Monday, January 22, 2006

SPOKANE, WA -- After a one-year absence, big-league men's soccer is returning to Spokane. United Soccer Leagues (USL) and the Spokane Spiders soccer team are pleased to announce the return of competitive men's soccer to Spokane. The Spokane Spiders will replace the recently departed Spokane Shadow in the Northwest Division of USL's Premier Development League (PDL).

The loss of the Spokane Shadow, which pioneered PDL soccer in our city, was keenly felt among the local soccer fans and the sports community. The existence of a PDL team gave local players a chance to keep playing after graduating from the very strong local youth leagues. It provided locally based college players a chance to keep playing and hone their skills in the off season. It gave local talent a chance to get noticed on a national level. Players like current Major League Soccer stars Brian Ching and Craig Waibel played for the Spokane Shadow in the PDL. And while developing future professionals, it gave the fans a great show, a great time and a sense of pride in their beautiful city.

The Spokane Spiders, under Technical Director Al Brown who has 20 years youth coaching experience in Spokane and played Club Soccer in Russia and Singapore with the coaching staff of Dan Philp, Abbas Faridnia and Jeff Hohenthal, are honored by the opportunity to fill the void left when Spokane lost its PDL team, and are determined not simply to replace the Shadow, but to build on its legacy and exceed its performance.

"It’s quite a challenge, really, because the Shadow did quite well in their 10 years here,” said Head Coach Dan Philp, who has played in England. “We've got our work cut out to start off with a new team and get into the division playoffs, as the Shadow did."

Player coach Dan Philp arrived in Spokane this March originally to play for the Shadow after an eight-year semi-professional career in England. Most of those years were spent with Molesey F.C. in the Ryman leagues and has represented different clubs in the F.A Cup and F.A Youth Cup. Since arriving in Spokane, Philp has continued with his youth coaching which he started in England, over the last few years he has also coached in New York, Australia and a semi-professional U16 team in England.

Technical Director Al Brown expresses confidence in the new team. With 20 years experience coaching youth soccer in the local area, he expressed that there is more talent and potential in Spokane than meets the eye. "Over the years I've seen local players that, at their age level, were as good as or better than any you would find around the rest of the nation," said Brown. "What these players didn't have was the opportunity to continue playing and get noticed after they turned 19 years old. We are going to give that to them. Players like Troy Ready are a prime example of that. He began playing for the Shadow in high school and has developed into a quality professional player for the USL First Division Portland Timbers.”

Abbas Faridnia also debuted as a teenager with the Shadow in the PDL, playing from 1998-2000. Since graduating from Gonzaga University he has been coaching locally. He runs the Spokane Soccer Youth Club (www.spokanesoccerclub.com). As well as running his soccer club, Faridnia has been working with Gonzaga University and Spokane Community College and is heavily involved in the soccer community, which gives him a great knowledge of talent in the local.

Jeff Hohenthal also coaches with Faridnia at the Spokane Soccer Club as a developmental coach primarily working with the older players within the club. Originally from Seattle, Hohenthal played soccer at Highline High School before playing for Spokane Community College.

Youth Development Director Fred Bowman, who served as president of the Spokane Scotties youth soccer club, added to Al Brown's analysis.

"Spokane has a large and growing immigrant population, including fans and players from Mexico, South and Central America, and Eastern Europe. The Spiders are going to be aggressive in reaching out to these new Spokane residents. We are an inclusive organization. Worldwide, soccer is a working-man's game. Spokane is a working-man's city. The Spiders will be a working-man's team."

In keeping with this inclusive philosophy, Coach Dan Philp has announced that qualification for the team will be by an open tryout. The tryout will be held on March 17 and 18 (Venue TBA). For an administrative fee of $25, any interested male soccer player can try out for the Spiders. Players with questions about the tryout should e-mail Coach Dan at: dphilp@spokanespiders.com

The inclusive ideology also includes plans to launch a women’s team. The Spiders are in negotiations with the USL to bring a W-League women's team to Spokane in the near future. The W-League is the top level of women's soccer in North America. In addition to the league featuring international and former professional stars, elite collegiate and youth players have the opportunity to also compete in the league while maintaining their collegiate eligibility.