GOALTacoma Blog

Central Blogging Source for Puget Sound

2008-12-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

I have been blogging FOUR (Yes 4!) different blogs about soccer over the last year. There is GOALKitsap, GOALTacoma, GOALSeattle and also the Examiner blog on Examiner.com.

This is about to change.

While I am not closing the GOALKitsap and GOALTacoma blogs for good, they are going to go on hiatus when it comes to covering the Kitsap Pumas and Tacoma Tide FC.

The NEW place to find my blogs about Tacoma Tide FC news is in the centralized GOALSeattle.com blog, right HERE.

The GOALSeattle blog and website has the motto "The Sound of Soccer," so now I will work on living up to that rally cry by covering Sounders FC, Kitsap, Tacoma, and local colleges in the GOALSeattle blog.

Questions? Want to volunteer to blog local Tacoma soccer news here?

Contact me! David Falk goalseattle@gmail.com

Seattle to join Tide in 2009 PDL competition

2008-12-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

The United Soccer Leagues today released information about the 2009 structure of the Premier Development League (PDL).

The eye-opening development is that Seattle is listed as a club competing along with Tacoma Tide and the new Kitsap Pumas next season.

Seattle (as well as Kitsap) both have a "TBA" (To be announced) listed after their names:

Northwest Division: Abbotsford Mariners, Cascade Surge, Kitsap (TBA), Portland Timbers U23, Seattle (TBA), Spokane Spiders, Tacoma Tide, Vancouver Whitecaps Residency, Victoria Highlanders, Yakima Reds.

It is not yet known who will be running the Seattle club. Will it be Sounders FC, since MLS recently disbanded its reserve league? Could it be Seattle Wolves FC, who hope to join the USL Second Division in 2010? The Wolves have previously told me that they will be in the Pacific Coast Soccer League again in 2009, but perhaps after the recent league meetings this has changed.

Stars win opener 7-3

2008-12-07T08:35:00.000-08:00

The Tacoma Stars started the Greg Howes era with a 7-3 win over the Snohomish Skyhawks at the Soccer Center in Tacoma Saturday night.

Despite the win, Stars coach Greg Howes saw a lot of improvement that needed to be made by his squad if they are to be serious contenders for the PASL Premier National Title.

Next up for Tacoma is another home match against the Central Oregon Steelheaders on December 13 at 7pm. Tickets are $5 for adults and the match will be held at the Soccer Center in Tacoma.

Read the match details here.

Stars host Skyhawks Saturday night

2008-12-04T15:21:00.001-08:00

From the Stars:

TACOMA STARS VS SNOHOMISH SKYHAWKS

COME CHEER ON YOUR TACOMA STARS AT THEIR FIRST HOME GAME THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6TH @ 7:00PM DOORS OPEN @ 6:30.

TICKET PRICES: ADULT $5.00, YOUTH (11-18) $3.00, FAMILY PASS $13.00 (2 ADULTS & 2 KIDS), CHILDREN 10 AND UNDER ARE FREE

**NEW THIS SEASON**

STAR BAR - ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE STAR BAR WILL GO TO
SUPPORT THE TEAM. STAR BAR WILL BE LOCATED ON THE SMALL FIELD.

JOIN THE TEAM FOR THE AFTER PARTY IN THE STAR BAR!

DOYLE'S PUBLIC HOUSE (208 SAINT HELENS AVE TACOMA, 98402 -253.272.PINT)
WILL BE OFFERING A BEER SPECIAL FOR ALL TACOMA STARS FANS BEFORE THE GAME.

PURCHASE ONE PINT OF BASS ALE THE DAY OF THE GAME
(UNTIL 6:30PM) AND RECEIVE ONE FREE ADMISSION INTO THE STARS GAME.

THE SOCCER CENTER WILL BE ACCEPTING NON-PERISHABLE FOOD DONATIONS FOR NORTHWEST HARVEST DURING THE MONTH
OF DECEMBER. ANYTHING YOU CAN DONATE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

'Waite' is over in Kitsap; Pumas will prowl Bremerton in 2009

2008-11-17T16:03:00.001-08:00

Glass door entry to Kitsap Pumas offices.

Bremerton, WA - The Kitsap Soccer club today announced fans have voted in the club name "Pumas" for the team that will kick off its first season in 2009.

Lucita Flores-Alvarenga, who voted for "Pumas" in the recent online name the club contest, was on-hand to receive the first two season tickets in club history. The announcement, held at the club offices, was attended by Bremerton Mayor Cary Bozeman, city council members, local soccer officials, fans, media and businesses.

Guests sign book as they enter before the announcement.

The club colors of blue, black and gold were displayed using a new logo for the club's mascot, "Pedro the Puma." An official club logo will be designed by Sungrafx of Silverdale, WA, and will be announced at a later date. The club will wear jerseys 'hooped' with blue and white, and blue shorts.

Shortly after the announcement the club sold its first six season tickets.

Talk about the club & the name "Kitsap Pumas" in the GOALKitsap Forums!

Kitsap Pumas will play in the Northwest Division of the Premier Development League of the United Soccer Leagues. Pumas will play clubs in Vancouver, Victoria and Abottsford BC, Spokane and possibly Yakima, WA, and Portland and Salem Oregon. Kitsap Pumas' closest rivals will be Tacoma Tide FC, who will play in the same division a mere 30 minutes to the south.

Pumas' offices full of excited supporters.

Owner Robin Waite and club Executive Director Ben Pecora spoke to the audience about the journey to founding, and then naming the club. Waite revealed hopes to host a "Kitsap Challenge Tournament" next season at the club's home, Bremerton Memorial Stadium. The tournament would feature out of state competition playing the Pumas.

Waite and Pecora are leaving in a few days for the United Soccer Leagues annual meetings. There the club will build its schedule and network with other clubs.

Robin Waite (left, owner) Lucita Flores-Alvarenga (ticket-winner) and Ben Pecora KSC Executive Director.

Waiting game pays off

Robin Waite first looked into bringing professional soccer to West Sound back in late 2005. It was a bit less than two years after Seattle Sounders co-owner Adrian Hanauer's initial bid to bring Major League Soccer to Seattle had been edged out by Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA. As one of the owning 'partners' of the United Soccer Leagues Sounders, Waite was given permission to explore moving that club to Kitsap County. Initially Waite looked at the Kitsap Fairgrounds stadium site for a possible move. The county even spent money to look into design ideas to make the rodeo and car derby venue work for soccer.

Not the final logo: This is the mascot, Pedro the Puma. Waite says the final club logo might honor Chief Kitsap.

Later Waite took his search to Poulsbo, where he commissioned a stadium design on land he owns near the Wal-Mart complex and a satellite Olympic College campus. (See the GOALKitsap Museum page for more on this.) While Adrian Hanauer was successfully teaming up with new investors to bring MLS to Seattle, and thus doom the USL Sounders to extinction, Waite turned his focus to the largest city in Kitsap County, Bremerton. There he found willing city and school officials and a centrally-located venue in need of some TLC. Memorial Stadium has long been the home of the Bremerton High School Knights and the Olympic College Rangers. It has also seen semi-pro football when the West Sound Orcas played there a few years back.

Waite has been dealing with USL officials about how to 'transfer' the existing Sounders franchise while at the same time talking with Bremerton people about using Memorial. Waite's ambitions were high from the start: he wanted the USL Sounders to come over as-is and play in the top level of the league. That became a tough sell among other USL First Division club owners, some of whom reportedly balked at the idea of Kitsap being 'major league' enough for the still-minor league USL-1. In the end the league decided to grant Waite a Premier Development League (PDL) franchise in the third level of the league structure. Waite immediately went on record as saying his goal is to move the club up to the next-highest level (USL-2) as soon as other clubs on the west coast are ready to join the same division.

It's been quite a wait for both Waite and the Kitsap soccer fans who have been following the saga for over three years. In 2009 Seattle Sounders FC will kick off in Major League Soccer at Qwest Field. A few minutes west by air, but an hour by ferry, the Kitsap Pumas will also debut. Tacoma Tide FC sit ready to take on the Pumas in the 'Narrows Bridge Bell' rivalry cup next season.

East, South, West...Puget Sound has arrived as the 'Sound of Soccer.'

Around the Sound of Soccer for November 13th

2008-11-13T08:14:00.001-08:00

The Youth Media Institute in Seattle produced this soccer PSA.

It continues to amaze me that there is enough (pro) off-season soccer news in the Puget Sound area to run and have frequent content on three area blogs. Just this week Tacoma Tide FC published another player update and then issued a new 'toolbar' for supporters to use on their web browsers as a way of supporting the club.

Over in West Sound Kitsap Soccer Club will reveal their name, crest and club colors on Monday November 17th. GOALKitsap.com got a sneak peek at the colors and updated its look.

Seattle, HQ for the "Sound of Soccer," continues to churn out the news. Sounders FC held their first open tryouts in Spokane last weekend. This week the MLS club announced they will be debuting their new uniforms at a benefit fashion show on December 4th. The club website also took a look back at the first year of developing SSFC, and visited with GM Adrian Hanauer.

Beyond the pros, the college seasons are heading towards their playoffs. The Seattle Pacific Women and Western Washington Women will be in Seattle (Interbay) for the West Regionals the 13th-15th.

The Washington Women will be in Texas this Friday to play LSU in the NCAA's.

In North Sound, Matt Pele was named GNAC Player of the Year for Western Washington's Men, and Viking head coach Travis Connell was awarded Coach of the Year honors.

In South Sound the UPS Loggers Women earned a bye into the playoffs and will host a match this Sunday.

Tide toolbar supports Tacoma's club

2008-11-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

From Tacoma Tide FC:
We are thrilled to share with you our Tacoma Tide F.C. Toolbar. It will serve as a new way to generate revenue. With this Toolbar we will raise much needed funds for Team Travel & Club Development, and you don’t have to pay anything!

This Toolbar will not replace your existing toolbar. The features on the Toolbar are all designed to help us raise funds in a non-intrusive way. Also, it is designed to make your life on the internet easier. THERE IS NO COST TO YOU. There are no pop-ups, adware, spyware or tracking and we also respect the user’s privacy. It is easy to download…just click on the link below.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR TOOLBAR

(you may have to hold CTRL while you click on the link. )

· Whenever you do an internet search initiated from our toolbar and click on a sponsored link amongst your search results, the Tacoma Tide makes $.10 for that click; with no purchase necessary.

· The sponsored links are anything listed in the shaded area with bullet points or anything listed on the right side of the page. (see example below)

· These organizations pay to be in these spots and want you to click on their site to get information from them; they pay to be there because they want the traffic and exposure. You pay $0.00

Performing 2-5 searches a day on something you are interested in and clicking on sponsored links, because those links help you with the information you are looking for, will help us reach our goals faster! This should only take 5 minutes. It’s that EASY!

The Tacoma Tide F.C. is proud to have you as a Supporter! We hope you are equally proud to have our toolbar on your computer. Please feel free to share this toolbar with your friends and family so they can help the Tacoma Tide organization continue to better soccer in the Puget Sound.

So…

1. Download the toolbar.(quick & easy)

2. Search from the toolbar.(type in whatever you’re interested in)

3. Click on the sponsored results. (no purchase needed)

4. You have just raised money for the Tacoma Tide F.C. ! (for FREE)

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE TACOMA TIDE FOOTBALL CLUB !!!

Jon Billings
Tacoma Tide F.C.
Director of Communications
jbillings@tacomafc.com

Portland will join PDL in 2009

2008-11-11T20:48:00.000-08:00

The Portland Timbers announced today that they will field a club in the Northwest PDL in 2009. See the press release here.

It remains to be seen if the new Timbers U-23 will play Tacoma Tide FC, but chances are good that they will. The PDL is also expected to add Kitsap next Monday, and have already added Victoria. Further, the Yakima Reds may not be gone after all. The link above mentions them as still part of the NW division, and we've heard rumblings that they may rise from the grave.

The 2008 NW division had eight clubs, with TFC finishing in first place. Will the Tide's division have eleven clubs next year? We should know more after the league meetings in a few weeks.

Kitsap Soccer Club announced November 17th

2008-11-10T10:20:00.001-08:00

The day for officially announcing the birth of the Kitsap Soccer Club through United Soccer League offices is set for Monday, November 17th.

Read the scoop in our GOALKitsap blog!

Could Tacoma jump up to USL-1?

2008-11-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

Last summer Sounders FC GM Adrian Hanauer told me 'talks were underway' to keep 'the Sounders/USL' alive somewhere in Puget Sound. I just assumed it was the Kitsap club that former Sounders' owner Robin Waite hopes to debut around November 12th.

However, someone outside of our area has sent me a tip that the current USL Sounders might be a relocation candidate, according to murmurs from the league office in Tampa.

While Hanauer couldn't own a USL club (MLS rules), he certainly could push investors Tacoma's way. Further, TFC have been looking at a venue (Mt. Tahoma Stadium gallery index) that would get closer to USL-1 standards, and Sounders FC would benefit from a club staying in the area and developing a player exchange policy.

Mt. Tahoma Stadium seats 5,000.

Further, Kitsap owner Robin Waite recently told me that 'the league is currently deciding' who gets USL-1 rights to Puget Sound.

So, there are indeed some elements suggesting the current Seattle USL-1 club might be looking into relocating to Tacoma.

We'll know more when the league meetings happen at the end of November, I'd guess.Could it happen? Could Tacoma support such a high level of pro soccer?

Talk about it in the GOALTacoma forums!

Loggers featured in Weekly

2008-10-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Junior Janece Levien.
PHOTO BY SEAN DEAN

Tacoma Weekly has a story out on the 2008 Puget Sound Loggers Women and their nationally-ranked success.

Junior Janece Levien scored a pair of goals to increase her season total to 17 as the fourth-ranked Puget Sound Loggers defeated the George Fox Bruins, 4-0, on Oct. 18. And Kallie Wolfer collected the shutout, making three saves, as the Loggers have now not allowed a goal in the last 635 minutes they have played.

Read the rest here.

Giving 1000% for Local Soccer!

2008-10-15T12:39:00.001-07:00

We are kicking off a campaign to get our number of forum registrants up to 1,000 by Sounders FC kick off 2009!

There are lots of places around the web to drop by and talk about the Sounders and Tacoma Tide FC, but let's pick GOALSeattle's forums as 'home base' where we all check in as often as we can.

The club's owners and players will read and are reading these boards. So do local and national journalists. So do hundreds of "guests" per day. Are you a frequent "guest?" We'd like to invite you to register and join the growing total!

Please register and add your voice to the growing throngs awaiting the arrival of Sounders FC!

Visitors to www.GOALTacoma.com and www.GOALKitsap.com should note that those sites now have forum areas at www.GOALSeattle.com!

Tide players back in school

2008-10-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

www.TacomaFC.com is starting to catch Tide fans up with how players who wear the yellow during the summer are doing right now in their college soccer seasons.

Visit the first installment here!

Tide 2008 Match DVD's Available

2008-10-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Tide FC recently announced that DVD's of many 2008 home matches are now on sale via the club's website. Go here for details.

It was the best season yet for the boys in yellow, and certainly one worth remembering and watching again...

Kitsap Soccer Club launches name the team contest

2008-10-01T07:51:00.001-07:00

First official Kitsap Soccer Club press release:

Bremerton, Wash. – Today, a new, professional soccer club is born in Kitsap County, Wash. Located primarily across Puget Sound from downtown Seattle, Kitsap is home to over 300,000 residents. The new franchise will be the first-ever, fully professional soccer team to call Kitsap its home – and most likely the first-ever fully professional sports franchise based on the peninsula itself.

“The franchise has been approved by the USL commissioner and we have secured a fantastic home at Bremerton HS Memorial Stadium. What we need now is for the people of Kitsap help us name our team,” said owner Robin Waite. “This is only the first step of many – team name, team colors, sponsors, suppliers… It’s a very long list – but this is indeed a very exciting time for all of us in Kitsap.”

To submit entries, please log on to www.kitsapsoccerclub.com now. The club will accept submissions until midnight Oct. 25, 2008.

For additional information, please contact Ben Pecora, Kitsap Soccer Club, 360-377-6008.

I've blogged three write-in suggestions here.
Kitsap Sun: Pumas? Kaisers? Name the New Soccer Team

Stars sign 20 players

2008-09-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

37 players came to The Soccer Center in Tacoma Friday night September 13 to try and earn a place on the 2008-2009 Tacoma Stars team. Head coach Greg Howes and assistant coach Teddy Mitalas choose 20 players to make up the initial player pool. The rosters for both the premier and reserve teams will be completed through a series of invitation only tryouts for college and professional players to be held before the start of the season in mid-December.

The players selected to be Tacoma Stars:

Aaron Anderson, Jerry Luppy, Scott Anderson, Brian Moore, Adam Becker, Nate Ford, Lee Williams, Jeff Bader, Pat O'Brien, Patrick Lee, Lukas Rydberg, Tony Rolewicz, Trent Pettibon, Chris Kintz, Alex Megson, Kris Bowers, Micah Saxman, Amos Freieit, Casey Sullivan, Cameron Stone, Keven Creely, Cris Arquelles, Uros Zecevic and Eric Sterling.

(From www.Tacoma-Stars.com)

After 14 seasons Yakima Reds fold

2008-09-26T06:01:00.001-07:00

Reds sit on the stairs before a 2007 match in Tacoma.

It is a sad day for soccer in the state of Washington and for fans of the Yakima Reds.

It had been reported that the Reds were looking for investors to remain alive for 2009. Yesterday the club website posted the following message:

Yakima Reds forced to call it quits after 14 years in the Yakima community - It is with great sadness that I have to write this email to inform you that the Yakima Reds will no longer be a part of the United Soccer Leagues or the Yakima Community. Irwin Research & Development, the owner of the Yakima Reds, has been greatly effected by the current economy, and does not have the finances to support the Yakima Reds in 2009. We have had some great sponsors who have supported us through the years, but the majority of the expenses were covered by Irwin Research & Development. We have tried to get backing from other business owners in our area, sending out letters asking for support, but just could not come up with the funding to commit for 2009 in the time that was needed.

Fans of Tacoma Tide FC will be especially saddened by these developments. In three short seasons the Tide and Reds became strong rivals. The battles of Yellow v. Red never failed to produce exciting and often emotional soccer.

The Reds came into the PDL just one season after the current Sounders came back to life in what is now the USL-1. For fourteen seasons the Reds brought soccer to the Valley and gave fans and players a chance to celebrate the beautiful game.

Along the way players like Jake Sagare and 2008 League MVP Junior Garcia starred for Yakima. The Reds lived on after the Spokane Shadow folded in early 2006. Out of the death of the Shadow Tacoma FC quickly came to life and took over the Shadow's home dates out west. Tacoma FC and Yakima met for the first time on May 20, 2006. TFC got their first goal and first-ever point in a 1-1 draw with the Reds. The Reds and Tide played 8 matches against each other with Tacoma winning the derby 4-2-2.

I remember vividly the last Tacoma home match of just a few months ago. The playoffs and the division were on the line as the Tide hosted the Reds. Up in the stands the traveling contingent from Yakima included the owner, player wives, relatives and other fans. Even though the visitors went home that night with a loss, they knew they had played in a 'big match' and the fans knew they had traveled well.

Here's hoping that, much like the Shadow of Spokane eventually were brought back as the Spiders, Yakima sees soccer returning again as an oasis during its blazing summers.

Subscribe and Follow the LOCAL game

2008-09-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've added two new features to the three soccer blogs I post in. You can now subscribe easily to GOALSeattle, GOALTacoma and GOALKitsap blogs by clicking the menu in the top right corner on each blog.

You can now link your blog and show you follow these Puget Sound soccer blogs by using the "Follow" menu at the very bottom of all three blog's pages.

Being a soccer fan in our area completely rocks right now!

We've got Major League Soccer on the way in Seattle, PDL soccer on the way in Bremerton, and a very successful, fun to watch club wearing yellow in Tacoma.

If you ever want to send along any content, links or ideas for any of the blogs, just email me at goalseattle@gmail.com or post in the comments area.

We are the SOUND of Soccer!

South Sound College Round-up

2008-09-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Time for a look in to the world of South Sound college soccer to see how our local clubs are doing.

The UPS Logger Men are 2-3-1 (W-L-D) after six matches. The Logger Women are 4-1 after five matches.

Across town the PLU Lutes Men are 2-3-1. The PLU Women are 1-1-3.

Down in the Olympia area St. Martin's Men finally won their first match after five losses are now 1-5 on the season. The Saints Women are 3-4 after halting a four-match skid in their last contest.

The Geoducks of The Evergreen State College find themselves in a losing season in Men's Soccer. The guys are 1-5 with one score not yet posted. The gals are 1-5-1.

Tacoma CC v. Edmonds video highlights

2008-09-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Tacoma CC Titans visted Edmonds on September 6, 2008.

College Soccer Bloggers Wanted

2008-08-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

www.GOALSeattle.com, www.GOALTacoma.com and www.GOALKitsap.com are looking for bloggers and / or reporters to help us cover college soccer this Fall!

We have been in contact with many of the Sports Information Directors around the Sound and are lining up players and coaches to send us exclusive blogs about their clubs.

If you are a player and would like to blog for one of our websites, please contact your coach and your SID. They can contact me: David Falk at goalseattle@gmail.com.

If you are a fan, parent or friend, please consider sending some kind of report when you go to a match. It doesn't have to be anything lengthy or professional, just your own view of what went down in a few words.

Here is how our coverage looks so far...

www.GOALSeattle.com
we've got coverage coming from Seattle University Redhawks

www.GOALTacoma.com
we've got coverage coming from Tacoma CC, Pierce CC and possibly South Puget Sound CC.

www.GOALKitsap.com
we've got coverage coming from Peninsula CC

If your local school isn't listed under one of the websites above, please let them know so we can give them some extra love, too!

Tacoma Stars 2008-09 Tryout Information

2008-08-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

From http://Tacoma-Stars.com

The Tacoma Stars today announced they will hold a tournament formatted open tryout at The Soccer Center in Tacoma on Labor Day weekend. The cost to tryout is $35 and every participant is guaranteed to get three matches with different teammates to prove themselves in front of the Tacoma Stars staff.

Players ages 16 and over interested in playing the highest level of indoor soccer in the area are encouraged to try out. The Stars will be filling spots on both their first team competing in the Premier Arena Soccer League’s Northwest Division and their developmental reserve squad based out of The Soccer Center. Reserve players will be available for call up to the first team as warranted and needed through the course of the PASL season.

“This year we’re holding our tryout in a format that will allow players to get more than a brief glance over a two hour period,” said Tacoma Stars general manager Mati Bishop. “We want every player that tries out to get a good look and have a good experience in the process.”

Training for the Tacoma Stars will start in September and the PASL season runs from December through March.

How It Works

Each player in the tryout will be scheduled to play three matches through the course of the day. These matches will be with and against different groups of players selected based on the luck of the draw.
Players will be evaluated on their overall indoor soccer skill, leadership and organizational abilities, competitive attitude, versatility and attitude.

After every player has played three matches, some players may be chosen to play additional matches for further evaluation.

No results will be announced at the tryout. Players will be notified by telephone or email following the tryout about their status with the team.

Talk South Sound College Soccer!

2008-08-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

www.GOALTacoma.com has put forum threads online for all of our South Sound college clubs!

Are you a Clipper? A Titan? A Raider? A Lute? A Geoduck? A Saint? A Logger?

Go here to talk about your club!

Our front page also links to all of the club websites.

National Adult Cup Finals at Starfire August 7-10

2008-07-28T09:47:00.001-07:00

Starfire Sports Complex will once again host the United States Adult Soccer Association National Cup Finals in 2008.

The Tournament kicks of August 7th.

This pdf file page reveals the match-ups and shows that Forza, featuring Michelle French, are the lone Washington State club.

You can see how the finalists got to Seattle here.

Here are video highlights from last year's Finals at Starfire...

Tide season ends with 4-1 loss in Conference Final

2008-07-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

The best season ever for Tacoma Tide FC came to an end on Sunday night July 27th in Fresno California as the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency throttled TFC 4-1.

Tacoma could only muster a stoppage time goal by Spencer Schomaker. Meanwhile the Whitecaps scored one goal just before the half and three more over a stretch of the second to move on to the PDL Final Four in their first-ever season.

Vancouver will play the Thunder Bay Chill next weekend in Ontario for a berth in the PDL Final.

Tacoma will have to be content with going a step further than last year by winning a playoff match, and a step further in the regular season by winning their first-ever division crown.

Read the club website match report here.

Tide douse Fuego to gain berth in Conference Final

2008-07-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

Tacoma's Ruben Orozco grimaces at the ball last night in Fresno.
(Fresno Bee photo)

Last year's 4-1 playoff overtime loss to the Fresno Fuego has been avenged as Tacoma Tide FC returned to the same pitch and knocked Fresno out of the tournament with a 3-0 victory.

Tacoma got goals from Dan Scott, Spencer Schomaker and Chase Tangney to complete the biggest win to date in team history.

Tide fans were kept up to date with the match via posts from the Fuego front office.

Scott's 19th minute header off of a throw-in put TFC up 1-0 at the half. Fresno came out pushing in the second half and the Tide defense was challenged. TFC goalkeeper Jordan Jennings was called upon to make several fine saves.

The Tide got their needed cushion in the 77th minute when red-hot striker Spencer Schomaker finished up after some nice touches to make it 2-0.

The Fuego pushed everyone up, but in stoppage time it was the Tide who would score again, this time on a counter attack that ended on the boot of Chase Tangney.

The Tide wrapped up their first playoff win exactly one week after earning their first division title.

In the other Western Conference semifinal match the Vancouver Whitecaps went to overtime before passing the San Fernando Valley Quakes 3-1.

The Conference Final between the Tide and the Whitecaps will be played tonight in Fresno at 7:30 PM. The winner advances to the Premier Development League Final Four!

GOALTacoma.com hopes to have updates of tonight's Final in progress.

Match reports:
Tacoma Tide FC
The Fresno Bee (with photos)
Fresno Fuego
USL

Tide's Schomaker is national Player of Week

2008-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Tide FC forward Spencer Schomaker (Syracuse University) has had a great week. He scored three goals and added two assists to lead the Tide to their first-ever division title in their 6-2 win over Yakima on July 19th.

The feat earned Schomaker the PDL "Player of the Week" nationally.

Below Spencer is interviewed on Northwest Sports Tonight.

Tide Playoff Match Updates on GOALTacoma

2008-07-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Fresno Fuego front office will be using the USL "Match Tracker" to keep fans up to date onthe Western Conference PDL playoff matches as they happen. (Click link then scroll down to July 26 and Tide v. Fuego. Click binoculars icon to activate Match Tracker.)

We've worked out an arrangement with Joe of the Fuego to also update Tide fans using a special thread in the GOALTacoma.com forums.

Join us on Saturday night and check in on how our boys are doing down south in their fight to win the West!

Video Highlights of Tide's Big Win over Yakima

2008-07-23T07:17:00.001-07:00

The Tide have posted a highlight reel from their 6-2 win over Yakima Reds:

Tacoma plays Friday night at 7:30 in Fresno against the Fresno Fuego in the opening match of the regional PDL playoffs. The winner of that match advances to the regional final on Sunday.

PDL playoff system favors money over records

2008-07-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am not a member of the Tacoma Tide, just a fan.

Bummer. The SFV Quakes did their part and beat the Fresno Fuego Sunday night, but a monumental collapse by the San Francisco Seals gave the Fuego the last berth, and 'hosting rights,' anyway. The Seals went into the weekend with a chance to win the division and instead lost both matches to miss the playoffs entirely.

Now I remember why I HATE Fre$no.

The Fuego have finished with the WORST record of all the playoff teams out west, but because the Seals couldn't finish the job it means that even with the loss the Fuego wil host the playoffs again this year. The Fuego are owned by the Grizzlies baseball club and regularly draw crowds near 4,000 per match.

This is a flaw in the PDL system.

Another flaw? The Tide finished with the BEST record, but their reward is a trip to Fresno to play the HOME TEAM in the first round. Tacoma lost 4-1 to Fresno in overtime last year in the playoffs.

Friday July 25th
Match 1:
Vancouver Whitecaps v. San Fernando Valley Quakes

Match 2:
Tacoma Tide v. Fresno Fuego

Place: Fresno, CA.

Season records:

Tacoma Tide FC 11-4-1 (34 points)
Vancouver Whitecaps 11-4-1 (34 points)
SF Valley Quakes 8-2-6 (30 points)
Fresno Fuego 9-5-2 (29 points)

Tide playoff foes decided tonight

2008-07-20T18:07:00.001-07:00

Here's what the Tide are watching and waiting for tonight:

Fresno Fuego at San Fernando Valley Quakes
(7:00 PM 7/20)

San Jose Frogs at San Francisco Seals
(7:00 PM 7/20)

We want the home teams to win,and here's why.

If both of them do, then the Quakes and Seals will make the playoffs, and the Fresno Fuego will be out. Not that the Tide are big Fresno-haters (I kind of am), but if Fresno goes out then the Tide get to host the playoffs next week up here!

So Tide players, officials and fans will be watching the USL website tonight to see what happens and where we go and who we will play next week!

This is the page that usually gets updated first:
http://www.uslsoccer.com/schedules/2008/8630213.html

(Scroll down to July 20 and watch as scores are added.)

Tacoma-6 Yakima-2! Tide win first-ever division title!

2008-07-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

Top: Spencer Schomaker's header puts TFC up 2-1.
Middle: Celebration after the goal.
Bottom: Celebration after Ruben Orozco makes it 3-1 Tacoma.
(Jenni Conner)

GOALTacoma photo gallery by David Falk
GOALTacoma photo gallery by Jenni Conner

Tacoma Tide FC scored 3-1 advantages over the Yakima Reds in both halves and crushed their cross-state rivals 6-2 at Curtis High School on July 19th.

In Utah the Ogden Outlaws upset the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency 1-0. TFC and Vancouver finished the season tied with identical 11-4-1 records and 34 standings points. The PDL standings tiebreaker rules list the first tie breaker as head-to-head points. Since Tacoma and Vancouver split their two matches this year (5-5 goals for and against) the next tie breaker was overall league goals for and against. The Tide win the Northwest Division crown, their first ever, by virtue of scoring 46 goals and giving up only 23 (+23) to Vancouver's 34-14 (+20).

It was a nervous initial eleven minutes for the Tide. Tacoma knew a draw or a victory would put them in the 2008 PDL playoffs. The Yakima Reds knew only a win over the Tide would put them in.

The Reds dominated the early part of the match and went up 1-0 on a goal by Garcia in the 11th after a hit post rebound gave him the ball for the tap-in.

The Tide seemed unsettled until the 16th when Dennis Sanchez flicked a ball into the Reds' box that was knocked in by Spencer Schomaker. Only two minutes later Schomaker headed the Tide into a permanent lead when he perfectly placed a ball off of a throw in from Tucker Maxwell. The Tide were rolling from then on out and had numerous chances on goal the rest of the first half.

The third goal, eventually the match winner, was scored by Ruben Orozco in the 31st. His blast into the far corner of the goal came off an assist from Schomaker.

Tacoma's 3-1 halftime lead gave them a bit of a cushion to play with. The second half looked to have far fewer fireworks until the 70th minute when Rafael Cox scored on an assist from Chase Tangney. By that time the Reds were playing with 10 men after Al Valencia was ejected for being the last defender behind the ball and tripping Tacoma's Rory Agu. Technically the lead official had the rule book in his favor, though the call seemed harsh.

There were still three goals left to tally and they all came in the 80th minute or later. Yakima drew to within 4-2 on Garcia's second score. Then Rory Agu (82nd, assist to Schomaker) and Schomaker (90th, assist to Brayton Knapp) completed the rout.

Schomaker ended up leading the Tide with the hat trick and two assists.

The nerves had turned to adrenalin, and the adrenalin had turned into the Tide's 18th straight match at home without a loss dating back to 2006.

500 fans celebrated the win with the club in the bright Tacoma evening sun. Afterwards hugs and applause greeted the guys as they left the pitch and later came out for autographs.

TFC will travel to Fresno this Friday to play the Fuego for the second straight year in the first match of the playoffs. Read why that ticks this Tide fan off here.

Match recaps:
Tacoma Tide FC
News Tribune
TNT blog
USL stats page

It's all on the line tonight in Tacoma

2008-07-19T06:02:00.000-07:00

Before the 2007 Tacoma-Yakima match.

(David Falk)

Tacoma Tide FC have earned their second straight 10-win season in the Premier Development League. In 2007 10 wins was enough to get the Tide into the playoffs. This year we'll have to wait until after tonight's 7:00 PM match with Yakima to know if that also holds true for 2008.

When the Yakima Reds take the pitch with the Tide tonight at Curtis High School they'll be facing a must-win situation if they hope to make the playoffs. If the Reds can win they'll knock Tacoma out by virtue of a season sweep of the Tide.

If Tacoma can draw or win, the boys in yellow will not only stretch their home undefeated string, but they'll make the playoffs and Yakima will be out.

Match previews in the Tacoma News Tribune and Tacoma Weekly.

Yellow and Red face off in last year's rivalry match.
(David Falk)

These two clubs have never really liked each other. The matches in Tacoma have always included cards of various colors, including red. Last season the Tide qualified for the playoffs with a few matches to spare. How did they do it? A 5-0 thrashing of the Reds.

This year Yakima has rebounded with a fine campaign and with some very big road wins. The Reds recently went up to BC and pulled off a sweep of Vancouver and Abbotsford.

Something's gotta give tonight. Will it be the Tide's long (18 matches and counting) home unbeaten streak, or will it be Yakima's chance to return to the playoffs?

The rivalry grows.

1. Vancouver Whitecaps Residency (34 points, 11-3-1)
2. Tacoma Tide FC (31 points, 10-4-1)
3. Yakima Reds (28 points, 9-5-1)

Vancouver at Ogden tonight
Yakima at Tacoma tonight

Coming to watch the Tide:
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students, all general admission
Stadium food available
Free Parking
Directions to Curtis High School

Tide 2-for-1 Coupon for big match this Saturday

2008-07-16T10:40:00.001-07:00

Click, print and clip!

It is do or die for Tacoma Tide FC and the Yakima Reds on Saturday July 19th down in Tacoma. With the Sounders playing at home the night before, and a sunny Saturday in the forecast, this is your last chance to see the future stars at TFC as they fight for a playoff spot.

Who will represent the State of Washington in the PDL (USL) playoffs?

See the excitement for half-price courtesy of GOALTacoma.com

Read a match preview from YakimaReds.com
Read a match preview from The Tacoma Weekly

Tide win 4-3, look to final home match

2008-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

Rory Agu's 81st minute goal gave TFC a 4-3 win last night in Salem.
(Photo from home match v. Cascade in May by Jenni Conner)

Tacoma Tide FC won a wild 4-3 match July 12th in Salem Oregon over the Cascade Surge.

The victory gives TFC a 10-win campaign for the second season in a row in the 16-match PDL Northwest summer league.

With the result the Tide move back into a tie for first place in the division. The Vancouver Whitecaps Residency were shocked 3-0 in Spokane by the last-place Spiders on the same night. In Yakima the Reds kept pace with a 4-1 victory over the Abottsford Mariners.

A playoff entry, and perhaps the division title as well, will be decided July 19th at Curtis High School in Tacoma when Yakima Reds visit the Tide at 7:00 PM. It is a must-result match for Tacoma. A win or a draw sends the Tide to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. A loss would put Yakima in the playoffs and eliminate TFC.

Standings

Vancouver Whitecaps (31 points after 14 matches) 10-3-1.
Tacoma Tide (31 points after 15 matches) 10-4-1
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Yakima Reds (28 points after 14 matches) 9-5-1
BYU Cougars (23 points after 14 matches) 7-5-2
Abottsford Mariners (17 points after 14 matches) 5-7-2
Ogden Outlaws (14 points after 14 matches) 4-8-2
Spokane Spiders (11 points after 15 matches) 3-10-2
Cascade Surge (11 points after 15 matches) 2-8-5

Remaining matches

Vancouver:
July 18 at BYU
July 19 at Ogden

Tacoma:
July 19 Yakima

Yakima:
July 19 at Tacoma

Tacoma-4 Cascade-3
The Tide traveled to Salem on July 12th and took on a recently rejuvenated Cascade Surge. The match was a back and forth affair that saw Tacoma fall behind 1-0 in the very first minute. The Tide went on a scoring spree before the half was over with goals by Chase Tangney (14th minute), and a brace by Spencer Schomaker (18th, 36th).

Tacoma's 3-1 halftime lead slipped away when the Surge jumped back with goals in the 55th and 66th minutes. It was left up to Rory Agu, Tacoma native, to put the Tide back on top for good and he did so with an 81st minute tally.

Tacoma outshot the Surge 11-6, had more corners 6-3 and forced more saves 7-3.

Tide close to playoff clincher

2008-07-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Spencer Schomaker and Dan Scott hope to lead Tacoma into the playoffs.
(David Falk)

The Vancouver Whitecaps Residency are off and running towards the Northwest Division title after they invaded Yakima on July 11th and torched the Reds 4-1. The victory hurt the Tide's slim chances of finishing in first place but dramatically helped their chances of finishing second and making the playoffs. Yakima and Tacoma are now on equal footing as far as matches left to play (2) but the Tide have more standings points, 28-25.

If Tacoma wins or draws tonight in Salem against the Cascade Surge, and the Reds lose at home to Abottsford, then the Tide would clinch the final playoff spot. A second scenario that could work: A Tide win and a Yakima draw would put TFC four points up with only three points left to grab. Anything else and next Saturday's Yakima-Tide match at Curtis High School will determine who enters the playoffs with Vancouver.

The BYU Cougars sit in 4th place and need to win out along with having the exact right scenario from Tacoma and Yakima: A Yakima loss to Abbey tonight and a win over Tacoma next week, along with a Tide loss tonight. If that all somehow happened, BYU would have 29 points and TFC and Yakima would end the season with 28 each and out of the playoffs.

Vancouver Whitecaps (31 points after 13 matches) 10-2-1
Tacoma Tide (28 points after 14 matches) 9-4-1
Yakima Reds (25 points after 14 matches) 8-5-1
BYU Cougars (20 points after 13 matches) 6-5-2
Abottsford Mariners (17 points after 13 matches) 5-6-2
Ogden Outlaws (14 points after 13 matches) 4-7-2
Cascade Surge (11 points after 12 matches) 2-7-5
Spokane Spiders (7 points after 13 matches) 2-10-2

Remain matches

Vancouver:
July 12 at Spokane
July 18 at BYU
July 19 at Ogden

Tacoma:
July 12 at Cascade
July 19 Yakima

Yakima:
July 12 Abottsford
July 19 at Tacoma

BYU:
July 12 at Ogden
July 18 Vancouver
July 19 Abottsford

Whitecaps catch Tide for first place

2008-07-06T20:52:00.001-07:00

The Vancouver Whitecaps Residency Club have caught the Tacoma Tide for first place and still have two matches in hand to take the lead all for themselves.

Vancouver beat Abottsford 3-0 on Sunday July 6 to get to the 28 point total, same as Tacoma. The Tide were idle and next play in Salem July 12 against the Cascade Surge.

Vancouver Whitecaps (28 points after 12 matches) 9-2-1
Tacoma Tide (28 points after 14 matches) 9-4-1
Yakima Reds (25 points after 13 matches) 8-4-1
BYU Cougars (17 points after 12 matches) 5-5-2
Abottsford Mariners (16 points after 12 matches) 5-6-1
Ogden Outlaws (14 points after 12 matches) 4-6-2
Cascade Surge (11 points after 12 matches) 2-7-5
Spokane Spiders (7 points after 13 matches) 2-10-1

Remain matches

Vancouver:
July 11 at Yakima
July 12 at Spokane
July 18 at BYU
July 19 at Ogden

Tacoma:
July 12 at Cascade
July 19 Yakima

Yakima:
July 11 Vancouver
July 12 Abottsford
July 19 at Tacoma

Tacoma Weekly Profiles Tide Keeper Jennings

2008-07-03T08:18:00.001-07:00

The Tacoma Weekly has a nice story on Tacoma Tide FC goalkeeper (Seattle University) Jordan Jennings.

“I’ve been playing soccer since I was really small,” said Jordan Jennings, goalkeeper for Seattle University and the Tacoma Tide, in a recent interview in a cafe, where he nursed a root beer – the only drink in the place without some caffeine.

“At this point, it’s all mental. It’s not about technique. It is about staying totally focused during the entire game.”

Here is focused: during a recent seven-game streak, Jennings went on a binge of stinginess, giving up one goal and posting six shutouts. He said, in the great tradition, it is not about the goalie, but about the entire defense.

“We have a good defense and we all work together really well,” Jennings said.

Read the entire feature here.

See a pdf file of the front page which includes a photo of Jennings I took.

NW Division race gets even crazier

2008-06-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Who could have seen the Yakima Reds going up to Canada and sweeping Abottsford and Vancouver, especially after the Reds lost 2-0 at home to Cascade the week before? Yet it has happened, and with a 2-0 win in Abbey and a 1-0 win at Vancouver the Reds are right back in the thick of the race to win the PDL Northwest title.

Tacoma Tide FC are holding steady, losing 5-1 on June 28th up in Vancouver, before winning the very next afternoon over Abottsford by the same 5-1 score line.

Tacoma native (Bellarmine Prep) and Cal Poly midfielder Daniel Gray was the star for TFC in their big win at Abbey. Gray scored two goals and assisted on another for Tacoma. Gray is a recent addition to the TFC roster.

Tacoma now have 9 wins and 28 points to lead the division. Yakima and Vancouver have matches in hand that could see them catch (Yakima) or pass (Vancouver) TFC if they can win them.

Tacoma Tide (28 points after 14 matches) 9-4-1
Yakima Reds (25 points after 13 matches) 8-4-1
Vancouver Whitecaps (22 points after 10 matches) 7-2-1
BYU Cougars (17 points after 11 matches) 5-4-2
Abottsford Mariners (13 points after 10 matches) 4-5-1
Ogden Outlaws (11 points after 11 matches) 3-6-2
Cascade Surge (11 points after 12 matches) 2-5-5
Spokane Spiders (7 points after 13 matches) 2-10-1

The Tide have two weeks off before playing July 12 in Salem against the Surge. TFC ends the season with what should be a playoff-tilted match July 19 at home with Yakima.

Cascade wins at Yakima, 2-0

2008-06-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

The night after the Cascade Surge stung the Tacoma Tide 2-1 in Salem to slow TFC's playoff drive, they showed once again that they are not to be taken lightly.

The Surge went up to Yakima on Sunday June 22nd and came away with a 2-0 victory to keep the Reds six points behind the Tide.

In BC the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency club spanked Abottsford 4-1 to move into second place with 19 points after only 8 matches played. Vancouver look like the strongest challenge to knock Tacoma out of the top spot. TFC travel to Vancouver and Abottsford next weekend.

Tacoma Tide (25 points after 12 matches) 8-3-1
Vancouver Whitecaps (19 points after 8 matches) 6-1-1
Yakima Reds (19 points after 11 matches) 6-4-1
Abottsford Mariners (13 points after 8 matches) 4-3-1
BYU Cougars (13 points after 9 matches) 4-4-1
Ogden Outlaws (11 points after 11 matches) 3-6-2
Cascade Surge (710points after 11 matches) 2-5-4
Spokane Spiders (7 points after 12 matches) 2-9-1

Tide fall 2-1 in Salem; Division race tightens

2008-06-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

Tacoma Tide FC lost to previously winless Cascade Surge 2-1 on June 21st in Salem Oregon. Match details are not yet available.

Tacoma's record is now 8-3-1. Cascade get their first league win and are 1-5-4.

In Yakima the Reds were busy rebounding with a 5-1 win over Spokane. Yakima is now 6-3-1 on the season, with two matches in hand to try and catch Tacoma at the top.

The Tide have four league matches left stretched out over the next month:

at Vancouver June 28
at Abottsford June 29
at Cascade July 12
Yakima July 19

They will likely need to win at least two of those matches to finish first or second and qualify for the playoffs. The competition for the top two spots will be fierce. Yakima, Vancouver and Abottsford appear to be the Tide's main challengers.

Vancouver and Abottsford have each played only seven matches. Yakima have played ten. With so many matches 'in hand' over Tacoma, it's anyone's guess as to how this will all play out. I've linked to the schedules here so you can ponder who has the 'easiest' road to the playoffs: Yakima, Vancouver or Abottsford?

Yakima's 6 matches remaining are divided evenly with three home and three away. The Reds host Cascade today and then after that all of their remaining matches are against the other contenders.

Vancouver is at Abottsford today and then they have a three-match homestand against Tacoma, Yakima and Cascade. The Whitecaps' last five matches are on the road.

Abottsford are at the start of a six match homestand that includes two matches with Vancouver, and games against Yakima, Tacoma and Cascade. The Mariners started the stand with a 1-0 victory over Ogden last night. Abbey ends their season with four straight road matches.

Standings after June 21st matches:

Tacoma Tide (25 points after 12 matches) 8-3-1
Yakima Reds (19 points after 10 matches) 6-3-1
Vancouver Whitecaps (16 points after 7 matches) 5-1-1
Abottsford Mariners (13 points after 7 matches) 4-2-1
BYU Cougars (13 points after 9 matches) 4-4-1
Ogden Outlaws (11 points after 11 matches) 3-6-2
Spokane Spiders (7 points after 12 matches) 2-9-1
Cascade Surge (7 points after 10 matches) 1-5-4

Tide energize enough to beat Spokane 3-1

2008-06-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't a full match's worth of effort by any stretch, but Tacoma Tide did manage enough energy over about 20 minutes at the start of the second half to pull out a 3-1 victory over the visiting Spokane Spiders June 20th at Curtis High School.

Tacome Tide FC have now gone 17 straight matches (including 15 league matches and two friendlies) without a defeat at home dating back to 2006.

It was 0-0 at halftime with Tacoma committing numerous turnovers in the midfield and not clicking up front. Spencer Schomaker was out with a hip pull, and will also miss Saturday's match in Salem against Cascade Surge. The Tide were also without head coach Fran O'Brien and GM Mike Jennings. Whatever the reason, TFC came out apathetic and unorganized.

Beau Macaluso barely misses a first-half header.

Fans got free yellow Tide shirts.

TFC's second goal is stuck in the net.

Tide celebrate Machael David's match-winner.
(David Falk)

Match photo gallery NOW ONLINE!

Rory Agu brought the yellow-clad fans to their feet seconds after the second-half kick off when he blasted down the left sideline and rocketed a shot into the left corner to put TFC up 1-0.

Just a few minutes later a nifty flick in front of goal by midfielder Machael David made it 2-0.

The same stretch of improved play netted Tacoma's third goal on a low-ball roller struck by Raphael Cox after a clearance that began with a much-contested free kick award. Beau Macaluso had been tripped outside the box on the right side. Spokane's keeper and coach were complaining loudly about 'the cheating diver' (looked like a hack on his leg to me). Before you know it Cox gave them something more tangible to complain about. 3-0 to the Tide.

The match was a midfield muddle for much of the rest. There was drama when Tacoma surrendered their first goal in over 500 minutes of play, and even more when TFC's Taylor Mueller was red-carded late on and Spokane were awarded a penalty kick.

Back-up goalkeeper Max Walker had been put in a few minutes earlier (on this his 21st birthday). Max rose to the occasion and dove perfectly to his right, outstretched enough to stop the pk shot and preserve Tacoma's 3-1 scoreline.

Tacoma are now 8-2-1 on the season with 25 points and remain in first place in the PDL Northwest Division. Spokane falls to 2-8-1.

The Tide travel to Salem Saturday night to play the Cascade Surge at 7:35 PM.

Tide top Military team 7-1

2008-06-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Daniel Fadida splits the Military defense.

Beau Macaluso watches the ball after a sprawl.
(David Falk photos)

View match photo gallery by David Falk

Jenni Conner's Military match photos are here

Tacoma Tide FC welcomed players and fans from local military bases to Curtis High School for a 'friendly' on Tuesday night June 17th. TFC scored early and late to produce a 7-1 victory over the guys from McChord and Fort Lewis.

It was a sunny but slightly windy night and the Tide wore yellow with blue shorts for the first time ever at home. Club mascot "Surf Dude" waved his new club flag (appropriately made out of a yellow and white-striped beach towel).

NWGuardian.com writes about the match here.

The Military guys have some game, but the Tide were too fit, fast and skilled for them to keep up with. Still, it was nice to get out for soccer on a Tuesday night in Tacoma and to meet some of the soccer fans connected with players on the Military team.

Tacoma hosts Spokane this Friday June 20 at 7:05 PM in their next league contest.

Tide face Military All Stars Tuesday at home

2008-06-15T19:41:00.001-07:00

Tacoma Tide FC are reaching out to the huge Tacoma-area Military community by playing an exhibition match against the best local players from nearby Military bases.

The match takes place this Tuesday night June 17 at 7:05 PM at Curtis High School.

From the Tribune:

An all-star team from McChord Air Force Base and Fort Lewis will run out against the semi-pro Tacoma Tide at 7 p.m. June 17, Curtis High School stadium.

Tide front office says they're hoping to get their club out there front and center in front of the many Army and Air Force soccer fans who may not know they're around.

"We know they've got a lot of guys who know the game from living in Europe, or otherwise have a real affinity for it," Tide communications director Jon Billings said.

Master Sgt. James Royston at McChord said a number of military players participate in the various adult leagues around the region, and a handful from the base have represented the Air Force in the in years past.

That said, keeping up with the Tide's mostly college-age aspiring pros will be a challenge. The Tide stands second in the Premier Development League's eight-team Northwest division, and play home games tonight and Saturday at Curtis.

Royston says he'll do some scouting.

"We won't be as young as the Tacoma Tide but we've got some experienced guys," Royston said. "We're hoping to give them a run."

Come welcome home the Tide from their weekend sweep in Utah and support Tacoma soccer!

Sweet Sweep! Tide nip BYU 1-0 to take Utah

2008-06-15T05:35:00.000-07:00

Spencer Schomaker (seen here at a recent home match) scored the winner in TFC's big victory at BYU on June 14th.

(David Falk)

Spencer Schomaker's goal off an assist from Machael David in the 35th minute was enough for the Tacoma Tide to beat the BYU Cougars 1-0 June 14th in Provo Utah.

The night before TFC had beaten the Ogden Outlaws by the same 1-0 scoreline.

The Tide's lone score came in the 35th minute when Machael David found Spencer Schomaker all alone streaking down the center of the field.

"Mike just played a great ball," Schomaker said. "I didn't do much."

After that, Schomaker said it was hang-on time.

"You're pretty much fighting for your life," he said. "(The Cougars) had all the momentum."

---Deseret News

Now in their third season, Tacoma set all kinds of club 'firsts' in the sweet sweep of the Utah clubs:

*first win in Ogden
*first win in Provo
*first-ever back-to back road wins on the same weekend

The two wins push the Tide higher in the Northwest Division table. Tacoma now stands at the top with a 7-2-1 record and 22 points.

The Yakima Reds continue to fade as they lost their 3rd straight one-goal road match 2-1 at Ogden. The Reds remain in second place with 16 points.

Vancouver Whitecaps Residency are in third place with 12 points after only five matches played.

Match reports:
Tacoma Tide FC
BYU
Deseret News

Tide win first-ever match in Utah!

2008-06-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

Chase Tangney (yellow) helped TFC make history in Ogden last night.
(David Falk)

It took three years and five matches but Tacoma Tide FC have secured their first-ever win in the state of Utah after a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Ogden over the Outlaws.

The first road victory of 2008 moves Tacoma ahead of the pack and alone in first plac e in the PDL NW Division with 19 points and a 6-2-1 record. Yakima Reds lost 2-1 last night in BYU to fall to second place.

The Tide boarded their plane at Sea Tac Airport earlier in the day and then made their way to Ogden for the encounter. Earlier this season Tacoma had won a one-sided 5-0 gunfight at home over the Ogden outfit and were riding a 5-match unbeaten string built from their home dominance.

The match-winner came in the 63rd minute from forward Chase Tangney. Tangney continues his red-hot scoring pace after netting two against Vancouver last week. He now has the match-winning goals in two straight Tacoma matches.

The Outlaw Nation Blog has this report and promises photos later.

Tacoma out shot the home team 13-7 and earned more corner kicks 4-1. Daniel Scott, Machael David and Tucker Maxwell received yellow cards for TFC. The Outlaws' defender Alexander Bernier was ejected with a red card in the 88th minute.

Tacoma goes for more road points tonight as they move south to Provo to face the BYU Cougars. TFC have yet to ever earn a point at the Cougars' home den.

Fran O'Brien featured in Tacoma Weekly

2008-06-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

From The Tacoma Weekly:

When Fran O’Brien signed on to coach the Tacoma Tide in 2007, his immediate goal was to develop a talented group of young soccer players who had already achieved a place in the USL Premier Development League, conceived as the top level of men’s amateur soccer competition in the United States. How far this – or any – group of talented athletes can go, he knows, is largely a function of cultivation, of teaching the tactics and techniques elite players come to acquire.

It is becoming apparent to him that the players are learning what he is attempting to teach.

“Their passing skills and technique are quite good. We are working at staying focused on getting the ball, maintaining possession of the ball, challenging aggressively for every possession,” he said.

And the big lesson: Attack. O’Brien is seeing his team taking on a much more assertive personality. As a result of a more attacking style, the team’s scoring opportunities are increasing dramatically.

The league the Tide plays in, known as the Premier Development League, is likened to a shop window for professional teams hoping to discover aspiring professional players who may enter the MLS SuperDraft. Many of the players currently playing in Major League Soccer and elsewhere began their careers in the PDL.

O’Brien’s assessment is that in a few short years the development of players in the United States now rivals that of the players in England and Ireland. And the players on this team, most of them from the Tacoma area, have an opportunity to compete at the next level.

“They are very talented players, and they are good workers – they are learning doing a lot of the right things, making good decisions. And it is showing on the field.”

Read the entire article by author Rick Walter here.

Tide face Utah Road Challenge

2008-06-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

Rory Agu and the Tide have been great at home, but have never won a match in the state of Utah.
(David Falk)

Tacoma Tide FC face a huge challenge this weekend as they travel to Utah to take on both Ogden and BYU.

How huge?

The Tide have never won a match in the state of Utah, going 0-4 in the last two years combined. To make the task seem even more difficult, the matches away in Utah have not been close, save one. In 2006 the Tide lost 3-0 at both clubs. Last year the Tide came close in Ogden, falling 3-2, but were embarrassed 6-0 at BYU. Combined that is a 15-2 goal deficit over two seasons.

While Yellow are red hot at home they have yet to show that they are a true PDL playoff contender by winning on the road this year. The Tide have had only two road tests so far in 2008, but they have failed them both, losing 5-2 in Spokane and 3-1 in Yakima.

If ever there was a year where you'd think Tacoma might break through in Utah, it's this one. TFC are getting on the plane south with plenty of momentum, and both Utah clubs are not off to very strong starts.

The Ogden Outlaws and Tide will tangle Friday night. The Outlaws are 2-2-2 with 8 points after six matches played. One of those losses was a 5-0 thumping in Tacoma on May 23rd. The Outlaw Nation blog will likely have more in the next day or so on the Tacoma visit.

A PDL club with a distinct advantage are the BYU Cougars. They had played many matches before other Northwest Division clubs even began practicing this spring. Usually that means BYU race off and win the division. In 2008 that hasn't happened yet. The Cougars can point to their 1-1 draw at Tacoma May 24th as one of their better results of the season. BYU is 2-3-1 on the year with only 7 standings points. The Tide and Cougars battle Saturday night in Provo.

Just like we learned a lot about the Tide last week in the big wins over Abottsford and Vancouver, we'll know more about whether these men are serious contenders after the weekend in Utah is done.

Will the Tide finally win a match in the Beehive State, or come home with more stings?

Support GOALTacoma.com!

2008-06-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

Once a year (about the time the internet bills arrive) I put a hand out and ask for help in keeping www.GOALTacoma.com online.

It takes a lot of effort, time and yes...cash, to run this website and its various pages. The Soccer Museum is a must-see archive area that takes a huge amount of 'bandwidth' to maintain.

Are you a Paypal member?

You can make a donation by going to our home page and clicking the 'Donate' button.

Not a member but what to contribute? Email us at goalseattle@gmail.com for details.

So, if you can help the cause please consider doing so. Your donation not only helps me with the bills, but shows that you appreciate what www.GOALTacoma.com adds to our Tacoma soccer community.

Video Highlights of Tide's Big Weekend

2008-06-09T21:37:00.001-07:00

Tacoma Tide Football Club have uploaded highlights from their weekend sweep of Abottsford and Vancouver. You've got six goals to check out. Be sure to see the opener against the PDL Whitecaps by Chase Tangney. What a goal!

New Tide Photo Slide Shows on YouTube

2008-06-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

I've uploaded two recent match galleries up to YouTube. Featured are photos from the 5-0 win over Spokane May 31st and the 2-0 win over Abottsford June 6th.

The toughest part about making these shows is picking the music. Hey, give me some slack, people! You can always turn down the volume..snicker, snicker.

Photos from a Puget Sound soccer weekend

2008-06-09T07:14:00.000-07:00

www.GOALSeattle.com and www.GOALTacoma.com cameras were busy this weekend snapping shots at two Tacoma Tide matches as well as the Seattle Sounders home match against Minnesota. Photographers Jenni Conner, Ron Moran, Rick Morrison and myself (David Falk) did our best to capture another fun set of times around the 'Sound of Soccer.' Here is a photo choice from each gallery with a link to more. Thank you to all of our photographers! (You can submit your photos too. Just contact me at goalseattle@gmail.com).

Friday June 6th Tacoma-2 Abottsford-0
Tide-Mariners gallery by David Falk HERE.

Saturday June June 7th Tacoma-4 Vancouver-0
Tide-Whitecaps gallery by David Falk HERE.

Saturday June 7th Sounders-3 Minnesota-1
Sounders-Thunder gallery by Jenni Conner HERE.

Sounders-Thunder gallery by Ron Moran HERE.

Large Sounders-Thunder photos from Rick Morrison HERE.

Tide surf over Whitecaps 4-0

2008-06-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

#6 Chase Tangney & #21 Spencer Schomaker each scored twice for TFC.

Tangney helps Jordan Jennings earn the shut-out.

View our GOALTacoma.com Match Photo Gallery!

It was a historic night in Tacoma June 7th as the Tide surfed over the Vancouver Whitecaps Residency (PDL) 4-0, handing the BC outfit their first-ever loss in only their fourth match played.

Chase Tangney scored the first and fourth goals for TFC while Spencer Schomaker got the middle two. It was already 3-0 Tacoma in the 23rd minute as the highly-touted Whitecaps lost control of the match at the feet of the pumped-up Tide.

The Tide club website recalls the opening goal this way:

The party began just 7 minutes into the match when a ball was half cleared by Vancouver. The flighted ball made it’s way to the edge of the penalty box where Chase Tangney met it with vigor. The right wing struck the ball on a clean volley with his left foot, and from there it was magical. The volley bent passed the Whitecaps keeper into the upper corner of the net. Tangney didn’t stop running until his entire team caught up to him in a mass celebration. It was the type of goal you’d like to see again and again from every angle possible.

Read the entire club match report here.

Vancouver had many good chances to get on the board but great work in goal by TFC's Jordan Jennings saved the day. The crossbar and post were helpful for Tacoma too, as were several defenders clearing balls off the line and maintaining the blank sheet in the back.

The Tide have now out-scored their opponents a whopping 20-1 at Curtis High School this season. Tacoma's record moves to 5-2-1 while the Whitecaps fall to 3-1-0.

The Tide's undefeated string at home is now at 15 matches over two seasons.

Tide Capsize Mariners 2-0

2008-06-06T22:31:00.000-07:00

Agu gets congrats for match-winner.

Despite the rain TFC had one of their bigger crowds of the season.

"Abbey" had a few chances but failed to convert.
(David Falk)

View over 100 match photos from GOALTacoma.com!

Tacoma Tide FC ran its undefeated home streak to 14 matches over two seasons as they whitewashed the Abottsford Mariners 2-0 Friday night June 6th at Curtis High School in University Place, Tacoma.

Rory Agu's 7th goal of the season, scored in the first half, was the match-winner. Rory had missed a break-away a few minutes earlier but this time finished with a rocket off the assist from Daniel Fadida in the 33rd. Dennis Sanchez came in on the right side of the box in the 83rd minute and headed home the finisher to give TFC a 2-0 victory. The ball had been headed across the goal mouth by Raphael Cox.

Tacoma outshot Abottsford 15-8 and had seven corner kicks to the Canadian side's three. Unlike previous matches with "Abbey" this one was not a rough or foul-filled affair. The two clubs combined for only 13 total fouls.

For the first time in Tide history it rained before, at times during, and then also after the match. The turf was slick but the players on both sides did well to control the ball. Raphael Cox of Tacoma made some spectacular slides to keep the ball in bounds.

Tacoma hosts Vancouver Whitecaps (PDL) June 7 at Curtis High School at 7:00 PM. Vancouver recently bolstered their already-undefeated side with 5 players from the parent club. Bellingham's Webb twins will visit Tacoma, it would appear.

The Tide also announced another home match has been added Tuesday June 17th against a local club of all-stars from the military. That match starts at 7:05 at Curtis High School's Viking Field.

Here's club website match report.

Canada comes calling to test the Tide

2008-06-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

The Tide & leading scorer Rory Agu face a Canadian invasion this weekend.

(David Falk)

Tacoma Tide FC know the next four matches are critical in their 2008 PDL season. You can only play them one at a time, of course, but it is easy to see that this weekend's matches against Canadian sides from Abottsford and Vancouver and the road trip the following weekend to Utah will go a long ways towards deciding 'who' the Tide are this year.

Are they the club that has outscored opponents 15-1 at home? Are they the club who has fallen behind and lost both road matches while being outscored 8-3? Somewhere in the middle?

The Tide host the Abottsford Mariners Friday night at Curtis High School at 7:00 PM. The Mariners called themselves the "Rangers" when they previously faced TFC. In fact, the last time Tacoma lost a match at home was to Abottsford way back in July of 2006, 2-1. Since then the Tide have strung together a 13-match unbeaten string in University Place that includes a 2-2 draw with defending USL-1 Champion Seattle Sounders.

The newly-named Mariners come in to Friday's match with a 1-1 record. Abby lost 3-1 at the new Vancouver Whitecaps Residency team and then last week beat the BYU Cougars 2-0. By contrast Tacoma has already played six matches. All-time against Abottsford Tacoma has a record of 1 win, 4 losses and 1 draw (the first-ever TFC match was a 0-0 draw with Abby on May 12, 2006.)

Vancouver Whitecaps Residency are a new club in the PDL Northwest Division this season.
They have started life by winning their first three matches. The Caps have the afore mentioned win over Abottsford along with a 1-0 victory at Cascade Surge and a 4-1 thrashing of BYU last week in BC. Kyle Porter has already scored three goals for Vancouver.

The Mariners and the Caps will give Tacoma their best shots. Both teams will be rested and ready. While Tacoma will play Vancouver the night after hosting Abottsford, the Whitecaps have Friday night off and will come in well-rested to Curtis High School on Saturday night June 7th at 7:00 PM.

The Tide have a 3-2-1 record after six matches and look to be battling with Vancouver and Yakima for the two division playoff spots. Rory Agu leads Tacoma scoring with six goals.

Fan give-aways are planned for both nights.

Also, after the game on Friday night, join the Tide players and staff at Farrelli's Firewood Pizza.
3518 6th Ave, Tacoma, WA 98406 Phone: (253) 759-1999

Surf Dudes of the Tacoma Tide

2008-06-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

No, I don't mean the mascot.

I had some fun with photos taken yesterday at TFC's 5-0 win over Spokane.

It's all in good fun, fellas!

Get the larger, wallpaper sizes below...

Chase at 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600
Daniel at 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600
Raphael at 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600

UPDATE! I just got a phone call from Surf Dude. Boy was he mad! He says he's the hunkiest Tide of them all! OK, Surf Dude, I hear you! Nice Abs...

Surf Dude at 1024 x 768 or 800 x 600

Samba had a close call, eh?

2008-06-01T15:44:00.001-07:00

See our GOALSeattle.com match gallery here.

In the 5th minute it was 1-0 to Brazil and thoughts of a rout must have passed through the minds of some of the crowd of over 47,000 at Qwest Field on May 31st.

The Canadians had other ideas, and instead they drew level a few minutes later and played the better first half with the better chances. The guys in red were down 2-1 at the break, but leveled the score early in the second half. After Brazil took a 3-2 lead in the 64th the match lost a bit of momentum, but still ended up being a grand spectacle.

Qwest Field was alive with samba music, Canadian support chants and lots of air horns. Fans painted their faces, draped flags around their backs, sang, hugged and made merry.

The Canadians can hold their heads very high after this showing. Meanwhile I would imagine Brazil will go back to work on their porous back line.

Seattle Sounders FC were on hand with screen time, flyers and merchandise available in the Qwest club store.

I completed my soccer 'double-header' day in fine style. Thanks to Mike Jennings, owner of the Tacoma Tide, for giving me a ride up to Seattle after the Tide's 5-0 win over Spokane. Thanks to Ruffneck Scarves for hosting us at the Brazil match. Dan of the ECS completed my journey with a ride home from the Bremerton ferry dock. Cheers, guys!

Local Media cover the match:
Seattle Times
Seattle P-I
Tacoma News Tribune
Shotgun Prose Blog

Tide squash Spiders 5-0

2008-06-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Chase Tangney's goal sequence. (David Falk)

It was over after the first goal, a nice strike by Chase Tangney.

More followed, though, and Tacoma Tide FC ran their home unbeaten streak to 13 matches over two years with a 5-0 pounding of the Spokane Spiders Saturday afternoon, May 31st. TFC have now outscored their opponents 15-1 at Curtis High School in 4 home games this season.

See an exclusive GOALTacoma.com gallery from the match.

Spencer Schomaker (45th minute), Rory Agu (63rd), Steve Mohn (84th) and Cam Vickers (90th) were the other Tide goal scorers.

Raphael Cox assisted on the last two scores.

The Spiders had played to a 1:1 draw the night before in Salem. TFC had moved this match to a 2:05 start time so that players, coaches and fans could head north to Seattle to watch the Brazil-Canada match later that night.

The Tide are now 3-2-1 on the season with 10 standings points. They sit in second place behind Yakima (16 points) and one point ahead of the Vancouver Whitecaps PDL squad. The Whitecaps are a perfect 3-0 and have nine points.

The Tide host the Whitecaps next Saturday night at 7:00 PM. The night before that Tacoma hosts Abottsford Mariners at 7:00 PM (June 6).

Match stats
League standings

My soccer double-header: The Tide and Brazil

2008-05-31T06:38:00.001-07:00

After much planning and finger-crossing it turns out that I am going to both the Tacoma Tide match against the Spokane Spiders at 2:05 PM today, and some other match scheduled for later tonight at Qwest Field.

Call me a crazy homer as at one point I was willing to go to the TFC match instead of Brazil-Canada at Qwest.

The Tide play at home eight times a year. Brazil comes to Seattle, what, once in a lifetime? The boys in yellow from Tacoma still rank as more important to me that the other boys in yellow.

TFC made the overlap moot when they rescheduled their match to the afternoon so they, some of the players and their fans could have a chance to see both matches.

So I'll be helping the Tide 'close' Curtis High School Field and then riding up with some of the team right after to take in the next big match at Qwest.

I am most looking forward to seeing Pato. He's the inventive sprite little young forward that had some dazzling goals for AC Milan last season. A real star in the making.

However, I'd really be just as happy if Rory Agu or Spencer Schomaker or any one of the other Tacoma Tide boys found the back of the net this afternoon and led TFC over Spokane.

Sorry Canada, but yellow is the color of the day.

Media previews Brazil-Canada:
Seattle Times
Seattle P-I
News Tribune

Tacoma Tide Video Highlights

2008-05-29T22:23:00.001-07:00

Tacoma Tide FC have uploaded video highlights from their two home matches last weekend. The club scored six goals in a win and a draw.

TFC host the Spokane Spiders this Saturday May 31st at 2:00 PM at Curtis High School

Tacoma Tide Video Highlights

2008-05-29T22:23:00.000-07:00

Local bands CD "Sound of Soccer" now online

2008-05-26T08:02:00.001-07:00

Novatone have 2 songs on the CD.

"The Sound of Soccer Volume One" is now online exclusively at www.GOALSeattle.com. You can see some band videos and download the CD here.

The CD is a mix of Seattle sounds, from rock to pop to modern rock and even some lo-fi and light industrial. The idea is a 'mash-up' of the sounds coming off the streets of Seattle mixing it up with the wave of soccer madness that flows around us all year long.

Thanks to all of the bands!

Say Hi to Your Mom performs "Zero to Love."

Tide Tied, 1-1

2008-05-24T22:42:00.000-07:00

Raphael Cox' goal sequence.

(Jenni Conner)

GOALTacoma match gallery by Jenni Conner

Tacoma Tide FC drew 1-1 with the BYU Cougars May 24th at Curtis High School. The result kept the Tide's long home unbeaten string going but knocked both clubs out of the race for a US Open Cup play-in spot.

Yakima Reds beat Ogden 2-1 to grab the lone division spot to the USOC.

BYU led 1-0 at the half before TFC began an onslaught that finally brought them even on a goal by Raphael Cox (see end of goal and celebration in video above.)

The Tide had several good chances to net a winner but it just wasn't meant to be.

The draw means the Tide's home streak without a loss moves to twelve matches over two seasons. The last time Tacoma fell at home was back in 2006 when on July 14 Tacoma FC lost 2-1 to Abottsford.

GOALTacoma.com match gallery from David Falk

The May 31 match against Spokane has been moved up to 2:05 PM so as to not conflict with the visit of Brazil and Canada the night before.

"The Sound of Soccer Volume One" CD online next week

2008-05-24T16:03:00.001-07:00

"The Sound of Soccer Volume One" will be posted for download next week at www.GOALSeattle.com.

The compilation disc contains 21 songs from local Seattle-area bands.

Tide convict Outlaws, 5-0

2008-05-23T22:58:00.001-07:00

A noisy crowd cheered the Tide in their rout of Ogden.

One of four second-half goal celebrations for TFC against Ogden on May 23rd.
(David Falk)

View Jenni Conner's GOALTacoma.com match photo gallery

Tacoma Tide FC completely dominated the visiting Ogden Outlaws and turned a slim 1-0 halftime lead into an utter rout with four more goals in the second stanza.

With the 5-0 win the Tide remain hopeful of a US Open Cup qualifying spot (pdf file). The Yakima Reds lead that race going into tonight's final matches. The Reds held serve by beating the BYU Cougars 2-1 in Yakima. Now if Yakima can beat Ogden Saturday night then the Reds will get the USOC entry.

Tacoma must beat BYU Saturday night and hope that Ogden shows much more than they did at University Place and either beats or draws Yakima. If both of those things happen, then the Tide qualify. BYU is now in the same position as TFC, needing an Ogden result and a win in Tacoma.

"Best struck" goal of the night was from Beau Macaluso of UW in the 58th. A steal and break away by Machael David of Gig Harbor and a nice diagonal ball in front to Beau that he hammered home just to the right of the penalty area arc. Some how Macaluso now has a very vocal latina following. After the match they were um, very appreciative of Beau at the autograph table!

Tacoma goal roll call:
TAC: Agu (Maxwell) 43
TAC: Knapp 54
TAC: Macaluso (David) 58
TAC: Agu (Macaluso) 64
TAC: Fadida 77

Club match report
League match stats

We'll have a match photo gallery up sometime this weekend.

Here's a fan gallery from the big win.

Tide face Ogden Outlaws tonight at 7:00 PM

2008-05-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

Tide celebrate a goal against Cascade on May 11th.
(Jenni Conner)

Tacoma Tide FC pick up the race for Northwest Division supremacy tonight as they host the Ogden Outlaws at 7:00 PM at Viking Field at Curtis High School in University Place.

Youth players wearing jerseys can get in for just $1. Fans will get free megaphones in tonight's featured give-away.

The Tide remain with a glimmer of hope to get into the US Open Cup, but they need to win both tonight and tomorrow night at home against powerhouse BYU.

Daniel Scott joins the Tide for his first home match as the new central defender. Scott is a graduate of Gonzaga and his brother Zach is a long-time defender for the Seattle Sounders.

Tacoma have not lost at home since 2006. Last year the Tide went undefeated at University Place, and Tacoma won their first home match of 2008 over Cascade 4-0 on May 11th.

See highlights of that match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Xgu_BAw24

Tide host Utah clubs this weekend, $1 tix for youth

2008-05-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Daniel Scott, right, now plays for TFC.

Tacoma Tide FC hosts the Utah clubs this weekend, and it is $1 night for youth players wearing jerseys.

Friday at 7:00 PM at Curtis High School TFC will face the Ogden Outlaws. Fans will get a free megaphone as part of the festivities.

Saturday night at 7:00 PM the Tide will host the top team in the division, the BYU Cougars. Fans coming that night will get a free pennant.

More details here (pdf file).

Come see the new Tide center back Daniel Scott, from Gonzaga. He's the brother of Sounders player Zach Scott. Daniel will be playing his first home matches with the Tide this weekend as Tacoma tries to continue its home winning streak which dates back to 2006.

Local Music, Local Soccer!

2008-05-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

More details of the comp CD Here.

Yakima Reds are hot, Tide are not

2008-05-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

Yakima Herald-Republic

YAKIMA -- Junior Garcia and Jake Sagare continue to garner much of the attention, but they aren't the only reason the Yakima Reds are off to a fast start this season.

Those two combined for all three Yakima goals, but it was complemented by another stingy effort from the defense as the Reds rolled to a 3-1 victory over the Tacoma Tide on Saturday night at Marquette Stadium.

"Overall, everyone played good," Reds coach Hector Vega said after his team improved to 2-0-1. "Some shine more than others, but it takes 11 (players) to win, and everyone contributed."

Offensively, the biggest contribution came from Garcia, who scored once in each half and also assisted on Sagare's goal as Yakima built a 3-0 lead.

Yakima's defense was once again rock solid, shutting out Tacoma for the first 87 minutes. Overall, the Reds have allowed just two goals in its first three matches.

Vega singled out Josh Hacker for his play. Hacker got the start, filling in for veteran Al Valencia, who was attending a wedding.

"Josh played an outstanding game," said Vega, adding that overall the "defense is doing a great job."

Garcia broke a scoreless tie with a strong individual effort as he worked his way through the Tacoma defense to score in the 38th minute.

He then found Sagare for a goal in the 69th minute, and then put the game away with a score with nine minutes left in regulation.

Yakima continues its early-season homestand by hosting the BYU Cougars on Friday, and the Ogden Outlaws on Saturday.

First half: 1, Yakima, Junior Garcia, 38:00.

Second half: 2, Yakima, Jake Sagare (Garcia), 69:00; 3, Yakima, Sagare (Alonso Rojas), 84:00; 4, Tacoma, goal scorer not available, 87:00.

Saves: Rob McCurdy (Y) 3, Brett Axelrod (Y) 4, Tacoma 7.

Tacoma a stop on "Ruffneck Nation" tour

2008-05-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

A Tide fan wears a new scarf, next to "Surf Dude," the splashy TFC mascot.

RuffneckWear.com is visiting many of their friends around the country on a "Ruffneck Nation" tour. The scarfmakers stopped in Tacoma on May 11th to watch the Tide unplug the Surge of Cascade 4-0.

You can get your Yellow and Blue Tacoma Tide FC scarf at the next home match May 23rd. They are $20 each or you can get one for free when you buy a Tide season ticket. There are still 8 matches left to play at home in the 2009 Premier Development League season. Father's Day is just around the corner. Why not scarf your "Dad?"

Soccer fans around the world know that the scarf is the trademark way to support your club and show other sports fans how much you love the game. Now South Sound has their own club and you should get on board with them and hold your Yellow high!

Follow the Ruffneck Nation tour from their blog as they hold'em high around the country.

More from the Tide home opener

2008-05-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

We've got a second gallery from the Tacoma Tide FC home opener. You can view it here.

Kudos to the Tide staff for providing so many high-quality items for fans this season. We got magnetic schedules at the first game, and of course picked up our great TFC yellow scarves. The Tide also have new uniforms, t-shirts with the new crest and schedule posters.

All of these things go a long way towards making the Tide more professional as a franchise. Great job, guys!

Tide rout Surge for first win

2008-05-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ruben Orozco puts Tacoma ahead with a 37th minute penalty kick despite the diving efforts of Cascade's goalkeeper.
(Jenni Conner with the great photo.)

Rory Agu is about to score his second goal of the match for TFC.

(Jenni Conner, full match galleries linked here soon.)

Jenni's photo gallery now online!

Tacoma Tide FC rebounded from their 5-2 loss Friday in Spokane to pound the Cascade Surge from Salem Oregon 4-0 on Mother's Day at Curtis High School in University Place, Tacoma.

The Tide got goals from Ruben Orozco, Spencer Schomaker and a pair from Rory Agu to build the rout.

The score was 0-0 near the end of the first half when Cascade was called for a hand ball in the penalty area. Ruben Orozco of St. Martin's College converted the kick.

Spencer Schomaker (Syracuse University) made it 2-0 with a rebound in the 62nd minute. Rory Agu of Tacoma scored the goal of the match on a breakaway in the 79th. It was the only goal I didn't catch on the video. Agu powered the ball home on a line from about 5 yards away. Agu completed his brace later with a persistent tap in during a goal-mouth scramble in the 86th.

Sunny and windy for the home opener as Tide fans show off their new TFC scarves.
(David Falk)

The Tide had moved their home opener to Mother's Day at 1:00 PM so as to not conflict with the Seattle Sounders home opener. The switch made the crowd size quite small. Fans who did attend received magnet schedules and got to meet "Surf Dude," the new Tacoma mascot, in person. Season ticket holders picked up their scarves, which are also now available to all Tide fans.

Tacoma moves to 1-1 on the new season. The Tide next play Saturday May 17th at Yakima. The next Tide home match is Friday May 23rd against the Ogden Outlaws. Match Stats

Tide fall flat in road opener

2008-05-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

#12 Beau Macaluso, seen here last year against the Sounders, scored TFC's second goal against Spokane.
(Jenni Conner)

Tacoma Tide FC took the pitch at Greyhound Park in Post Falls, Idaho, and then promptly hit the turf in a 5-2 drubbing at the feet of the Spokane Spiders.

The club website has some of the grim details. Rory Agu and Beau Macaluso scored the goals for Tacoma.

TFC hope to rebound Sunday at 1:00 PM when they play their home opener against Cascade Surge at Curtis High School field.

Today's Tacoma News Tribune has a feature on the 2008 Tide.

I have a small rant posted over on the www.GOALTacoma.com forums. Really, when are the Tide going to practice sooner, and against *other* opposition before the season starts? Both Yakima and Spokane were able to get their squads together and do so.

Tide open in Spokane tonight

2008-05-09T10:53:00.000-07:00

It's a big opener for Tacoma Tide Football club tonight in Spokane against the Spiders.

The match will be the first chance to earn points in the PDL Northwest Division standings. Not only that, but the result counts towards qualification for the US Open Cup.

In their two year history TFC have never qualified for the Cup. If they can do it in 2008 they may end up playing bigger Northwest clubs such as the Seattle Sounders or the Portland Timbers in later rounds.

Last year Tacoma owned Spokane at Curtis High School, winning 4-1. In Spokane, though, the Tide lost an early-season match 3-2.

Tacoma made the playoffs with 10 wins in 2007. Spokane finished last season with 6 wins in 16 matches.

The Spiders have already played their opener. They were squashed 3-0 at home by the Yakima Reds last weekend.

Tide at home Sunday, 1:00 PM

2008-05-07T21:05:00.000-07:00

Ride the Soccer Tide!

Elite soccer talent from the Puget Sound will take to the field this weekend as the Tacoma Tide FC is back for the summer of 2008. On Mother’s Day, May 11^th, the Tide will play their home opener at Curtis HS Stadium. The soccer buzz is ringing loud in the Puget Sound’s ears, and the Tacoma Tide will look to ride the wave in their 3^rd season. The Tide’s league, Premier Development League, is the top semi-pro league in North America. The nationwide league pits 67 teams from Florida, to Canada, to the Northwest in four conferences. The Tide will continue to represent the Puget Sound with the very best soccer products from the area as well as local college stars.

The Tide will bring back some star names from last season and some fresh talent as well. Star goal scorers, Rory Agu (former Curtis HS product) and Spencer Schomaker (Syracuse U. / Roosevelt HS) will receive passes from Chase Tangney (Univ. of San Diego / Bellarmine Prep) and Machael David (declared to UC Santa Barbara / Sr. at Gig Harbor HS) among others. The overall roster returns a large portion of a team that qualified for the Conference Semi-Finals in 2007.

One star Tacoma Tide player will not be back this season. Midfielder, Ciaran O’Brien, demonstrated the PDL’s purpose and has catapulted up to the top American soccer league, the MLS. O’Brien was selected as the 5^th overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids. Who will be the next Tide star to make the jump?

The Tide season begins Friday, May 9^th, in Spokane, Washington against the Spokane Spiders. They will then return home for the May 11^th home opener at 1:00pm from Curtis HS Stadium. Fans who attend games this season will get free prizes, laughs from Surf Dude (the new mascot), and excellent entertainment from the pitch. Tickets are available online at www.TacomaFC.com. Season tickets are just $80 for adults and $30 for students. Season ticket holders will also get a free Tacoma Tide scarf and more! Single game passes are $10 for adults and just $5 for students.

The Tacoma Tide will also be featured on Comcast On Demand this season. Every home game will be FREE to all Comcast digital cable subscribers through their On Demand, Channel 1 feature under Get Local, Local Sports, Tacoma Tide. Games will be available as soon as 24 hours after the game.

For more information on schedules, tickets, group deals, rosters, or anything about the team: visit www.TacomaFC.com or call (253) 564-9329.

Meet the 2008 Tacoma Tide

2008-05-03T08:16:00.000-07:00

Tacoma native Rory Agu scored 7 goals for TFC last season. He returns in 2008.
(Jenni Conner)

Tacoma Tide Football Club kick off their 2008 season May 9th in Spokane against the Spiders. Owner / General Manager Mike Jennings recently revealed the nucleus of returning and new players that will try to lead Tacoma to another playoff spot in the Northwest Division.

Click player links to learn more about the 2008 Tide.

Says Jennings, "Returning up top we have Rory Agu, Spencer Schomacher, Beau Macaluso. In midfield, Machael David, Raphael Cox, Ruben Orozco, Chase Tangney, Mutanda Kwesele. In the back, Mark Lee, Taylor Hoss, Brayton Knapp, Steve Mohn (returning from a broken leg last season). In goal, Jordan Jennings. Promising newcomers are Taylor Mueller (def. from UW), Dennis Sanchez (def/mid from San Diego State), Daniel Phelps (mid from UW), Dustin Allbery (def. from SU),Tucker Maxwell (def. St Martins), Dan Fadida (mid from Savannah College) and GK Chris Blais (Univ of Michigan). There are a few others that will be at training hoping to catch on."

Certainly a roster capable of doing well. A nice blend of South Sound talent and Puget Sound college stars who have stayed local or gone to schools around the country. Interesting to see that TFC will have its first Brit this season, Dan Fadida, who hails from Saltash, England.

With the graduation of Ciaran O'Brien to Major League Soccer it will be up to Agu, Schomaker, Macaluso and David to account for the goals (7) the Tide got from the MLSer in 2007.

Tacoma Tide FC look to rise in 2008

2008-05-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Mike Jennings has the ball rolling for TFC. (Jenni Conner)

www.GOALTacoma.com has an exclusive interview with Tacoma Tide FC owner / GM Mike Jennings as the club gets ready for its third season in the PDL. Jennings also discusses the future of pro and semi-pro soccer in the South Sound:

"There is a window of opportunity here, with the Seattle USL - 1 sun setting, to build, I think, a natural connection between the two leagues (MLS /USL). Perhaps, the Seattle Sounders and The Tacoma Tide can create a template for other organizations to follow. I believe the Tacoma / Olympia area is just right in proximity to the Sounders training area at Starfire and population dense enough to run a reserve side in the USL -1.

There are opportunities to house more players, give them better games than the current MLS reserve schedule, saving on staffing, and opportunities to cross promote and extend the influence of the clubs."

You can read the entire interview HERE.

Sk advances in Narrows League playoffs

2008-05-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

Justin Moore on the attack for SK.

Moore (inside goal, far right) has just knocked in SK's first score.
photos by David Falk

The SK Wolves shut out rivals Gig Harbor 2-0 on April 30th at Joe Knowles Field to advance to the district playoffs.

The Wolves will continue in the Narrows playoffs to determine seedings.

Read a match recap HERE.

See an exclusive www.GOALKitsap.com gallery of over 80 photos HERE.

Surf Dude and Mr. Woo!

2008-04-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of www.TacomaFC.com

"Surf Dude & Mr. Woo!"
Sound like a super hero duo? You can read the story at TacomaFC.com.

Narrows League Boys Soccer Playoffs

2008-04-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

The Narrows League Boys Soccer playoffs begin tonight. Winners will advance to play again on Wednesday night against higher-seeded clubs.

The TNT has the entire bracket.

"Get over it!" T-shirts go online

2008-04-27T08:42:00.001-07:00

Remember this? Of course you do.

Now get something to really remember it by here.

Woo-ed at Soccerpalooza

2008-04-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

Soccer skills wow crowd

SCOTT FONTAINE; Tacoma News Tribune

Published: April 27th, 2008

At SoccerPalooza in Tacoma, a South Korean soccer artist known simply as Mr. Woo impresses hundreds of spectators with his command of the ball.

Fifteen-year-old Hannah Branch relished watching Mr. Woo run around the artificial turf field while bouncing the soccer ball on his head. Her friend Kaylee Garvey, 14, enjoyed the ways he juggled the ball with his legs.

Two 12-year-olds from Kent, Desirae Woodford and Kendra Wallace, compared their favorites of the routine: Desirae liked the times Mr. Woo twisted his torso while keeping the ball balanced on his head. Kendra said the highlight was when Mr. Woo took his warm-up shirt off while still managing to keep the ball in place on his back.

The highlight of Saturday’s SoccerPalooza, a daylong youth soccer fair at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, was watching the South Korean freestyle artist perform feats of soccer skill.

Read the rest here.

Tacoma's Greg Howes wins third indoor MVP award

2008-04-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Photo/MaryJo Walicki
Greg Howes won his third MVP award Friday.

From today's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Greg Howes won his third most valuable player award Friday, putting him in elite company in the Major Indoor Soccer League. But the 31-year-old Milwaukee Wave forward couldn't help casting an envious glance toward the three members of the Baltimore Blast sitting at an adjacent table. Blast goalkeeper Sagu, defender P.J. Wakefield and midfielder Denison Cabral will be playing against Monterrey La Raza in the MISL final tonight at the U.S. Cellular Arena, while Howes will be only a spectator.

"It is bittersweet," Howes said of winning his third MVP award in five years, after also winning in 2004 and 2005. "I'm sure when I go to the game (tonight), it's going to be tough watching it. But I'll go there and support the league."

Baltimore ousted the Wave, 14-13, in Game 2 of the semifinals Sunday, marking the fourth consecutive time the Blast has beaten Milwaukee in a post-season series.

Puyallup pays price for easy victory

2008-04-26T06:25:00.000-07:00

DEAN J. KOEPFLER/THE NEWS TRIBUNE

Puyallup goaltender Kyle Bilharz makes a point-blank stop against Emerald Ridge’s Angel Ventura during the Vikings’ 4-0 victory Friday.

From today's TNT:

The Puyallup Vikings finally have control of the South Puget Sound League South Division boys soccer race. With three games left until the postseason, they weren’t about to let district rival Emerald Ridge fool with it.

The Jaguars left a lasting impression, however, in the final minute of the game Friday.

Puyallup had things well in hand at the time, and simply was running out the final seconds of a 4-0 victory at Sparks Stadium.

Gabriel is bridge between "Sounders"

2008-04-26T06:05:00.001-07:00

Pepe Fernandez, Jimmy Gabriel, Adrian Hanauer, Alan Hinton.
Jenni Conner photo.

Matt Gaschk reports in today's Seattle P-I:

Though it took some time to catch on, the imprint of Gabriel and the long list of players and coaches who brought big-time soccer to Seattle in the NASL will be remembered through the new team's name.

"The fans wanted to call this team Seattle Sounders, and the way they did it was fantastic," Gabriel said of the grass-roots write-in campaign that landed the MLS club on its name. "It shows that we left an impression. (Former Sounders coach Alan Hinton) and I were especially proud that the fans wanted to keep the name."

Bellarmine Prep edges SK for Narrows perch

2008-04-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

www.GOALKitsap.com match photo gallery HERE.

Kitsap Sun match report

Bergeson chose to play Dobb over regular starter Daniel Lathrop because the Wolves were celebrating senior night. In fact, several starting juniors spent a majority of the minutes on the bench in order to keep the team's 10 seniors on the field.

Despite seeing less time on the field than normal, Ricigliano made the most of his minutes by tying the game in the second half.

Tracking a well-struck cross by fellow junior Justin Moore, Ricigliano's diving header beat Bellarmine Prep goalkeeper Chris Carlin inside the right post for a 1-1 tie.

"What a goal," said Bergeson, who credited Moore for making a perfect delivery. "That's all anybody was talking about. Both ends of that were magic."

Even Waters was impressed by Ricigliano, who scored despite having a defender draped on his back.

"It was a great goal, the equalizer," Waters said. "Fantastic."

Tacoma News Tribune match report

Tide mascot: "Surf Dude"

2008-04-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Um. Ok. I promise not to trip him. Maybe.

Battle of Unbeatens: Bellarmine v. SK Wolves

2008-04-23T17:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday night at 7:00 PM at Joe Knowles Field on the campus of South Kitsap High School the undefeated and nationally-ranked Bellarmine Prep Lions will take on the undefeated South Kitsap Wolves in varsity soccer action.

300 t-shirts will be given out to students and kids at around 6:30 PM.

The match will decide the regular season top finisher in the Narrows League.

On Tuesday the Wolves set up the showdown with a 3-0 victory at Mt. Tahoma.

Bellarmine recently toured Ireland, winning matches along the way.

USL-1 Poulsbo Stadium Concept Released

2008-04-17T15:56:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest soccer stadium concept for a Poulsbo, Washington United Soccer Leagues Division One club home. This design comes after Robin Waite and the City of Poulsbo entered into talks about switching land locations.

This could resemble the future home of what are now the USL Seattle Sounders if Waite is successful in building the venue and moving the team to Kitsap County.

Visit this GOALKitsap page for more information.

Waite is talking with nearby Olympic College Poulsbo campus about sharing parking on match nights and letting the college use the facility for its home soccer matches.

Tide offer ways to reward their fans

2008-04-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

2008 Tacoma Tide F.C. Tickets ON SALE NOW
&
Tell Your Friends, Win Prizes

After an exciting 2nd season for the Tacoma Tide F.C. in which they qualified for the 2007 Playoffs, the club invites you to “Ride the Tide” in 2008!

2008 Tacoma Tide Ticket packages are now available for purchase on the team’s official website, www.TacomaFC.com. The 2008 season is right around the corner. The first game of the 9 home matches scheduled is May 11th, @ Curtis HS Stadium. Order season tickets now, and get a FREE Tacoma Tide scarf!

Full Season Ticket Information
This is your chance to RIDE THE TIDE for all 9 exciting Tide home games, including the exhibition match when the Tide take on the reigning USL Champions; Seattle Sounders! Season Ticket Holders receive the following benefits:

* FREE - Official Tacoma Tide Scarf
* Price discount over individual game tickets
* Never a wasted ticket program
* Priority to purchase tickets for any post-season Tide games & US Open Cup games
* Complimentary seat cushion/seat back @ the stadium.

$155 – Field Seats
$80 – General Admission
$30 – Students

ALSO ~ NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW.....

Tide Referral Program

~ Refer and win prizes ~

* Each time our Tacoma Tide fans referrer new ticket holders, they win free prizes.
* YOU can win Tacoma Tide merchandise too!

Each new referral earns these Tide prizes

1st Referral – Tacoma Tide T-Shirt

2nd Referral – Autographed poster

3rd Referral – Pre Game locker room pass

THE TACOMA TIDE HAS SPECIAL REFERRAL PAMPHLETS AVAILABLE. WE WOULD LOVE TO SEND THESE PAMPHLETS FOR YOU TO SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS. PLEASE EMAIL Jon Billings – jbillings@tacomafc.com WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS AND WE’LL GET THEM TO YOU RIGHT AWAY.

Information on all Tacoma Tide ticket sales can be found at www.TacomaFC.com
or email JBillings@TacomaFC.com , call (253) 564-1560 x110

Tide tryouts over, club looks towards kick off in May

2008-04-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

from www.TacomaFC.com

The weekend of April 5th and 6th gave a chance for the Tacoma Tide coaching staff to see local talent on display. The team’s Open Try-Outs fielded players from all over the Puget Sound as well as outside the state of washington. In the end, a few players were selected to return and train with the team in the near weeks. Since most of the Tide roster will be available on very short notice before the season opener in Spokane on May 9th, these trial players have a great chance to see time and make an impact in the squad.

While there were a number of good performances on the weekend, the top head turner was probably William Kelly. Kelly is just completing his sophomore year at the University of Redlands, where he has played both Center and Outside Midfield positions, under Coach Ralph Perez. Prior to enrolling at Redlands, Will was on the Eastside Red FC U-19 2005 Washington State (WYSL) Champions, and two time (2004 & 2005) Washington State High School Soccer Champions (1A) from University Prep of Seattle. The rest of the Tide’s roster will be released in the coming weeks before the season starts in May.

LOCAL "Goals" on World Wide Web

2008-03-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

And then there were three.

A hobby has turned from a passion to an obsession as I debuted the third website in a trilogy of Puget Sound soccer hangouts recently.

In 2003 what would eventually become www.GOALSeattle.com went online. It's focus was to give Seattle fans a place to talk and to bring back to life memories of the NASL and early USL Sounders. It has evolved into the biggest archive devoted to any one city's soccer teams in the entire USA.

In 2006 Tacoma FC were born at the very last minute, replacing the folding Spokane Shadow. I had always hoped Tacoma would get some kind of team. At one point I even traveled to various stadiums in South Sound scouting possible venues. The impossible romantic in me loved the cliff-hanging venue at Stadium High School the most. Now it is 2008 and Tacoma FC are called the Tide, and they will enter their third season in the USL's Premier Development League. www.GOALTacoma was a natural in part to the lengthy history of the Tacoma Stars, who were already a part of the GOALSeattle Museum pages.

It's 2008, and we will see the birth of Seattle MLS in less than a year's time. From my loft-level computer post in Port Orchard (South Kitsap) I made the decision to continue the passion---and the program---by putting www.GOALKitsap.com online. The obsession continues. That's a good thing, though, right?

Kitsap County could well receive what is now the Seattle Sounders USL-1 franchise by 2009. Robin Waite, current Sounders co-owner, wants to build them a home and keep them alive after MLS invades the Emerald City. So now we have the trifecta: and finally the "GOAL" website series has reached as close to my actual home as we can get.

GOALKitsap is part speculation and completely a labor of love. Right now only three people have registered in its forums in these early days. Hey, if you live in the greater Kitsap area, come on over and make it four!

We'll follow youth, college and of course the possible arrival of the Sounders as 2008 comes into focus.

I encourage you to adopt the "GOAL" website that is nearest to where you live, as well as the clubs that website supports. These are terrific times to be a soccer supporter in Puget Sound.

Don't make me say that three times, because I will.

Former Star Black coaches son to championship

2008-03-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

WPFC '93 Black celebrates a goal in the Championship.

Former Tacoma Stars defender Ralph Black coached his son Tyler to a State Championship on March 8th.

From WashingtonPremierFC.com:

From our roving sideline reporter: Many coaches may have won 2 WSYSA state championships in one year, but how many have won those championships with their sons on the teams they coach? Well, there’s now at least one in this exclusive club, Ralph Black! Having already won the BU11 Challenge Cup with his son Tyler, on Saturday, March 8th, Coach Black completed this double when the WPFC Boys’ ’93 Black team, including his son, Andrew, defeated HSC Heat 2-0.

The fans had hardly settled into their seats when WPFC opened their account. Heat had the kickoff, turned the ball over almost immediately and Dom Dismuke led a quit counter that produced a corner. Bryce Joling and Austin Sweeney worked a short corner - and talk about fast, after having worked the short corner, Austin got into the box to finish the play! 1-0 WPFC a minute into the game, spurring the raucous group of WPFC supporters in the stands to make even more noise! The rest of the first half was dominated by WPFC possession, producing numerous scoring opportunities, punctuated by quit counters by Heat. The WPFC defense of Brett Bertrand, Jordan Cohen and Ely Peterson backed by goalies Ian Clark and Troy Albin held firm, however, and in first half injury time, Ceasar Ramos got the ball in the box, turned on a dime and slotted home a shot to the far post to put WPFC up 2-0.

In the second half, WPFC’s midfield of Bryce Joling, Andrew Black, Ian Lange, Ike Crook and Austin Sweeney continued to dominate the mid and possession. And when substitutes Bryce James, Steffen Bangsund, Jimmy Hong and Griffin Stout entered the game, they if anything increased the pressure on Heat. The game became increasingly physical as the Heat’s frustration against WPFC’s possession and great wall of defense was displayed by numerous fouls, some producing yellow cards. WPFC, however, kept its poise and shepherded home a dominating 2-0 victory against a game Heat squad that never gave up and fought through to the final whistle.

The WPFC BU93 have now played in 4 consecutive state finals, everyone against a different opponent, and have emerged victorious on 3 of those 4 occasions, and have compiled a record of 55 wins and 6 ties in the last two years against in state opponents while suffering only 3 losses. This group of boys truly deserves to represent the state and WPFC in the Region 4 tournament in Hawaii this June. Aloha boys!

See a few photos here from GOALSeattle.com

Get Your 2008 Tide Home Schedule Wallpaper!

2008-03-13T21:08:00.001-07:00

Jenni Conner's photos along with the great new look of the TFC crest highlight our computer desktop wallpaper with The Tacoma Tide home match dates featured along the bottom. Download your resolution size below.

1600 x 1200
1024 x 768
800 x 600

Courtesy of www.GOALTacoma.com

"Best of the Tide" in photos

2008-03-12T18:35:00.000-07:00

www.GOALTacoma.com is proud to present a gallery of photos we've taken over the Tacoma Tide FC's first two seasons of 2006 and 2007.

Jenni Conner took the bulk of these shots. David Falk added in a few as well. A couple near the end are from the playoff match last year by a photographer in Fresno.

It's clear to see that after only two seasons the Tide have given us lots of thrills and spills. Much more expected in 2008!

Click here to watch the gallery. Select "Auto Play," sit back, and enjoy your Tide.

Machael David: From Tides to Tide

2008-03-12T15:09:00.001-07:00

Machael David: A Gig Harbor and Tacoma Tide.

The Peninsula Gateway has a preview of the Gig Harbor Tides boys soccer team. A big part of that club is Machael David, a rising start who also played with the Tacoma Tide last year when he was but a junior in high school.

After Tacoma played the Seattle Sounders to a 2-2 draw David was cornered by Seattle head coach Brian Shcmetzer after the match. They talked shop.

David wants to focus on his high school club, for now. "My greatest concern is to make sure we come together,” David said.

“We have to forget about the past. We just need to go out there and play soccer."

That's fine. As long as he remembers Tide matches start in early May.

Machael David in his Tide kit playing against the Sounders last year. (Jenni Conner)

In four matches played last year for TFC David managed 2 goals and 2 assists, and created a 3rd goal when he drew a penalty kick on a break away.

Tide website redesign

2008-03-10T20:54:00.001-07:00

The new TFC logo has been incorporated in a new design for www.TacomaFC.com

Looks good, guys!

Tacoma shocks Seattle 14-11 in playoffs, then falls to Fire

2008-03-08T22:02:00.001-08:00

Tacoma Stars players react with joy (top) after the whistle blows on their 14-11 victory over the Seattle Wolves on Saturday March 8th. Traveling Tacoma fans (bottom) form a tunnel for the Stars on their way to the showers.
Jenni Conner www.GOALTacoma.com photos.

View Photo Gallery

Tacoma's Stars waited until the playoffs to shine against Seattle, but when they did the glow was bright enough to blind the Wolves out of the playoffs.

The glow lasted only one night as Tacoma traveled to Wenatchee on March 9th and fell 19-9 to the Fire. Wenatchee will be the Northwest representative at the PASL Nationals next weekend and the Stars, who knocked out Seattle the night before, were themselves sent packing. The Wenatchee Fire knocked out the Snohomish Skyhawks 10-8 in Snohomish to gain their home match against the Stars.

The Stars bolted to a gigantic lead in their playoff semifinal match with the Seattle Wolves at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila on Saturday March 8th. It was 12-0 Tacoma at the end of a dominating first half.

Seattle rallied in a rough second half that saw numerous power plays and a red-card ejection on the Stars' Nate Ford. The Wolves used the advantage to outscore Tacoma 11-2 in the second half and draw to within 14-11 with under five minutes to go.

That was all the scoring either team would muster and when the final whistle blew the pro-Tacoma crowd launched into celebration and chanting, including ribbing the Wolves roster full of Sounders with the chorus "Where's your famous Sounders now." (Roger Levesque didn't play, Zach Scott, Kevin Sakuda, Colin Rigby and Taylor Graham did.)

Stars fans formed a human tunnel in front of the visitors locker room and the winners smiled, hugged and gave hive-fives to families, friends and fans.

The Stars did not beat Seattle in the regular season, both times (a loss, a draw) losing large leads. Turns out the 12-0 (6 goals to 0) was just enough.

New crest for Tacoma Tide FC

2008-03-07T10:09:00.000-08:00

While the official Tacoma Tide FC website has yet to incorporate their new crest, we can show it here now because the Tide have updated their MySpace page with the new logo.

The crest was designed by Tangney & Tangney of Gig Harbor, WA. We are pretty sure they are somehow related to Tacoma Tide striker Chase Tangney, also of Gig Harbor.

The look is growing on us, and we look forward to seeing it on the new TFC scarves, kits and (hopefully) shirts and hats for fans in 2008.

I-5 Insanity: Stars face Seattle in playoffs

2008-03-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Originally posted in the GOALSeattle.com forums by "seattlewolvesfc."

2008 PASL Northwest Divisional Playoffs Set
NW Semi-Final: Wolves host Tacoma Saturday March 8th, 7pm, Starfire Sports

This Saturday, March 8th, at 7:00pm, inside the Starfire Sports Complex the Seattle Wolves will face off against their divisional rival, the Tacoma Stars, in a Premier Arena Soccer League NW Semi-Final, the winner getting a bid into the Regional Finals.

The Wolves defeated the Wenatchee Fire this past Saturday to secure the PASL NW League Championship, and the #1 seed going into the Regional Playoffs.

Match Recap

The Wolves jumped out to an 8-0 lead over Wenatchee when Dayo Oyetuga, Matt Hulen, Kevin Sakuda and Zach Scott combined for 4 goals in the opening 7 minutes of Saturday's match. Wenatchee had no answer for the Wolves potent offensive attack, and physical defense.

The Fire brought the score to within 6 points midway through the 2nd period when Juan Barboza scored to make it 10-4 in favor of Seattle. But, that was as close as Wenatchee would come to tying the match.

The Wolves went on to score 7 unanswered goals, and held Wenatchee scoreless throughout the 3rd period. Jimmy Ward had 12 saves in goal for the Wolves, making his tally for the season 72, with a goal-per-game average of only 3.3, and an average of 9 saves per match. Ryan Oxford earned Man-of-the-Match honors by scoring three goals on Saturday, which tied him with Dayo Oyetuga for team lead with 9 each on the season. Oyetuga ended the night with two goals, and Wolves midfielder, Mike Morris, netted two of his own. Captain, Matt Hulen, led the Wolves squad in both assists and total offensive points this season, with 9 assists and 17 points.

The Wolves win over Wenatchee allowed them to regain 1st place, capturing the PASL NW division Regular Season crown and the #1 seed going into the PASL NW Regional Playoffs. Here is how the regular season standings ended:
1.Seattle Wolves FC, 21 pts
2.Snohomish Skyhawks, 19 pts
3.Wenatchee Fire, 17 pts
4.Tacoma Stars, 14 pts
5.PSSA Rapids, 13 pts
6.Central Oregon Steelheaders, 12 pts
7.B2B Bombers, 7 pts
8.Basin United, 0 pts

So, while the Wolves battle Tacoma in what is sure to be one of the best matches of the season on Saturday night, Snohomish will host Wenatchee in the other semi-final. The winner of both matches will meet on Sunday, March 9th at a time TBD for a chance to travel to the International Finals in Fredericksburg, VA March 14-15.

The Wolves went 1-0-1 this season in matches played against Tacoma, defeating them at home with come-back heroics, and battling from 6 points down in the 2nd half to tie the Stars in Tacoma. Tacoma is a traditional powerhouse in PASL Northwest action, and after a very physical match in Tacoma last month, this Semi-Final promises to be extremely exciting. Kick-off is at 7pm Saturday at the Starfire Sports Complex (14800 Starfire Way Tukwila, WA 98188 ). Admission is free. Donations to help support Seattle's Premier Semi-Professional Soccer Club are appreciated.