Spokane Shadow to join national soccer league

Spokane is about to cast a larger shadow in the soccer world.

Spokane’s top-tier club, the Shadow, are joining the National Premier Soccer League, the league announced this week.

“We are very excited to see our Northwest Conference continue to grow,” said NPSL Chairman Joe Barone, who has overseen the addition of 22 new teams for the 2017 season.

“The Pacific Northwest has always been a hotbed of American soccer and we’re excited to have Spokane Soccer Club Shadow leading the way in the region,” Barone said.

Certainly, the Shadow has led the way recently regionally, winning two Evergreen Premier League titles since their return to the league in 2014.

The Spokane Shadow are led by technical director Abbas Faridnia, president Barrett Scudder and coach Chad Brown.

Faridnia oversees the entire club, from U9s to senior teams, which includes over 1,200 players and 85 teams. Scudder is an officer on the club’s Board of Directors. Brown is the head coach of the NPSL first team.

“Our team has won two of the last three championships in our current league,” Faridnia said. “After winning the championship there is not another step. We are ready to take the next step. The opportunity, if we are lucky enough, to play for a national title and also compete in the U.S. Open Cup is exciting.”

The NPSL is a 91-team league that competes in the country’s fourth division. The Shadow will compete in the West Region’s Northwest Conference against Kitsap FC of Bremerton, Washington, OSA FC of Tacoma and Spartans Futbol Club of Portland.

The Northwest Conference is part of the 17-team West Region, comprised mostly of teams in California.

“We are looking forward to a raise in the completive level and are hopeful that we will be competitive in the NPSL,” Faridnia said. “We do want to provide our area of players and fans the opportunity to watch soccer live at the highest level we can provide.”

The NPSL is the successor to the Men’s Premier Soccer League (MPSL), which was formed in 2002. The league started in the West Region with teams from the Northern California area.

The Shadow schedule hasn’t been finalized, but matches will be played at 4,000-seat Spokane Falls Community College Stadium.