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USL GM Shares Thoughts on Pro-Rel, Local Rivalries and More - Ep. 90
141 Plays18 minutes ago
In this special episode, we’re joined by Cory Hinthorn, who is the general manager of the USL League Two’s West Seattle Junction FC. Going into their second season, West Seattle Junction are carving out a prominent local presence, providing a platform for collegiate players and aspiring pros to chase their dreams.
We pick Cory’s brain on what it’s like running the show for a League Two side, the values and identity of the club, and the prospect of pro/rel in the USL among a myriad of other topics.
Check out the West Seattle Junction:
Website // Tickets // Instagram // Bluesky
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
Well sir, we got a scorcher today. Gonna be real scorcher today. Why the scorcher today? Well it's gonna be a scorcher.
00:00:21
Speaker
What's going on, everybody? Welcome to a very special episode of Lobbing Scorchers featuring the one and own Corey Henthorne, general manager of West Seattle Junction. If you don't know who West Seattle Junction are, Corey's going to tell us a lot more about them. So stay tuned.
00:00:38
Speaker
We've got a lot to cover. We got drama. Potentially is what I've heard. I've heard there might be a little drama in this episode, but we are going to dive in right now. Corey, welcome
Corey's Journey to General Manager
00:00:50
Speaker
to the show. you. Appreciate it Why don't you start with telling us a little bit about yourself, including you're a graduate of Wazoo, correct? Yeah, yeah, I am. Yeah, so...
00:01:00
Speaker
You're in enemy territory a little bit. Enemy territory. I like to say there's a lot of cougs over here on the west side, yeah you know, but it's it's lucky we don't have ah a men's soccer team at Wazoo, so I can kind of disconnect a little bit about that and root on the UW men's team. um I'm coming around on the UW women. I think, you know, we have a few of those on the West Seattle roadies, our brand new USLW women's team. So, yeah.
00:01:26
Speaker
No, and we'll be ah also talking some roadies here as well soon. So stay tuned for that. So, yeah, tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get involved with the junction? How long have you been around and
Team's First Season in USL League 2
00:01:38
Speaker
what's your title? What it kind of means?
00:01:40
Speaker
Yeah, of course. So I joined the staff last year around January um and I basically just brought my resume down to the open tryouts.
00:01:51
Speaker
And, um, fortunate enough, they, they were looking for people to add. And, uh, actually my former goalkeeper coach is one of the owners. And so I had a little bit of an in and, uh, needed an internship. And so, ah they slotted me in and, and, uh, I just took as much responsibility as they allowed me to to have. And so,
00:02:12
Speaker
It just continued to to develop over year one with the club. And now coming into year two, they needed somebody to kind of step into a general manager role.
00:02:23
Speaker
And lucky enough, I was the candidate they went with. Heck yeah. Yeah. So obviously a new operation for you guys. Was last year the first full season USL League 2? Is that correct? or how long yeah Yeah, yeah. So Junction, we joined last year. so obviously Ballard had a ah few years.
00:02:43
Speaker
um Ahead of us, you have an established team down in Eugene, Lane United, Oldytown, another really great established team. Friends of the show.
00:02:54
Speaker
Oh, yeah yeah. We've got another ah podcast, The Cooler Guild, and their women's team, GM, is the host. oh that's great. Yeah. that's right What's the risk response been like from the West Seattle community?
00:03:08
Speaker
You know, it's not necessarily if I was thinking of neighborhoods or locations in Seattle where I would expect another USL League to team to pop up. I don't know if that would have been the first one that came to mind. But like once I learned more about it, it does make sense.
Player Selection and Development Strategy
00:03:24
Speaker
How would you kind of just describe the the scene and the response that you guys have gotten since you got rolling here? Oh, it's been incredible. um You know, i've i'm born and raised West Seattle, and so seeing seeing the reaction has been incredible.
00:03:38
Speaker
um We were averaging right around 600, 700 fans our first season, obviously looking to build off of that. But I believe we were right under Ballard for attendance last year.
00:03:49
Speaker
um Ballard drew ah a fantastic crowd when we hosted them. About 1,000 people showed up to that. that But to be honest, West Seattle is a soccer community. It's a soccer neighborhood.
00:04:00
Speaker
um West Seattle Soccer Club, the the rec league, um the rec youth league there is is very established. So many young players coming out of West Seattle. And so it was a perfect opportunity for us to to fill that gap of pre-professional right in that neighborhood. So...
00:04:18
Speaker
Is it like, ah would you say it's pretty similar in terms of the players that you guys get to how Ballard does it? Like college guys, D1 guys, is that like is that the typical profile of player that you guys are putting on your rosters?
00:04:33
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, we definitely, we we go after D1 guys. um I would say that that we really look into the D2 and D3, even community college level. um And that gives our team some of the grit that you saw last year. um we really We really think that some of those guys have been overlooked in the recruiting ah the recruiting season. And so you know The idea of pre-professional is developing these players and getting them to where they want to be, um ideally professionally. But if we have a D3 player who really wants to find a D1 program, we're looking to to assist them in that. um
00:05:11
Speaker
But yeah, it's very similar to Ballard. We work very closely with local colleges. And then we do some of our own recruiting outside of Washington as well. Nice. Yeah, I think it's really interesting the gap that USL 2 and even USL 1 is filling for this.
00:05:28
Speaker
like Like you were saying, the pre-professional, but guys who maybe haven't gotten a look yet or... people who just love playing and want to play more. i mean, I played, played three whole games of D three, you know, not to brag myself, but like, I know if I would have continued on that journey, it would have just been like, I just want to play. I want to be out there and I'm, I'm interested to know, you know, like, does that bring more just excitement from players and just like, it's more of a kind of everyone's coming together to just play and kick ass.
00:06:00
Speaker
Yeah, I think um you see a wide variety of of expectations when players come into our program. And ah we really really try to set the standard that this isn't a summer kick around, you know? Yeah, yeah. um We want these guys to go out there and compete and and obviously put on a show out on the field.
00:06:19
Speaker
um But it's it's a very interesting dynamic. having guys come from from all over the country and and join this team and represent the community. and And so it's super fun seeing D3 guys match up against D1 guys. And you can really see it's it's different than a lot of other sports in the United States.
00:06:37
Speaker
There's a lot of quality still out there in the community college level, in the Division III, Division II level that just didn't get picked up by one of those major programs. Yeah. Yeah, that's interesting. You know, a lot of people have said and we've I mean, we've even talked about it, how the super draft in MLS at least has kind of lost a little bit of its shine.
00:06:57
Speaker
People aren't necessarily finding the the superstar talent, at least out of college programs. But what I'm hearing from you is it's out there still. And like they there are players in, you know, places like the junction are helping elevate those those players.
00:07:13
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, that's our goal. um I think ah professional soccer in the United States is a grind. You'll see a lot of guys bouncing around professional programs, dropping back down to amateur, um and and it's just trying to find your way. um Some guys get the opportunity. We have guys from our first year who have gone on trial at various places.
00:07:34
Speaker
It doesn't work out, and they're coming back to us. And and so we we really try to uplift those guys and give them the best shot to to go chase their dream.
Building Team Depth and Rivalries
00:07:43
Speaker
As a USL league to GM, what is the strategy and approach? Like, how are you thinking of what players to try and get on the team? Is there specific types of profiles and identity or places you look just, how does that whole thing kind of come together? know, you're trying to become GMs. We talk about this on the podcast no we're gonna pick your brain here you know i heard it on your uh your last podcast i believe you guys went down the the gm survey yes and uh yeah we didn't have some nice things to say about gm so i'm surprised you showed up i know i know i know you guys probably could do my job no definitely not definitely not um you know so i think year one it was difficult um it's hard to know the talent that you have until you see it out on the field
00:08:32
Speaker
And with the nature of our league, you don't get to see that until really the entire team comes together in mid-May and we're already playing. Dang. And so year one, it was it was difficult. We definitely learned a lot of stuff. um But year two, I think...
00:08:48
Speaker
we wanted our core to return. And so we have about 20 players returning ah from last year who are going to set the standard. And then it's looking at depth. Where, where were we, you know, ah where, where did we pick up injuries a lot over last season?
00:09:03
Speaker
Where do we think we can strengthen the team? um i know we focused a lot this off season on shoring up our defense. We had a lot of injuries in our back line last year. And so, This year we have a lot of flexibility there. We're really excited about the different players we're bringing on ah there. And then also adding depth in the midfield. um You know, we think that just a bit more quality in the midfield there would have really helped us last season.
00:09:28
Speaker
um But yeah, so I mean, we have 20 guys coming back. That gives us ah a big room. We carry 40 on our roster. So quite a big roster. Oh, wow. Yeah. and You got an NFL roster going on. Yeah, yeah. So it's interesting. The dynamics are interesting.
00:09:41
Speaker
um When we all practice, when we get out to the fields, um the guys are really competing. 40 guys on a roster, you know, and there's only 18 spots on game day.
00:09:53
Speaker
And so it's pretty fun. It's pretty fun to to watch the competitiveness. our Our practices are really high level and and they get after it. Yeah. Yeah. um I wanted to ask just getting to know the West Seattle junction more who won for one.
00:10:09
Speaker
Who's the rival, right? I mean, you talked a little bit about Ballard. Maybe that's giving away too much, but there are a lot of teams locally in USL too. Yeah, I mean, Ballard's the easy one. It's the ah the regional one, you know, and and I think everybody's kind of chasing what Ballard has a little bit and the success that they've found.
00:10:28
Speaker
um You know, on the business side of things, we definitely look up to them and we want to to um take some of the things that they've done and and grow on that, make it our own, um you know.
00:10:40
Speaker
Obviously with attendance and their fan base, ah but also just game day stuff, ah bringing in musicians and things like that. And so we really want to build on that. But once we get out on the field, we we do not like them. We do not like Ballard. And I'll be the first one to
Mission of Accessibility and Community Focus
00:10:55
Speaker
say that, you know.
00:10:56
Speaker
um You know, I was able to after our or before our home match against them last year, give the a little speech to the boys. And um unfortunately, we didn't come away with the W there, but we're we're looking forward to it this year.
00:11:10
Speaker
We only have one game and it's at their place. And so we're going to we're going to come in and we're going to we're going to show them that the junctions here. There's going to be a sellout. It's, it's, it's already looking that way. Um, you know, hopefully they allocate us some tickets and we'll have a little away section, you know, supporting us as well.
00:11:27
Speaker
Yeah. Hey, Ari and I will be there. i want to go to that game. there's gonna be You gotta be there. You gotta to be there. Support Ballard, of course, support Ballard, but also root on your junction blues and, and, uh, wear your hats out there. There we go.
00:11:38
Speaker
Yeah. One more on that. I think it's so interesting because, in um In American soccer specifically, rivalries or just games in general, away games are played so far away from each other.
00:11:51
Speaker
So it is really cool to kind of have that, you know, that English style inner city rivalry, like a Man City, Man United or whatever it may be. ah like the at games that are also like super approachable, like I'm sure, you know, I mean, maybe you can share a little bit about like pricing for tickets and stuff like that. But, you know, some people have been put off by the prices of major league soccer tickets or just other sporting events in general. But this seems like something where you can literally be invested on the, the level of neighborhood.
00:12:22
Speaker
And on top of that, like getting at a good price. Absolutely. And that's one of our biggest missions is to kind of break down the barriers to entry for for the game of soccer, um both in terms of our fan base, but also with players coming in.
00:12:37
Speaker
So our tickets are priced at $15 a match, even cheaper if you buy season tickets. And we think that's really important. um Professional sports in the U.S., tickets just continue to rise.
00:12:49
Speaker
um And so for a lot of low income families, even middle class families, it's it's really difficult to be engaged. um And and so we really want to open that up and invite these people to come watch really quality soccer for extremely cheap.
00:13:04
Speaker
um You know, come to our match and watch these guys who are are striving to be pros um and then inspire that generation of of youth who can look up to our players and say, hey, I want to be that guy. I want to represent West Seattle in the future.
00:13:20
Speaker
ah So that's that's a big mission of ours. um And then on the player side as well, um our players don't pay anything to be on the team. We take care of everything for them from uniforms,
00:13:32
Speaker
to physical therapy. um That's one of our biggest things. We want our players to be healthy. Obviously, a lot of them are going back to their college programs come fall. And so being able to return them back to that program, um you know, healthy or healthier than than they came to us. ah That's that's huge. Do you have players like staying with host families or how does that work as far as like their accommodations?
00:13:57
Speaker
Yeah, so we have a lot of local players who who will just travel to to our practice field and everything. But for players that we recruit who don't have a home in Seattle, we we give them a place to stay at a local family's house. Some of our sponsors have been very kind to open their house up.
00:14:15
Speaker
I hosted a player last year. That was really fun. And so... ah We try to take good care of them and and give them to a place where all they have to think about is is going on the field and competing to the best of their ability.
00:14:27
Speaker
I'm interested to know a little bit more about what you were talking about, about, you know, returning player. They don't have to pay. Is that something that happens in in USL too? um You know, i don't know around our division. I believe the the the mission there is is pretty similar. Yeah. But if you compare it against summer leagues and baseball, a lot of those players have to to actually pay to be on the team.
00:14:52
Speaker
um which we wanted to break that down. i mean, ultimately League Two is about breaking down the pay-to-play model in the United States, giving people another route to be able to compete at the highest level. um You know, you see in U.S. sports, ah Continuing your athletic career is always tied to higher education, which, you know, we could debate about that if that's healthy or not. um But League Two gives an alternate route to players who might not want to go to college um and they can still get seen.
00:15:24
Speaker
Even the UPSL with Bellevue Athletic and some of the clubs locally here are giving players, you know, a real opportunity to to find a different route. How would you describe the core values of your program? Like when ah when a player joins West Seattle Junction, what are you trying to instill? What do you hope they get out of it when the when they're done with the stint on your team compared to when they come into it?
00:15:50
Speaker
Yeah, I would say um community is ah is a huge one. um You know, it kind of goes in the the question you asked previously, what are we looking for in players?
00:16:01
Speaker
ah We really drive that the community aspect is huge. We want them to be involved. We want them talking to our littlest of fans, signing autographs after the game and and really being involved that, you know,
00:16:14
Speaker
Going out to sponsor events and interacting, we want them to become a part of of the West Seattle community and the West Seattle family. um i would say passion for the game ah is a huge one. We want players to come here and really care.
00:16:28
Speaker
ah Care about winning, of course, but care about their teammates um and and striving to be the the best they can. um And we really saw that in year one with our our players. They became a ah really tight-knit group. um You'll see them frequently on social media, uplifting each other. We've had some unfortunate injuries ah this year, and you'll see you guys you know supporting each other. And so that's what we're looking to
New Signings and Team Goals
00:16:53
Speaker
do. Passion, community, and just continuing to develop the game in the United States.
00:16:59
Speaker
You know, who this season are we going to be able to look, be you know, you say you're returning a lot of players, obviously, but, you know, who are you looking forward to come and see play with the junction?
00:17:11
Speaker
um So a new player that we have coming in, he was ah previously at at St. Francis University, um just got a ah transfer to Rutgers. His name Joshy Shelb.
00:17:23
Speaker
um we think he's going to be top for us we we think he's going to be class at the 10 um and and really um score goals and and create uh and so we had a little bit of a gap in that area last season we really think that he can can fill those shoes but um you know to to add on top of that we needed a little bit of of clinical finishing at our striker position and so um you know uh we're we're gonna announce it in a few days time ah so it should be announced when we uh when we drop this this video but uh we are bringing on alex mejia previously of ballard fc to come uh play the nine for us here in in west seattle and so we think that's huge he just got some minutes there in the u.s open cup match uh against the velocity and uh
00:18:13
Speaker
you know, he played quite well, even though they they ended up falling ah there. And so we're really excited to have him. It drives the rivalry a little bit as well. um And so it's going to be exciting to see him out on the field. Who was the player that went to Portland from Seattle?
00:18:28
Speaker
Ari, was that? Well, I mean, I feel like there's been there's been a couple. I think Kenny Cooper played for both. Zach Wani actually played for both. Zach. Yeah, Zach Wani. Classic. So this is a real Zach Wani situation, you know? It is. It is. And we think he's going to do great things for us. And so we're excited to to get him out on the field. You know, everybody's buzzing. So was that like a big first GM moment for you of ah a snake and a player from a rival? Was that did was that like a little GM milestone?
00:18:58
Speaker
I mean, it was it was a little bit sweet. um You know, I think we have to just see how everything plays out on the field. um I don't think we're going to be too excited if we don't make playoffs this this season. um That's the goal.
00:19:11
Speaker
You know, we want to go out there. We want to win our division. um You know, and and with that, obviously, there's that that date on our calendar of of Ballard. We want to get them. um but But ultimately, ah come ah mid-July,
00:19:25
Speaker
We want to be at the top of the division. And and so regardless of of the players that we can attract to to our program, I think that as a GM, I just want to see us reach that milestone.
Team Identity and Coaching Philosophy
00:19:37
Speaker
Is it hard to establish like a on-field identity when you're recruiting a USL League Two roster where... It seems like maybe there might be some obstacles as far as, you know, really keying in on a specific type of player stylistically.
00:19:57
Speaker
Is that something that you've encountered or how do you kind manage to instill that identity while also kind of trying to give everyone a chance and also creating this big 40 man roster that you guys have?
00:20:11
Speaker
Yeah, it's difficult. um It is difficult. And um the players gelling together in such a short period of time is is tough. um You know, I really respect our head coach, Eric Oman. um His philosophy about about the game is that we can play any system with with the players that we have. And it's it's it's really, you know, it's up to the players on the field to to develop things.
00:20:35
Speaker
you know how how we want to attack. We want to be really tidy in the back, and so that's what we'll start with, um is is making sure our defense is is sound. um But then ah as we move forward up the pitch, Coach Oman really gives those players freedom to play with creativity And I think that really helps us in a ah season like this that's so condensed that players can find a lot of freedom when they play in his system. And I think that gives us an advantage to something more rigid.
00:21:07
Speaker
That's fun. That's fun soccer to watch too. Yeah. And that's week two is it's a fun like style, like back and forth, pretty entertaining. Like high octane is the league two that I've watched. yeah Yeah. Yeah. And that's our goal. We want to put on a show, right? You know, we want to win games, but we want ah the, the soccer that we play to, to really be fun to watch. Yeah.
00:21:26
Speaker
you're, but you're creating like a straight up telenovela for this Ballard game. I'm excited for this. This is, we were at a Spokane velocity versus Ballard in the open cup last year.
00:21:38
Speaker
ah we weren't at the one that was just a couple days ago. yeah And, but that was, ah that was a crazy game, honestly, like it was zero zero right until the last second Spokane velocity you came through with the goal, like right at the very end. But it was, it was electric. That one that was at inner bay and no, that was at Memorial. does' it memorially Yeah. But I've been to, the I've been to a couple at inner bay as well. And it's a, it's a whole scene. Yeah, they they pretty much played the same match two years in a row. yeah You know, I think Ballard was actually pretty unlucky in both matches not to to to find a goal. Oh, absolutely. the one we were at and um and
00:22:16
Speaker
The one at. And year, 120th minute, you know, they played an extra 30. Yeah. yeah And so, man, and then you have a goal ruled off sides right at the death. I mean, that's that's heartbreaking. But also not for you a little bit. A little bit a little bit nice. I will say it was it's it's tough for me to to root for them, to sit down and root for them. But it's also it's difficult because we also want to elevate League Two.
00:22:41
Speaker
You want a cup set. Yeah, exactly. want cup set. Yeah, exactly. So, um yeah, sitting down and watching that match was a mix of emotions for me. But, um you know, I'm not disappointed with the result.
Impact of Roman Torres on the Team
00:22:54
Speaker
I was going to ask here, Roman Torres. Yeah, that's what going to Do you want to take it, Ari? Well, we just saw that you had a, is was this a guest coaching appearance for Roman or just tell us about the connection there? How did that come about? Yeah, I mean, absolutely crazy for for me. I looked up to him. did you see the tattoo of himself on himself?
00:23:15
Speaker
I haven't seen that one yet. Yeah, he has a tattoo of himself holding lifting the cup yeah on his body. That's like the coolest thing ever. it It has to be, right? yeah Yeah, self-portrait on your body is so sick. I love that. Yeah, um so, you know, I don't even know how we initially started the conversations with Roman, but...
00:23:33
Speaker
Um, we really find value in, in having him a part of the staff as a professional player mentor. He's a guy who has, you know, done it himself. And so speaking to our players about how do you find that level?
00:23:47
Speaker
Um, and, and how do you grind, um, in in a lot of different ways, mentally, um, physically. Um, and so we really appreciate him, you know, being on our staff, uh, and he's just fun to be around. he He has an aura around him and man, I can remember watching him take that penalty. you know, i was in my basement, uh, you know, and, um, and now I i get texts from him.
00:24:11
Speaker
So it's, it's, its just it's, it's wild how, how, how things develop. And, um, Yeah, I find that we're extremely lucky to have him a part of the staff. He was always known as such like a big personality in the Sounders locker room. He was or a guy for sure. Like I remember I was covering the team in 2016 when they ah when they won the cup and he was obviously such a huge part of why that happened. But like even during the I think he came on maybe midway through that season.
00:24:39
Speaker
And it was kind of an underrated change of the vibes, just having him in there. he would lead the dance parties in the locker room. Oh, one where makes Jordan Morris dance like this? That's one of my favorite videos of all time. He still hits that dance. He does. I can confirm he still hits that dance. Yeah, that's a great get. That's a great get. We love Roman.
00:25:06
Speaker
So he's still with the team. He is he'll be on He'll be on staff for year two. and so So come meet Roman. Yeah, come
General Manager Role and Future of USL League Two
00:25:13
Speaker
meet Roman. Come out to West Seattle and and have a good time. It's always a party in West Seattle. yeah Anyone else like on the on the upcoming roster that you want to highlight or want people to know about that they can see at ah at a game this year?
00:25:29
Speaker
Man, i I mean, I could go down the list of a lot of our yeah a lot of our players. um i I'd like to highlight our keeper. We had him last year, Lucas Martin.
00:25:41
Speaker
um he's He's a guy at a D2 Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. And that sounds like a guy who could be like MLS talent, you know, like you'd grind it out in D to play chant, you know, oh continue. Sorry. i'm like i wo I'm getting dreamy about this man. Well, yeah, I had, um you know, I was fortunate to be able to get to know him over last season um and and he's a great guy. But.
00:26:05
Speaker
He's also great between the sticks. um And so his shot stopping ability, incredible. he um he saved a ah PK against Ole Town last season, which which resulted in us getting the draw away.
00:26:20
Speaker
um But his distribution is fantastic. And so he can kick the ball a mile long, but he can also play short. Very comfortable. And so I look forward to seeing him this season and and continue to grow on what what he did last year.
00:26:36
Speaker
That rocks. Oh yeah. Um, I was gonna ask here. i want to, want to come back into the mind of you and what your average day looks like. Is this, you know, is this full time for you? Is this like I'm doing this and also grinding and out doing other stuff. I love the, you know, the lower league stuff. You know, ah feel like I've been football manager, like talking with you, you know, is that kind of the vibe?
00:26:59
Speaker
Yeah. So um when I got brought on to to the GM role, I'm lucky enough to this is my full time job now. yeah that' awesome Yeah. Yeah. So it's it's a dream come true to be able to to work for my hometown club in a full time capacity.
00:27:15
Speaker
Average day, man, i I could not even tell you how different my days look like. Yeah. You know, I wake up, I definitely got to get my coffee. There we go. that That's the first one. um But usually it's it's checking in on players a lot. So I lead our registration ah through through the USL.
00:27:36
Speaker
ah So making sure that they're going to be eligible to play come May. um And then, you know, dealing with some of the international stuff. So we have international guys ah who come in and and they need to to get their paperwork done through U.S. soccer.
00:27:52
Speaker
ah So that's a big, big role. And then I'm involved heavily with the day to day of just the the business of the club. So trying to drive the community outreach ah part of things. um Podcasting.
00:28:04
Speaker
podcasting. Yeah. Trying to get, spread the word out there. Um, but, but my weeks look drastically different depending on when you catch me. Real life football manager. how would you describe just the, uh, the, the state and the health, I guess, of, uh, of league two, what do you think is, ah going well about where things stand and what do you maybe think, uh, could use growth or improvement?
00:28:30
Speaker
That's a good question. um I think that what what we're doing really well is is connecting with the youth clubs. um I think you'll see a lot of young people at these games. And that's a big thing about just growing the game in the United States. If the game continues to grow, League Two will always have a a place here.
00:28:50
Speaker
um right And so ah that's going to be huge coming up. Club World Cup here. and then World Cup following that, um and then even the the Olympics further down the road. um But, you know, I think what we could do a bit better is is reaching the average soccer fan, you know, somebody who might follow, like, their local MLS team um and and showcasing, like, what this is all about, that hyper-local soccer is really fun to to to go to.
00:29:22
Speaker
um And that the quality is actually like quite high. um you know with With guys coming in from college programs all around, um i I don't think people realize really how good the soccer is.
00:29:34
Speaker
Yeah, that's that's and do you guys play on so Saturdays or Sundays? it it It jumps around. Yeah, it jumps around. so So we'll have some midweek games. But I would say Friday, Saturday, Sunday is generally, if if you're working ah you know a nine to five, you know come catch us after Sunday.
Promotion, Relegation, and Community Impact
00:29:50
Speaker
Heck yeah. No, that rocks. um I was going to ask because recently announced, voted on by the usa This is like the big hot topic in U.S. soccer, promotion and relegation coming in 2028. Is that correct?
00:30:04
Speaker
So I'm interested to hear maybe maybe you don't want to reveal too much about your you know everything, but how that looks for for the junction, if you guys are excited or you know maybe maybe you guys are a little worried, unsure. I guess it's so far away too.
00:30:20
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I think everybody should be excited, at least for this experiment. You know, how is pro reg going to going to work in the United States? Are people going to, you know, be really open to it and love it? Or or is it, you know, is is the American mind a little bit, you know, very playoff oriented and everything.
00:30:39
Speaker
So it's going to be interesting to see. But I think everybody should be excited about it. um You know, i think it just... grows the possibilities of, of soccer in the United States.
00:30:51
Speaker
Um, and, uh, it kind of challenges the way that we develop players a little bit in that mindset. And I think that's something that really, um needs to improve, ah for soccer in the United States to continue to, to grow.
00:31:07
Speaker
Um, and so, We're excited for it. um You know, it is a little bit down the road, but, ah you know, we don't we don't get any advance notice of any of this stuff. So we were finding out right as you guys did as well. So, yeah, um but speak a little bit more to that. You know how you think that the player development will change with promotion and relegation, because I i do hear you sharing with us.
00:31:31
Speaker
the pay to play problem in in American soccer. That's something that a lot of people point to online and people have said, you know, promotion and relegation is something that could fix American soccer. It's going to create this completely new thing. I mean, I'm interested to hear from your perspective, at least the, the, the changes in player development that this can bring.
00:31:50
Speaker
I think just the academy style um where where guys can be brought up in the same systems and obviously just eliminating the barriers. There's a lot of kids who want to play soccer that just don't have the money to um or don't have the money to to be on a team that ah supports their talent.
00:32:10
Speaker
um And so I think that's something that's huge. and And the USL is really pushing it right now. They really want academies you know of of League Two teams of League One teams. And, um and so I think that's the the next step is is growing this hyper local vision.
00:32:28
Speaker
um And so that ah kids have the opportunity to grow up in a system and, um and that we also continue to develop our coaches. I think that's something that that is missed quite frequently is that we need ah to to continue to educate coaches. And that's something that our head coach, Eric Oman, that's one of his big missions is is being a coaching educator.
00:32:52
Speaker
um And so his perspective there is is is very appreciated. I mean, I know Ari is a huge New Mexico United fan. I was just yeah that was just going to ask, and I was going to say it's kind of a selfish question that only i care about. But i am I'm from ah New Mexico, so I'm a diehard New Mexico United fan. Have you follow have you followed much ah what they've got going on down there? I've seen a little bit. it's It looks absolutely electric.
00:33:18
Speaker
um And I was actually lucky enough that when we met to schedule this season, we got their general manager on the phone to to speak to us a little bit about what they're doing. That's awesome. um You know, how how they're doing different stuff with their kits, with their their kit sponsorship.
00:33:37
Speaker
um A really cool perspective into to the business side of things and and how they're Yeah. It was just crazy because like growing up there, I never really even considered the notion that there would be a soccer team that had support like that. You know, we had a triple A baseball team that that got that was decently supported, but nothing crazy.
00:34:00
Speaker
ah But the community down there like really embraced it in a way that was surprising to me. And like, they just, the marketing and the ah the crowds, the, It really, like you said, it's electric and it was awesome to see that in my hometown. But I think like what it showed to me is it's like possible in places where you might not necessarily expect it. I guess I had lived there for a long time at that point, so maybe it was more expected.
00:34:24
Speaker
But like, ah I guess that's ah something that I guess I hope like some USL League Two clubs that are already in existence or ones that are maybe more perspective, like you can kind of like, like I said earlier, not people might not have thought of West Seattle as the first place.
00:34:41
Speaker
But like you guys are really you're really doing it so it can be done. Absolutely. And I'd like to highlight um the new Portland team. um They're connected to the Portland Pickles down there, which is obviously electric factory for baseball.
00:34:54
Speaker
um So we're excited to to see their atmosphere when we travel down there. um But absolutely, i think that there's a market for soccer truly in many towns across the United States.
00:35:06
Speaker
And just giving people access to that outside of you know the MLS is is huge. Yeah, we talked, mean, Ari literally talked about it on a stream a couple weeks ago about how, you know, the Sounders are like, do we move stadiums? What's going to bring fans back? You know, having a little attendance troubles here and there.
00:35:25
Speaker
And we've both kind of been under the the assumption that if you have a good team and you have affordable tickets, people will come and show up and support you. And that seems like a pretty good model to me.
Season Goals and Supporting West Seattle Junction FC
00:35:36
Speaker
I mean, I don't know.
00:35:38
Speaker
But why don't we wrap it up here um with some agendas. ah Agenda check is our fan favorite segment here. So I wrote down some agendas of what I think are I'm setting now for this season for the junction. You can give us your reactions. Maybe you can come up with one. I don't want to put you on the spot here, but why don't we have him ah like rate the. Oh, yeah, there you go. You can rate him as like hot, super fire, bad. You know what i mean? All right. all right got Do you have any r or should I just rip them? Rip yours. Okay. Okay. My first one is junction will finish higher than Ballard FC agenda. Ooh, that's a, that's hot, hot, that's hot, that's hot. We're going hot, good or hot, bad, hot, good. All right. Good. I like, I like the confidence. That's the confidence that we're bringing into the season.
00:36:29
Speaker
um And, you know, I think it would be a failure from the staff if we didn't strive for that. um Yeah. Yeah. There we go. I mean, you know, I like what I see. I like the, you know, you're saying scrappy underdogs, like coming back, you know, not to, not to put it out there, but haven't gotten a win against Ballard yet. So it's, it's due.
00:36:49
Speaker
It is. It's due. I'm hyped for this Darby now. I know. I'm like, we're going to have to go out and do a whole video out there for you guys. You should, you should. and And their fans are incredible. They'll definitely bring the energy for that match. Um,
00:37:02
Speaker
you know They don't like us and we don't like them. So you know the feeling's mutual. um And I think if you watched last year, we had quite a few comeback victories. That was a little bit of our um m MO last year. And so i think that fits the bill, you know the underdogs.
00:37:20
Speaker
All right, here's my second one. This is only because I knew this player coming in Manny D up who had committed to Penn state and has played a lot of college soccer. Great player team of the season quality for, for regionally.
00:37:32
Speaker
That's my take only because that's a player I knew and I watched him in college and I loved what I saw. So, That's going to be super hot. That's a super hot take. We love Monty. um you know he's He's very um adaptable. we even We played him at striker last year. He mainly ah plays in the back, but we had him at center back.
00:37:54
Speaker
We had him at right back, and then we stuck him at top a few games. and so i think you know I think that's a super, super hot agenda item right there. There we go. Well, Ari, do you have any to add? I think that sides it up. that's why Those are my two agendas. We'll have to check in with you again at some point.
00:38:12
Speaker
um Anything else that you want to share? Where can people find the junction online for one and two? Are tickets on sale? Where can people get them? All that kind of good stuff. Season start. Chill. Go for it.
00:38:25
Speaker
Absolutely. Absolutely. So if you want to find us, we're on Instagram. We're on Facebook and say you all the social medias. So look us up. West Seattle Junction FC.
00:38:37
Speaker
If you want to buy tickets, tickets are on sale. Like i just mentioned before, only $15 for single match tickets. Even less if you want to buy season tickets. So So go to our website, wsjunctionfc.club, and you'll be able to find tickets there along with our schedule and merchandise as well. We got our jerseys dropping here very soon, and we're excited about that.
00:39:03
Speaker
So we're stoked about our hats, too. ah Yeah, but well we'll have to we'll have to talk about a like a short sponsor. Lobbing Scorchers short sponsor maybe at some point here. cause Get it going, get it going. you know Strike while the iron's hot and you know maybe yeah maybe you'll you'll push us through to a championship. There we go. Well, thank you so much, Corey, for giving us your time and we will catch up soon. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you guys so much for having me on. ah I'd be thrilled to come on again. Heck yeah. Thank you, man. Appreciate