Washington Crossfire
| Full name | Washington Crossfire SC | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Burn | ||
| Founded | 2002 (as Seattle Wolves) | ||
| Stadium |
Redmond High School Redmond, Washington | ||
| Capacity | 2,000 | ||
| Owners |
Steve Hopp Lance McIntosh Andrew Opatkiewicz | ||
| Head Coach | Bernie James | ||
| League | Premier Development League | ||
| 2015 |
6th, Northwest Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
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Washington Crossfire is an American soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 2009, the team plays in the Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference.
The team plays its home games in the stadium on the campus of Redmond High School in nearby Redmond, Washington, where they have played since 2011. The team's colors are red, black and white.
Prior to 2010 the team was known as the Seattle Wolves, and had competed in the PCSL and PDL under that name for several years. The Wolves and the Washington Crossfire youth soccer organization merged in November, 2009.[1] The larger Washington Crossfire youth organization, which was formed in 1968, has been instrumental in developing young soccer players in the Washington area for over 30 years, and is Washington state's only Nike Premier Club.
History
Following their establishment in 2002, the original Seattle Wolves burst into the Northwest football scene, quickly moving up four divisions of competitive play within the Greater Seattle Soccer League (GSSL). Since the team's beginning, the Wolves have captured 12 League Titles and 5 Tournament Championships. In the fall of 2006, the club grew out of its infancy as a local amateur team, and expanded to include multiple squads competing in the Starfire Premier Soccer League (SPSL) and several regional semi-professional leagues.
In 2008, the Wolves undertook their first competitive season in the Pacific Coast Soccer League, one of the three national competitions considered to be at the fourth level of the American Soccer Pyramid. They finished their first season in the PCSL in third place behind champions Victoria United.
On 26 January 2009 the Wolves announced that they would be fielding a new senior team in the USL Premier Development League for the 2009 season, thereby becoming the second team to make a PCSL to PDL expansion, following Vancouver Whitecaps Residency in 2008. They were one of four expansion teams in the NW Division of 2009 PDL season along with the Victoria Highlanders, Portland Timbers U23s, and Kitsap Pumas.
On 31 January 2009 the Wolves competed against the Seattle Sounders FC Super search squad at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. The Wolves prepared a special roster for the specific game, composed of current Wolves players, ex professional players, ex Seattle Sounders (USL) players, current and ex collegiate players, and current youth players. The televised game showed clips of the game the following day on NBC King 5 after the Super Bowl.
In their first season in PDL competition the Wolves fielded a strong squad that included former Los Angeles Galaxy player Ely Allen. They won their first ever competitive PDL game 4-1 over the Yakima Reds on May 8, 2009 off the back of a brace by Fernando Monge, and continued their winning form throughout the early games, picking up victories over Spokane Spiders and the Portland Timbers U23's. Despite strong opposition in the ultra-competitive Northwest Division the Wolves proved to be one of the best teams in the division; they enjoyed an excellent 5-game unbeaten streak in June, coming from behind to beat Vancouver Whitecaps Residency 2-1, enjoying solid victories over Yakima and the Abbotsford Mariners, and scoring a controversial last minute penalty kick equalizer to tie 2-2 with Tacoma Tide. In fact the only team Seattle couldn't beat were the Kitsap Pumas, who won both their regular season games on tight 2-1 and 2-0 scorelines, and ended up topping the division. The Wolves gained a crucial point with another last minute equalizer in a 3-3 tie with the Victoria Highlanders in early July, and finished the regular season with three more victories, including an impressive 3-0 result on the road against Cascade Surge. The Wolves eventually finished third in the division, qualifying for the playoffs at the first attempt; their opponent in the Divisional First Round was Portland Timbers U23's, who they beat 3-2 in an amazing game which saw Portland lead 1-0, and then 2-1, only for Seattle striker Alex Chursky to hit two goals in the last ten minutes and send the Wolves through to the divisional final. Unfortunately for the Wolves, Kitsap again stood in their way, and the men from Bremerton completed a hat trick of wins with a 2-0 victory, ending the Wolves' playoff run. Casey Cunningham and Ely Allen were the Wolves' top scorers, with 7 and 6 goals respectively, while Allen also contributed six assists.
In November 2009, the team merged with the Washington Crossfire youth soccer organization, creating a new soccer team branded as the Washington Crossfire.[2]
Players
Current roster
As of June 19, 2012.[3]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
This list of notable former players comprises players who went on to play professional soccer after playing for the team in the Premier Development League, or those who previously played professionally before joining the team.
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Ely Allen - Gibson Bardsley
- Jason Cascio
- Ben Dragavon
- Jamie Finch
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Doug Herrick - Adam Jahn
- Noah Merl
- Tommy Meyer
- Brian Perk
- Cristian Roldan
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Andy Rose - Kelyn Rowe
Year-by-year
| Year | Division | League | Regular Season | Playoffs | Open Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 4 | PCSL | 3rd | Did not qualify | |
| 2009 | 4 | USL PDL | 3rd, Northwest | Divisional Finals | Did not qualify |
| 2010 | 4 | USL PDL | 5th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2011 | 4 | USL PDL | 7th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2012 | 4 | USL PDL | 4th, Northwest | Conference Quarter-Finals | Did not qualify |
| 2013 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2014 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2015 | 4 | USL PDL | 6th, Northwest | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
Honors
- John F. Kennedy Trophy Winners 2008
Head coaches
- Alex Weaver (2008)
- Seth Spidahl (2009–2011)
- Adam Nowland (2012–2013)
- Nick Besagno (2014)
- Billy Wiskel (2015)
- Bernie James (2016)
Stadiums
- Starfire Sports Complex; Tukwila, Washington (2008–2009)
- Interbay Stadium; Seattle, Washington (2010)
- Stadium at Redmond High School; Redmond, Washington (2011–present)
- Stadium at Lake Washington High School; Kirkland, Washington 1 game (2011)
Average attendance
- 2009: 376
- 2010: 158
- 2011: 66
- 2012: 102
- 2013: 128
- 2014: 113
- 2015: 131
References
External links
Seattle Wolves
- Seattle Wolves site
- Seattle Wolves FC look to go pro in 2010
- News Archives; Wolves to Battle Sounders FC Select XI as part of Sounders Super Search TV Show
- News Archives; Sounders Super Search roster
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