Know Your Enemy: Spokane Velocity
- Chris Jenkins
- Apr 5
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
By: Chris Jenkins
On Saturday, April 5th, the Portland Hearts of Pine will play Spokane Velocity FC in their second away game of the 2025 season. Kick-off is 9:00 pm EST/ 6:00PM PST with the game streamed on ESPN+. Watch parties are being hosted by the club at Three Dollar Deweys and Dirigo Union at Bunker Brewing Company.
Team History
Like the Portland Hearts of Pine, Spokane Velocity FC are newcomers to USL1. Founded in 2022, Spokane entered the 2024 season with a solid inaugural entrance and became the third ever expansion team in USL1 history to enter the playoffs, despite being the lowest seed to qualify. The season took a turn, as Spokane ended the 2024 in 7th place with 27 points and a post-season 7-game winless streak. Despite evidence proving to be one of the best attacking teams, Spokane had the third fewest goals of the 14 member team league.
Regardless, this hasn’t deterred Coach Leigh Veidman’s vision for the team where “the first-year goal was to establish a team identity, the second year was to become a consistent contender and host playoff games and the third was about vying for a championship.”
The club’s is based out of One Spokane Stadium, which they share with the USL Super League team, Spokane Zephyr FC. The team’s name and crest are references to the Spokane River, where the vertical bars represent the river’s waterfalls and the font style a nod to the Monroe Street Bridge in downtown Spokane. Both Spokane Velocity FC and Zephyr FC boast an active fan club, the 509 Syndicate.
Key Players
Veidman has made noticeable additions to Spokane, as eight new players join the 13 returning from the 2024 season. Hungry players migrated in from USL and MLS teams, supplying the team with a roster that has a minimum of USL1 or an equivalent level of experience but also boosting Spokane’s average age of the players from 26 to 27.5. This contrasts with the Hearts’ average of 25.6 - a relative youngster compared to the rest of the USL1 - as the Hearts have also sought recent college graduates when forming the team this year.
Acquiring midfield Nil Vinyal may Spokane’s most significant acquisitions for 2025. Considered one of the best players in USL1 history in both matches played and goal contribution, his time with Richmond in 2024 yielded 19 goals and 18 assists. A precision passer, his talents will be well utilized with Spokane’s style of play.
Defender Lucky Opara joins Spokane’s back-four from the now-defunct Northern Colorado Hailstorm. A noticeable statistic is during 2024, Opara won 80% of tackle attempts, making him a potential formidable opponent to the Hearts’ attacking forwards.
Even with these newcomers, Spokane has deep experience. Former USMNT midfielder and Spokane Velocity captain Luis Gil returns this year after a personally successful 2024 season of 11 goals and five assists. Despite a season of varied outcomes, Gil’s on-field leadership has been crucial in carrying out Veidman’s strategies.
What to Expect from Match Day
Current Form: DLW
Preferred Formation: 4-4-2
USL1 League Position: 3rd
For their 4th game of the season, Spokane is meeting the Hearts with a spread of results from a 1-1-1 record. As of game day, they hold 3rd in the league with 4 points behind the Richmond Kickers and FC Naples but were recently eliminated in the US Open Cup in a second-round game against Takoma Defiance.
Despite the mixed bag, Spokane entered 2025 in notable form. Leading the league in going in long from the back, and having the highest average of 525 passes per match in 2024, they have learned to play with a fast rhythm spurred by a talented midfield. Dominating possession with a quick but controlled build-up, often up the middle, can be expected with a versatility enabled by the 4-4-2 formation.
A common criticism of Spokane was their inability to execute final attacks, even with their possession superiority. Their simple lack of goals last season proved the fatal consequence of this challenge, where even with the consistent creation of opportunities are meaningless without converting into shots on net.
Spokane Velocity is a team in evolution but seeking a specific form. Despite their fluctuations in results and inevitable growing pains of a squad in their second year, Veidman’s style, necessary system tweaks, and targeted recruitments will deliver on promise for Spokane’s supporters.
Final Thought
The matchup will be an interesting competition of comparable but differing approaches to soccer. Spokane’s fast build-ups versus the Hearts aggressive high-press and attack suggest a fast-paced contest. Communication will be key, especially in the quick seconds after duals are won and plays emerge.
Other details offer no clear advantage. Despite Spokane’s tendency towards owning the ball and dominance of passing, Hearts Coach Bobby Murphy’s lack of emphasis on possession suggests this may not be the advantage Veidman desires it to be. Murphy’s intense press and forcing opposing players to fall back may be the neutralizing factor to Spokane’s rapid mid-field buildup. Both coaches’ schools of thought emphasize the creation of chances, but as it was previously pointed out, finishing has been a demonstrated weakness for Spokane.
The Hearts are expected to give a strong showing. Having tied against FC Naples in their sole game of the season and won against both CD Faialense and Hartford Athletic in the US Open Cup, the Hearts have yet to be defeated during the opening weeks of 2025. With two games in hand, the Hearts are in the opening phases of proving themselves in USL1, but are well positioned to build on initial successes with Spokane.
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