Steelheads update indoor roster, await news on WISL season

SNOHOMISH, WA—The SnoCo FC Steelheads indoor soccer team has updated its roster even as the team awaits news regarding the Western Indoor Soccer League (WISL) season. Head Coach Jim Kessler has categorized a list of 27 players still training with the Fish into a 17-man First Team and a 10-man reserve roster. You can view the updated roster page here.

MORE FISH INDOOR: Feature on WISL Open Tryouts, The SnoCo FC Show

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Staff Named

Kessler has named Craig Otto as his assistant coach and Jeff Christianson as his equipment manager. Both Otto and Christianson have years of indoor experience from days in the Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) with several local sides.

League News

The WISL will have another conference call in the next week or so. There are multiple ideas on the table to get to a January start to the season, including dividing the league into divisional play. The WISL grew to eight clubs recently with the announcement of the addition of the Portland Blacktails.

New Faces in SnoCo

The current Steelheads First Team indoor roster features new faces and outdoor heroes that Steelhead fans will remember from the 2019 Western Washington Premier League (WWPL) Championship team.

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Fans will want to keep tabs on the progress of Austin Hill (Bothell High School), who is back home and training with SnoCo FC after playing for the Rochester Lancers in MASL 2. Other new guys include Bryan Fakkema (Oak Harbor High School) and Will Kelly (Seattle Prep High School.) The pair will bring experience to the Fish and will help elevate the talent level on the pitch. They played together at the University of Redlands over a decade ago.

Morgan West (Shorecrest) has been training with Steelheads Technical Director of Soccer Dagi Kesim and looks to be a goal-scoring threat indoors. Oliver ‘Cesar’ Avila has WISL goal-scoring experience from his time with Sporting Everett FC. Juan Machuca also is an indoor veteran, formerly scoring goals with the Snohomish Skyhawks. Lucas Joehnk (Lake Stevens) hopes to stick as perhaps the youngest player in the WISL. The 17-year old also plays premier outdoors with Sound FC.

Elijah Gordon (Lake Stevens, Northwest University, Kirkland FC) has been on the other side of the field outdoors as a member of the Kirkland FC Goats of the WWPL. Now he’s training to earn a Steelheads spot indoors. Roberto Suchil is a familiar face around the Everett Soccer Arena and the Olympic Soccer League. Corey Hendrickson (Mariner) brings a veteran presence after years in the PASL with the Skyhawks.

Outdoor Heroes Return

Bringing some continuity and overlap to the new indoor program, there are also a handful of players from the outdoor Steelheads ready to make their marks indoors. Rio Alcorta, John Troka, Dorian Lair, Carlos Rodriguez, Gunnar Stohl and Steven Moseley are a versatile bunch who all have medals from winning the WWPL in 2019. They are joined by Carlos Dacunha (Bothell HS, Everett College) who made the outdoor team at 2020 tryouts ahead of the season being cancelled due to Covid 19. This group features a leading scorer (Alcorta), Defender of the Year (Troka), Goalkeeper of the Year (Lair) and assist leader (Rodriguez.) Troka has years of experience indoors, including scoring a spectacular bicycle kick goal (see video below.)

See all 27 guys currently training with the Steelheads on the WISL Roster Page.