SMOKEY POINT, WA—The Snohomish County FC Steelheads Men are seeing their 2022 Cascadia Premier League (CPL) roster and season schedule come into focus as the team continues to play friendlies and prepare for the start of the CPL campaign on April 30.
Roster
Official open tryout sessions have been completed but the Steelheads will continue to see new players by registered drop-in at weekly trainings. The player pool for 2022 looks to be a very talented one. A look at the initial roster page reveals an interesting combination of returning stars and fresh new possibilities. 15 of the guys are entering their very first outdoor season with the Fish.
There are new guys trying to stick in almost every position, starting at the back with goalkeeper and going all the way up to the front at forward. Head Coach Dagi Kesim will let it sort itself out. “We have played two matches against United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) teams and we are getting some idea about what we have with the new players. A second batch came to us after the latest open tryouts. Now we will see in training what they offer.”
Gala FC and The Player Pool
The Steelheads player pool is bolstered this year again by the club’s partnership with Gala FC. Their CPL Men’s Second Division team competes as the Steelheads Second Team under the “Gala FC” banner in the CPL D2. Players can be “called up” to the Fish roster under the guidance of Kesim.
Winning Start
The Steelheads are indeed off to a winning start. They beat Bellevue Athletic 3-1 on March 27 at Dick Cardinal Stadium. Next they topped 2021 Fall Season NW UPSL Champions Seattle Lone Stars FC 4-2 on April 3. On Saturday April 16 the Fish travel to Olympia to play the Oly Town Artesians at Black Hills High School. Oly Town have added a new men’s team in USL Two starting this year.
CPL Schedule
The Steelheads Men will begin their 10-match Cascadia Premier League schedule away to Kirkland FC on Saturday April 30 at Lake Washington High School. The Fish play their league home opener on Saturday night May 7 when they host defending league champions Wenatchee All Stars FC at 7 PM at Dick Cardinal Stadium. See the complete schedule here. Use the site menu “Schedules” and select “Steelheads Men.”
Under The Lights
All CPL home matches are scheduled to kick off on Saturday nights at 7 PM at Dick Cardinal Stadium on the campus of Lakewood High School in Smokey Point. This has been the traditional home of the Steelheads since 2018.
General Manager Dorian Lair is excited to compete for the CPL trophy and to feature night time matches. “We are building something for ourselves in the county,” he says. “We want to operate as professionally as we can, and we hope that playing at night will allow more fans to come watch us.”
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