Pierce County, Washington will soon be getting a new adult men’s soccer team. Plans have been made to bring a National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) team to the area this season with the first games being played in May.
Pierce County will be playing in the NPSL’s Northwest Conference, which includes teams in Seattle, WA (Seattle OSA FC), Bremerton, WA (Kitsap Soccer Club), Spokane, WA (Spokane Soccer Club Shadow), and Portland, OR (Portland Spartans).
The NPSL occupies the fourth division of the U.S. Soccer pyramid and is the largest national men’s league in the U.S. NPSL players have been placed into all levels of professional soccer, both domestically and internationally. NPSL teams qualify to compete in the U.S. Open Cup, playing against teams from all divisions of U.S. Soccer, in the oldest sports tournament in the U.S.
The group taking on this new project is made up of collaboration between College Life Italia and Giuseppe Pezzano. College Life Italia is an American company that specializes in placing Italian sports players in American colleges with academic or sports scholarships. Pezzano brings over 10 years of experience, knowledge, and a vast network of contacts to the new soccer organization thanks to his work in North American and international soccer. He also has two NPSL conference championships with the Seattle OSA FC team under his belt. He has arranged both teams with separate competitive entities while providing invaluable experiences through College Life Italia and for regional players.
Together the group will offer players a great team to play for.
“We are thankful to be working in collaboration with Giuseppe Pezzano on this project,” College Life Italia CEO Stefano Radio, who will serve as the team’s technical director, commented. “We have seized the opportunity to establish this club to help fill a void and provide valuable playing opportunities at the national level for many young locals and college players. We know how important it is to have more high level adult teams in Washington State. We believe we have joined the premier conference within our region.”
The club will implement an Italian style of training and have an Italian coach. The team will work with local players and bring in Italian players, many of whom will already have been playing for colleges in the U.S. This team will be highly focused on the college player.
“Through this club we are working to make more soccer available to more players and fans, and by collaborating with local academies we will open up many new opportunities to players,” Radio added. “Another exciting element that this collaboration adds to the strength and growth of the soccer community is that it opens up opportunities for players to go to college throughout the states and play college soccer, or for players to go abroad and study and play. This year College Life successfully placed 80 Italians in college, and our vast network of college contacts can be used to place American students/players that play for the team as well. By playing with our team we will be able to evaluate the player’s skills and level and make contact with our colleges who we know are looking for specific player types.”
The incoming team will play its home games at various fields throughout Pierce County.
“We want this organization to be deeply connected to the community and the greater Pierce County region where our goal is to provide continuing development and opportunities to players to play at a high level and be seen nationally,” Radio concluded. “We want our players to get a taste of what the next level of soccer is like and give them something to dream about. It will be an exciting soccer environment. We are going to create something every exciting for everyone who is part of this experience.”
Tryouts for the team will begin in February. The team will be announcing their branding, website, and social media information in the coming weeks.
