‘They can hear us’: locals cheer on Spokane Velocity FC in championship game at a pub watch party

A bass drum could be heard from outside of the Flatstick Pub on Sunday afternoon. Loren Baker had a job to do.

Baker is a part of the 509 Syndicate, a group dedicated to supporting soccer in Spokane through drumming – win or lose. The group is typically at every home game at ONE Spokane Stadium.

Hundreds of soccer fans gathered at Flatstick Pub in downtown Spokane on Sunday afternoon to watch Spokane Velocity FC in the USL League One championship game against One Knoxville SC.

“What this is about for me is community,” Baker said. “Whatever you’re thinking about, or whatever is going on in the world, this is a place for us to come and be positive.”

Velocity lost 2-0. Knoxville scored its first goal four minutes into the game. At the beginning of the season, Spokane Velocity faced One Knoxville SC and finished with a 2-2 tie.

While winning is nice, some fans are loyal to the team because of the community it has brought them.

Baker drums during games, whether he’s at ONE Spokane Stadium or at a watch party like this one. The beating of a bass drum is a part of most soccer games worldwide, Baker said, because it helps the crowd feel the rhythm of the game.

Having a team to support in Spokane means everything to soccer-loving locals, said Nicole Malubay, a self-proclaimed “chief officer of fun” for Herd Spokane, a group dedicated to cheering on the Velocity.

“I feel like they can hear us,” Malubay said, raising her voice so it could be heard over Baker’s drumming. “It’s so nice to have pride in a team that’s in your hometown, not Seattle. … It’s more grassroots.”

In its second season, this was the second championship match for the Velocity, which competed last year against Union Omaha and lost 3-0.

Many of the fans that filled the pub have been fans since the soccer team was founded in 2022, including Baker, though he said he didn’t know a lot about soccer before then.

“When the team started two years ago, my wife and I decided to get season tickets,” Baker said. “I wanted to do something that was positive. In our culture, there’s a lot of animosity and so this was a chance to yell and scream for 90 minutes and have a good time.”

Other fans, like Denny and Cindy Healy, have been lifelong fans of soccer. The Healys, now empty nesters, raised five boys together and coached them on recreational teams. Cindy coached the younger boys, while Denny coached the older ones.

“It’s amazing to have a local team here to cheer on,” Cindy said, smiling.

Having a local team means travel expenses are down for fans like Malubay, so friends and family are more likely to be involved in games.

“I don’t travel to playoffs anymore. I stay here because my friends are here, my family is here, my dad is here, my best friend is here. I don’t want to be anywhere else but here for playoffs,” Malubay said.

Malubay is one of the original members of the Herd, which also cheers on Spokane Zephyr FC, the local women’s soccer team. Like Baker, she purchased season tickets to Velocity as soon as they were available.

“In 2022, I was over the moon,” Malubay said, grinning.

She emailed everyone she could think of, asking how she could get involved and support the team – that’s how the Herd came to be. The Herd typically buys tickets in Section 109 of ONE Spokane Stadium, Malubay said.

“Everybody needs to go to a game once,” Malubay said. “I’m shocked at how many people have not been to a game yet. I love the Chiefs and I love the Indians and I love the Zags, but none of those teams did two championship games in their first two years.”