The Crossfire Premier Soccer Club has acquired the Seattle Wolves Football Club and will transition the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League side into its program as the club’s top senior-level team.
Re-named Washington Crossfire, the team is coming off a successful inaugural campaign in the USL, registering an 11-4-3 overall record en route to a postseason appearance eventually falling in the Northwest Division final.
Coached by Seth Spidahl, the team featured numerous Crossfire products last season. Michigan’s Chris Blais and Washington transfer Alex Klein were strong contributors to the club’s on-field success, as were Santa Clara’s Brandon Zimmerman and Fernando Monge of UCLA.
"Crossfire was a valuable partner to the Seattle Wolves FC in 2009,” said the team’s general manager Andrew Opatkiewicz. “Now that the two organizations are united, the implications of this relationship will only strengthen our prospects on the pitch."
The Northwest Division of the PDL’s Western Conference consisted of nine teams in 2009, including the Abbotsford (CAN) Mariners, Kitsap Pumas, Portland (OR) Timbers U23, Spokane Spiders, Tacoma Tide, Vancouver (CAN) Whitecaps Residency, Victoria (CAN) Highlanders, Washington Crossfire and Yakima Reds.
Based in Redmond, Crossfire is Washington State’s only Nike Premier Club. The organization’s origins can be traced back to 1968, and since that time, the club has developed athletes for collegiate soccer, the US National Team system and, ultimately, professional careers in the United States and abroad.
Similarly, the Seattle Wolves Football Club has bridged the gap between premier amateur footballers and top-flight professionals since the club’s inception in 2002. The club has grown from its origins as a recreational side by rising through the lower divisions of American soccer to achieve ascendancy in the United Soccer Leagues.
Washington Crossfire players come from a variety of backgrounds stretching from professional athletes, retired or in their off-season, to the best local amateur talent. The side is also home to some of the best college talent from across the country during the college off-seasons.
