Two area soccer clubs joining forces

Two of the region’s largest soccer clubs are joining forces in an effort to improve player development.

The Spokane Soccer Club (SSC) Shadow and FC Spokane – which together serve about 1,800 players – announced recently that they will begin a cooperative program this year to blend their player pools and coaching resources for premier-level programs serving U15 players and older.

The clubs will remain separate entities. FC Spokane will continue to operate out of Spokane Valley at the premier-level for birth year 2003 and younger, at the select-level for all ages, and also with its youth development program.

“Many different people have put in long hours to make this happen,” said Jay Vela, the director of coaching for FC Spokane. “All of those hours were worth the time as we continue, together, to provide the best opportunity for our players in our area.”

By the start of the 2017-2018 season, programs are expected to be integrated for all ages.

“This is a true coming together from a board-level down to the fundamental level of a soccer ball and teammates,” said Abbas Faridia, the technical director for SSC Shadow.

Annual tryouts for SSC Shadow and FC Spokane premier and select soccer will be held in May.

Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders FC announced an affiliation with the Shadow, which joins Seattle United and North Carolina’s Twin City Youth Soccer Association as youth partners of the Sounders FC Academy.

The goal is to expand and improve the Sounders’ youth development infrastructure through partnerships with youth organizations.

“The partnership with Spokane Soccer Club Shadow only strengthens the club’s presence in Washington and expands our reach to the eastern part of the state,” said Sounders FC general manager Garth Lagerwey.

The move allows SSC Shadow players to be placed on Sounders FC Academy teams. The premier squads for ages 11 and up, now named the Spokane Sounders, will also feature distinct Sounders FC-related kits.

“The players of Spokane now have a direct link to the Sounders,” Faridnia said.