stuart Saunders is expected back from a knee injury but 1998 rookie of the year Brian Ching will not play. The forward suffered a jaw and face injury in a collision late in the first half against the Sounders and underwent surgery. Ching is hoping to be ready for Gonzaga University’s fall season.
Willamette Valley Firebirds
Conference: Western
Conference Record: 17-5, first in Northwest Division
Road to nationals: Defeated division rival Abbotsford 5-1 for the conference title.
Players to watch: Their leading scorer is JP Capadanno but midfielder Greg Howes scored five goals in one game vs. Yakima. Both players will be seniors at Oregon State University this fall. They had two goals apiece in Sunday’s conference final.
Notes: The Corvallis, Ore., team won the Northwest Division over Spokane. The teams are 2-2 against each other this season, both winning at home. The Firebirds have depth and have made it through the season without major injuries.
USL’S PREMIER LEAGUE National championship When: Today and Sunday Where: Albi Stadium Schedule: Today’s semifinals - Chicago Sockers (18-5) vs. New York Freedoms (18-6), 6 p.m. Spokane Shadow (17-8) vs. Willamette Valley Firebirds (17-5), 8 p.m. Sunday - Third-fourth place match at 6 p.m., championship at 8 p.m. Tickets: Two-day passes cost $12 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under. Single-day box seats are $9 for adults and $7 for children and general admission is $8 and $6. Call the Spokane Shadow at 509-326-4625 or 325-SEAT for more information. Radio: Today’s semifinals will be broadcast live on KTRW-AM 970. Sunday’s title match will be broadcast live on KXLY-AM 920. The broadcast begins with a pregame show at 7:45 p.m. If the Shadow lose today, the consolation match also will be broadcast.