Tacoma Tide

Football club infobox
clubname = Tacoma Tide


fullname = Tacoma Tide Football Club
nickname = The Tide
founded = 2006
ground = Viking Field
capacity = 2,000
chairman = flagicon|USA Mike Jennings
manager = flagicon|IRL Fran O'Brien
league = USL Premier Development League
season = 2008
position = 1st, Northwest Division
Playoff Conference Finals

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Tacoma Tide is an American soccer team, founded in 2006. The team is a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, and plays in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference against teams from Abbotsford, Ogden, Provo, Salem, Spokane, Vancouver and Yakima.

The Tide play their home matches at Viking Field on the campus of Curtis Senior High School in the city of University Place, Washington, six miles west of downtown Tacoma. The team's colors are yellow, blue and white.

2008 Roster

Year-by-year

Honors

* USL PDL Northwest Division Champions 2008

Competition History

Tacoma were introduced into the league at very short notice in 2006 when it was announced that the now-defunct Spokane Shadow franchise were suspending operations for the season, and during their first season they were simply referred to as Tacoma F.C.. Despite the leadership of the experienced Fran O'Brien as head coach, the first few games were tough for the Yellows. Three defeats in their first five games - including 3-0 losses to both BYU Cougars and Ogden Outlaws - were perhaps indicative of the short pre-season timescale the team were forced to endure. They finally got their first win, 4-0 away at Cascade Surge, and although their home form improved considerably as the season progressed, their away results were less so. The home wins over Yakima Reds and Cascade were impressive, but three defeats in their final four games, including a 3-0 hammering by Abbotsford Rangers on the final day, left Tacoma 5th in the Northwest table, 16 points off the leaders. Rory Agu was the top scorer with 5 goals, while Spencer Schomaker registered 3 assists.

2007 began with a new official name - Tacoma Tide - which they officially unveiled on 23 March. Similarly, the club's on field fortunes improved markedly over 2006. Tide were immense at home, going their entire season undefeated, and dropping just 2 points in a 1-1 tie with Ogden Outlaws in June. Tacoma conceded just 3 goals at home all year, and enjoyed a number of impressive victories, including a 4-1 win over Spokane Shadow, a 3-0 win over defending champions Abbotsford Rangers, and a 5-0 demolition of Yakima Reds in their final home game of the season. Tacoma's away form was no less potent, their 6-0 thrashing by BYU Cougars the only blip of an otherwise superb season. By the end of the regular season Tacoma sat in second place in the Northwest division, and were off to the playoffs in Fresno; however, Tide lost 4-1 in controversial circumstances to Fresno Fuego in the semi fimal game which saw both Ciaran O'Brien and Spencer Schomaker sent off. Despite the disappointment of the playoff defeat, Tacoma nevertheless enjoyed a strong year. Rory Agu was again one of Tide's top marksmen with 7 goals, while MLS-bound Ciaran O'Brien notched an impressive 7 goals and 5 assists.

Notable former players

* John Fishbaugher
* Ciaran O'Brien

Coaches

* Fran O'Brien 2006-date

tadia

* Viking Field, University Place, Washington 2006-date

Average Attendance

*2008: not yet available
*2007: 197
*2006: 106

External links

* [http://www.tacomafc.com/ Tacoma F.C.]
* [http://www.GOALTacoma.com/ GOALTacoma.com]
* [http://Soundercentral.com/gallery/TacomaFC2006 2006 Tacoma FC photo gallery]
* [http://soundercentral.com/gallery/TacomaTide2007 2007 Tacoma FC photo gallery]
* [http://myspace.com/tacomatide Tacoma Tide on Myspace]