Steelheads aim for the top Thursday night at Crossfire

SMOKEY POINT, WA—The first year in the regional elite adult Western Washington Premier League has been a very good one for the Snohomish County FC Steelheads. Last Saturday the club completed an unbeaten home league record (3-2-0, W-D-L) and this Thursday July 18 they will try to match that by earning an unbeaten away mark (currently 3-1-0) as well. A tie will do the trick but the Fish have bigger goals in mind.

Win and wait until Sunday

A win over XF Redmond would hand that club its only loss of the season and more importantly would nudge the Steelheads above them and into first place in the WWPL table, 24 standings points to 23. If Nido Aguila Seattle draws or loses on Sunday then 24 points would be enough to win the league.

Nido are Steelheads fans

Waiting in the weeds and cheering for the Steelheads are Nido Aguila Seattle. They have 21 points and play at Federal Way on Sunday in their 10th and final match of the season. They need the Steelheads to beat or draw XF Redmond to stay alive.

Crossfire’s clear goal

XF Redmond have their own clear goal: simply beat Snohomish and Crossfire claims the championship. All three clubs at the top of the table are new teams to the league this year.

Tiebreaker time

The WWPL tiebreaker rules may be called into play to decide the 2019 title. If two clubs finish with the same point totals, it will likely be goal differential (#3) or total goals (#4) that decides it. In head-to-head points Nido drew 3-3 versus Crossfire and 1-1 at Snohomish. Nido currently leads both other clubs in the 3rd and 4th tiebreakers.

No lower than third

The Steelheads have clinched at least a 3rd place finish in the 11-team league. In a preseason poll online of fans, players and coaches the Steelheads were picked to finish 6th. Nido was predicted to win the league.

Dagi’s Men

However the final match goes, the Steelheads have rallied around Head Coach Dagi Kesim, adopted and performed his style of play and systems, and built a team out of guys from across the county. They have laid a foundation for success. They have represented their county in the highest manner.

Clubbing it

The club has also learned a lot and made strides as an organization. Six home matches were hosted. Gates were opened to fans. Concessions were offered. Season passes were sold.

The club were awarded a grant from the Snohomish County Tourism Program Area thanks to an assist from the Snohomish County Sports Commission.

The Steelheads were on the front page of the Daily Herald Sports and featured multiple times in the North County Outlook.

National website Protagonist Soccer featured the club several times.

The two new kit styles were instant hits and gave the club recognition well beyond the state of Washington.

The Steelheads played their first-ever out of state match in Salem Oregon taking the Portland Timbers U23’s down to the wire.