SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane’s Velocity FC is just days away from the USL League Championship Final.
The first-year team made history just by making it out of the first round of the playoffs and continued their historic run with a match in the finals during its inaugural season.
KREM2 spoke to team co-owner, Ryan Harnetiaux, about plans and preparation. He says the team to beat now is number-one Union Omaha, who defeated Greenville Triumph to get to the finals.
Harnetiaux said the team played and beat Union Omaha earlier this season, but the players are not resting on their laurels.
"Union Omaha is a great club, they are very experienced. They are the returning champs from last season," Harnetiaux said. "They play a very aggressive style of soccer at their home stadium which is a little bit smaller pitch than they were used to playing on. They’ve got a little bit of an advantage there to be honest.”
He said taking the win would be icing on the cake for an already successful season.
“To bring home a championship in an inaugural season is such an absurd thing to think that you could do," Harnetiaux said.
He claims they could not do it without the relentless support from fans of the Lilac City.
“We love shedding light on Spokane as a city and a soccer destination," Harnetiaux said.
Now, they are one game away from being USL League One champions.
The final is Sunday, November 17th at noon Pacific time. Viewers can watch it on KSKN 22.
If you want in on the action, the team will host a watch party at Flatstick Pub in Spokane. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the team says they expect about 250 people to be there.