Oregon Trail -- Previewing the USAFL Western Regional

Before its name was changed to Salem in 1850 by politician William H. Williams, Oregon’s capital was known as Chimikiti, a word from the Kalapuya language meaning “meeting place”.  Nestled in the WIlliamette Valley region, Salem provides one of the most picturesque backdrops to just about anything.

It is appropriate, therefore, that some of the best teams in the USAFL make Salem their “chimikiti” for 2016, bringing together teams building towards the future, and towards a championship.

This will be an important weekend for the teams, as they mount their cases for seedings and their preparations for the Big Dance, the USAFL Nationals in October.  But for a number of players, there is more on the line.  USA Revolution coach Tom Ellis, and Freedom coach Leigh Barnes will eyeing these games with the formation of International Cup Rosters in mind.

2016 USAFL Western Regional Tournament
When: Saturday, July 16^th, 2016, 9am – 6pm (Pacific Time, 17 hours behind Melbourne)
Where: Capital FC Timbers Soccer Compex – Salem, Oregon
Broadcast: Capital Community Television and USAFL YouTube (Tape Delay, TBD)
 

Game Schedule (All Times PDT)

MEN’S DIVISION 1:

This weekend’s Division 1 clashes in Salem will be the first time, outside of Nationals, that four teams linked together in the USAFL Top 20 poll will do battle on the same weekend.  All four will almost assuredly be in Division 1 at Nationals and at least two of the matchups will be replicated in group play when we do get to Sarasota.

The two-time defending Western champion Orange County Bombers are going to have an uphill battle ahead of them if they want to three-peat.  It’s been a rough go so far for OC, as they have struggled just to get enough players to field their traditional two Metro sides in the SCAFL.  Players such as Chris Angus, Adam Shanks, and Brad Weatherall are always tough assignments for any defender, and will give the Bombers some fight.  That said, after getting pounded by LA last week, the specter of playing three difficult teams on the same day may be too much to bear.

If there is a favorite in this field, the slight nod has to be given to the Dragons.  They are playing as confidently as they have in their short history, but that confidence is bolstered by the development of new talent and a number of players poised to have big years in USAFL play.    The key will be in his onballers, and in particular Robert Dollar. Getting to the ball first and springing the forwards, including Justin Hall, Justin Kenna, Paul Loakim, and Stephen Bass into action.  A number of other possible Revo inclusions into next year’s IC17 squad, among them Gabriel Martin del Campo and Bill McGovern, to help LA breathe fire.

But as long as the Denver Bulldogs are in town, they are always a part of the conversation.  Unlike the other teams in this grouping, the Doggies have some games against other clubs under their belt, including a good second place showing at the Central Regionals last month in Indianapolis.  They were involved in arguably the best game of the weekend, storming back from 13 points down with five minutes left to draw Dallas.  Veterans Michio McGrath and Tom Harkness contribute all over the pitch, and high flying forward Casey Robertson is good for at least two speccies and a couple of highlight goals.  The Dogs will be title contenders this weekend and in Florida come October.

Rounding out the D1 field are the Golden Gate Roos, who, because of their nature as a metro league that feeds into its USAFL side, always seem to be a riddle wrapped in an enigma inside a couple of dozen blue and orange jumpers.  That said, they always bring the talent, and should fair better than the 1-2 record they put up at Regionals last season.  Brian Dragus is the key forward for the Roos, and crafty vets such as Kyle “Manly” Johnson, Tim Lindfelt, and Luke Quirk are part of an ensemble cast that is among the best in the country.

WOMEN’S DIVISION

Three weeks after the women of the Eastern clubs put on a memorable performance in Yonkers, NY, the ladies of the West Coast will get their turn.  Seven American clubs and one Canadian invader will be parsed into four teams for the round robin.  With USA Freedom selectors having a keen eye over the proceedings ahead of IC17, there will be plenty of chances for potential make-or-break performances during the course of the day.

Three of the five teams that competed in Division 1 at last year’s National Championships – Sacramento, San Francisco, and Minnesota -- will be represented in Salem, and all four will anchor each of the sides this weekend.  Three of the remaining four teams took part in last year’s Division 2 competition, while the remaining team, Seattle, will see its first official women’s representation in a USAFL sanctioned tournament.

The San Francisco Iron Maidens enter as slight favorites to clinch their third straight Western Regional title.  After going 1-1 in their opening games against Sacramento (W) and Denver (L) back, and coming in a disappointing third at Nationals last year, they’re looking to make it to the top.  They boast an athletic array of talent, especially in the middle of the ground with fast players such as captain Jessica Estrada, Sara Magallon, and Tishe Williams.  Brette Brower continues to build her reputation as a dominant ruck, Carly Smolak is always a menace when she has the ball, and the forward grouping of Courtney Sherman-Johnson and Meg Leone are going to need to be accurate and efficient with their scoring chances.  The defense, anchored by Julie Marks, will have its hands full on the day, but it’s a capable one.

The tag of “slight” favorite that I’ve attached to the Maidens is due to the fact that their opponents on match day contain no shortage of talent and experience. 

Perhaps the side hungriest to knock them over will be the one that contains the Sacramento Suns.  The Lady Suns have amassed one of the best defenses in the USAFL, keystoned by the omnipotent Katie Klatt, playing her last games before going to Australia to play for Melbourne University for the rest of the summer.   Though Klatt is the biggest name on defense, so to speak, the players around her on the back line, including Makenzie Seckora and Liz Danielson, are just as stingy in their denial of opponent chances.  The key to success for Brad Anderson’s girls is going to be the efficiency of their offense, which showed improvement in their opening matches.  The on-baller trio of Rosemary Kloh, Carly Hartman, and Elaine Schreiber are behind this resurgence, building off of a strong Nationals. The forward line will need to cash in on every chance for the Suns/Hawks combo to have one.

The most intriguing package in the competition is the combination of the Minnesota Freeze and the Portland Sockeyes.  Freeze coach Kat Hogg will have a solid core of her charges at her disposal, including goal kicker-extraordinaire Cathy Hoha, Cathy Georgiadis, and Lizzy Even.  She’ll also have a good number of players from the Portland Sockeyes, who are one of this year’s fastest growing programs.  Simone Sheppard shared best-and-fairest at last year’s WRT with San Fran’s Carly Smolak, she’ll look to have it to herself this year.  USAFL vets Heather Serpico and Eve Brickner add more experience to the dark horse side.

Another burgeoning women’s program is the Seattle Grizzlies, and they’ll be paired with Vancouver Vixens.  Seattle has a number of new players who have picked up the game quickly, including Chyna Lenz, Sage Cowles, and Allison Leonard.  Former Boston Demon Chung-Yi Tseng is quick and will provide pace in the halfback line.  Vancouver has a growing women’s program of their own, led by Canadian National Team captain Marlena Ginnochio, who will be difficult to stop in the forward line.

MEN’S DIVISION 2:

A year ago on their home turf in the college town of Davis, California, the Sacramento Suns took to the field and calmly swept aside the Portland Steelheads and a combination side consisting of San Diego and Seattle.  It would be a start of a memorable year for Sacto, as they would end up making it to the D2 Grand Final at Nationals.

This season in Salem a new challenge awaits with two familiar foes in Portland and Seattle, and both sides are better than they were last season and both have a bit of confidence coming in.

The Suns enter as the 11^th best team in the country according to the USAFL Poll, despite this being their first intersquad matches of the season.  Coach Matt Bishop demands good fundamentals from his charges, and on most game days they respond.  The talisman for the Suns is defender Saleh Tyebjee, who is essentially a scrap of human flypaper on defense, taking just about everything in the air.   The Suns are a mostly American side, and players like Tocher Kellom, Brian Brewer, and Ramish Bahramand continue are underrated yet athletic pieces to the Sacramento puzzle.

But the Suns can tell you that holding home field advantage is a challenge, and the team who holds the mantle this coming weekend is up to the task.  The Portland Steelheads flashed some of the glitter that led them to the D3 National Championship early on last season, and though they are coming off a stumble to Seattle prior to the 4^th of July, coach Martin Coventry has expressed to this reporter that he has been encouraged by his teams’ training performance the last several weeks. Seth Wright, Ryan Stewart, and former OC Bomber Seb Aguiari are among the vets that support a club that has recruited heavily in the offseason and whose fruit will bear quite quickly.

Last but certainly not least is another team that is seeing the results of their labors recruiting in the spring; the Seattle Grizzlies.  The Grizz were once a D1 Grand Finalist back in 2009, and after withering away over the past half-decade are back with a vengeance.  They have been a competitive presence in the BCAFL this season, and pulled off a minor upset with their win over Portland.  They’ll be wearing new mostly lime green jumpers this weekend, and the only thing brighter may be their young star, Max DePina, one of the more athletic players to come out of the West Coast in some time.