More than 120 players tried out this past week for our area’s new “pre-pro” soccer club, West Seattle Junction FC. It’s been three weeks since club leadership went public with plans to start playing this May in the USL2, joining more than 120 teams nationwide (including future crosstown rival Ballard FC, the current league champions). Also this past week, the team’s owners announced Junction FC’s head coach, Erik Oman, who was working with the prospective players who turned out for tryouts at Delridge Playfield:
Junction FC describes Coach Oman’s background as “impressive,” and provides these highlights:
Erik holds numerous licenses including US Soccer A license, his Premier Diploma for coaching, and a National Goalkeeper coaching license. With over 30 years of coaching, including a 15-year collegiate coaching career with University of Northern Colorado, UW, University of Montana, Colorado College, and the US Air Force Academy. He has coached numerous National team and professional players and mentored hundreds of coaches as a national coaching educator. Since returning to Seattle in 2007, Erik has been in various high-level leadership roles, most recently serving as the League Technical Director for the Washington Premier League as well as the League’s Academy program serving top players across the State.
Junction FC’s announcement quotes the new coach as saying, ““I saw in West Seattle an amazing community with the potential to build a passionate following for a team and a group of owners who were truly dedicated to their community and the development of the game there.” Ownership-team members were there for Friday’s tryouts too:
From left in our photo are Kaitlyn Jackson, Jessica Pierce, and Tom Gaffney, who say the team was formed by “soccer enthusiasts that have supported our youth soccer community for over 25 years.” They plan to start Junction FC with the men’s team (U23) this year and add a women’s team next year. They’re still working on finalizing the plan to play home matches at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex; they’re aiming to start ticket sales next month.
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