August 7, 2024 – USL Super League (USLSL)
Spokane Zephyr FC News Release
The first professional women’s soccer team in Spokane, Zephyr FC, are approaching their debut. On Aug. 17, the club will host Fort Lauderdale United FC in their historic season opener.
On Thursday, July 26, several players and coaches sat down for the club’s first official press conference, in which they expressed their feelings going into the opening match.
“Bringing in players with international experience, and previous professional experiences helps set the tone for the coaching staff on what the expectations are on how you carry yourself,” said head coach Jo Johnson. “We’re in, we’re out, we work hard.”
The team is ready to compete despite unfamiliar territory, with the USL Super League launching its first season.
“In those first few games, you don’t really know what to expect from the opponents,” Johnson said. “But I love that. I love taking on different challenges and the players that we brought in are aligned with that.”
Some of the players brought in, including former Seattle Reign midfielder Marley Canales, described the league atmosphere heading into the opener.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of because it’s a new league and it’s going to compete (for attention) with NWSL,” Canales said. ” A lot of us have experienced the NWSL ourselves, and we know that women’s soccer is here to stay in this country.
Spokane will see several familiar faces on Zephyr, including former Gonzaga midfielder Sophia Braun.
“I was so excited, I love Spokane and have gotten to spend a lot of time here and was really grateful that this opportunity came up,” Braun said. “I’m so happy to be back, I love it here and I am excited.”
Braun was mentored at Gonzaga by forward Jodi Ülkekul, who now will rejoin Braun on Zephyr. Ülkekul also expressed excitement about returning to Spokane,where she believes the community will embrace the team.
“When we went out for the ‘Rumble’ at the Velocity game, we got a standing ovation and people were going crazy for us and some of us got emotional,” Ülkekul said. “It kind of hit us, I think, when we really saw a crowd get behind us and get excited, which we got to see that excitement and feed off of it, so I think that was a really cool moment.”
The excitement is building throughout the city and national soccer community for this dynamic new pro women’s soccer club in Spokane, as Zephyr are nearly two weeks away from their opener in August.
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