Spokane Velocity FC Becomes Third-Ever League One Team to Clinch Playoffs in an Inaugural Season

Sports stats



USL1 Spokane Velocity FC

Spokane Velocity FC Becomes Third-Ever League One Team to Clinch Playoffs in an Inaugural Season

October 16, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Spokane Velocity FC News Release


The city of Spokane will get the chance to relish in its first 90 minutes of playoff soccer as Velocity FC have clinched a spot in the USL League One's playoff picture.

Spokane Velocity (7-8-5) will in all likelihood remain in the seventh spot on the League One table, as they are four points behind the sixth-ranked Charlotte Independence (8-6-6) and five points over the eighth-ranked Richmond Kickers (5-9-6).

Velocity has experienced plenty of movement in the league standings, as their inaugural season has had plenty of peaks and valleys.

"That's League One for you," said head coach Leigh Veidman in response to the movement after a home win against Union Omaha on Sept. 4th that caused a three-way tie for fourth place on the standings.

"It's the work we've done from day one that has got us into the playoffs, not these last three or four games," Veidman stated following Velocity's most recent match against Greenville Triumph SC. "The players deserve a ton of credit. We've had lows, we've had highs and we're in a little bit of a slump right now, but the team has shown incredible character."

The biggest high for the team came recently, as Velocity went on a 4-1-4 stretch between June 23rd and Sept. 20th, but the upward trend came crashing down after the loss of captain Luis Gil to a hamstring injury just a minute into the ensuing match against Forward Madison FC. Velocity fell 2-0 to the Flamingos which then triggered a four match losing streak.

Velocity began the season hot, winning their first five matches across all competitions inside ONE Spokane Stadium. With one home match remaining, the club's record at home is 5-2-2 and overall attendance is second-most in League One.Thanks to a confident home presence, Velocity's inaugural season's culture showed a great amount of local support, and this was brought back into the locker room according to Veidman.

"One thing that we've got that's really solid in that locker room is a good group of guys in a good culture who want to work and fight for each other," Veidman said. "We've been through a couple little difficult periods in the season, but we've found our way out of them every time, and that's all credit to the players."

Veidman's coaching tactics have implemented a pass-heavy offensive attack. Velocity is second in the league in both total team passes, with 9,510, as well as passing accuracy, which sits at 84%. A couple of the most important contributors to the passing attack have been members of the defensive backline like Derek Waldeck as well as midfielders like Gil. Both are top-10 in the league in chances created.

Velocity can't rely on a regular-season effort to advance in the League One playoffs however. With League One's single-elimination match format, there is a new energy needed to advance past each round.

"Playoffs are a very different animal than the regular season," Veidman said."It becomes a little more defensive and a little bit more transitional than what the games are right now, so it's a very different feel and a different approach to a game."

The other two clubs who made the playoffs in their inaugural season found varying levels of success. While Union Omaha advanced all the way to the League One finals in 2020, Charlotte Independence fell in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.

Out of the final six matches on Velocity's schedule, five are clinched playoff clubs. The quality of teams down the stretch could help with building familiarity of a club and finding a tactical advantage.

"It's good that we're playing [postseason teams] now that the playoffs have been clinched and that bit of pressure is out the window," said Velocity forward Josh Dolling. "Now we can play these teams, get familiar with them and then we're going to be playing one of them in a few weeks time, when it's win or go home, so I think that's a good thing for us."

Velocity's projected opponent, Forward Madison FC (10-2-8), will be difficult to dispense of. The current No. 2 seed on the table has gone without a loss in their last five matches, and have only dropped a single match at home during the regular season. Last time the two clubs crossed paths, the perseverance of 'Mingos fans was made apparent. After multiple delays that totalled multiple hours of waiting, the crowd in Madison was still active and full of energy into the late hours of the night.

While the time and place of Velocity's inaugural playoff match has yet to be decided due to unfinished seeding, all that is guaranteed is a postseason match on Nov. 2.

As for their next two matches, Velocity faces Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC on Saturday at 4Rivers Equipment Stadium and plays their final regular season match against One Knoxville SC seven days later at ONE Spokane Stadium. Both matches take place at 6:00 p.m. and will air on ESPN+.

Stay tuned for Playoff Match Details!

Secure tickets to Velocity FC's last home match this season!

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League One message board...

United Soccer League One Stories from October 16, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central