Central Blogging Source for Puget Sound

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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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

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

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

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

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?

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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