Shadow land Real tough rival
There have been bigger matches involving the Spokane Shadow at Joe Albi Stadium, but never has there been a bigger opponent.
The Shadow announced that they have scheduled an exhibition match against Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake to be played at 7 p.m. June 29 at Albi.
Real Salt Lake, an expansion team playing its first MLS season, has an inexperienced roster so it is looking for more matches.
“There are over 100 PDL (Premier Development League) teams and we got approached,” said Andy Billig, vice president and part-owner of Brett Sports and Entertainment, which operates the Shadow. “This is the first time a major league team’s been here in 20 years. This is like the Texas Rangers coming to play the Spokane Indians.”
Brett Sports also operates the Class A High Desert Mavericks, a minor league baseball team, and while Billig was down there, he ran into Salt Lake general manager Steve Pastorino.
“We started talking,” Billig said. “And here we are a month later. It’s really going to be neat for the players, the coach and everybody”
Salt Lake will be the second MLS team to play in Spokane. In 2001, the San Jose Earthquakes played an exhibition match at Albi against the Seattle Sounders.
In 1982, the Spokane Indians, then a Triple-A franchise, played host to the California Angels.
“From our standpoint, it’s yet another reward for what we’ve accomplished over the last 10 years,” Shadow general manager Jeff Robbins said. “Spokane’s fielded a winning team year after year.”
This year’s edition of the Shadow is one of its youngest, but so far Spokane is in second place in the PDL’s Northwest Division, with nine points and a 3-1 record.
The MLS “is where they all want to get,” Robbins said. “Our players will be playing like they have something to prove. We’ve got some work to do to be in position to be competitive on that day, and try to give them a run for their money.”
Salt Lake is unlikely to bring its stars to Spokane, but the Shadow expect 16-year-old midfielder Nikolas Besagno of Maple Valley, Wash., to play. Besagno was the No. 1 selection in the 2005 Major League Soccer SuperDraft and was recently named Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year.
“They will definitely have some of their starters here,” Billig said. “But even if it’s the last guys, it’s still better than anyone to play against the Shadow.”
Salt Lake has three bigger-name players in Jason Kries, Clint Mathis and Eddie Pope, all of whom have seen significant time on the U.S. National Team. Salt Lake is 3-4-2, in third place in the MLS Western Division.