By Cam McCann, Gonzaga University ‘25
ONE Spokane Stadium hosts their second USL League One match of the week this Saturday, Sept. 7, as Central Valley Fuego FC (3-9-2) faces Spokane Velocity FC (6-4-4) at 6 p.m. in a regular season showdown.
The theme of this match is Hispanic and Latinx/a/o Heritage Night, and it will be broadcast live on ESPN+ along with a taped local broadcast courtesy of SWX that airs at 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring new and used soccer gear to donate to the Les Schwab-90+ Project Soccer Gear Donation Drive. Those who donate will receive a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for future Velocity tickets.
This is the first time that Velocity FC and Fuego FC will meet in the regular season. Their two other matchups came in League One’s Jägermeister Cup. The first matchup, which came on April 27, was won by Central Valley in penalty kicks after the match ended in a draw.
Spokane comes into the match after a thrilling 2-1 win over Union Omaha at home on Wednesday. Thanks to the three-point win, Velocity strengthened their playoff hopes. Another win against Fuego FC could propel the club up the table to a tie for third with Forward Madison FC. Velocity has lost just one out of their last seven regular season matches, which came at the hands of the table’s top-ranked Charlotte Independence.
Contrary to Velocity, Central Valley’s momentum on the League One table recently came to a halt. After back-to-back wins, the club dealt with multi-goal losses against Lexington SC (3-1) and Charlotte Independence (4-0). Fuego remains at the bottom of the table, with just 11 total points in 14 matches and a -15 goal differential.
Fuego’s best offensive force has been Alfredo Midence Alvarado, who leads the league in assists with six on the season. This figure means he has set up his teammates for a third of his club’s total goals. Fuego’s top scorer, forward Dembor Benson, has netted the ball three times for the club.
Velocity’s offense has surged as of late, and their second half against Omaha continued their streak of seven games without getting shut out. The club has found magic from the foot of Derek Waldeck, who has assisted on three set piece scores in the last four matches, all to members of the defensive back line.
With just eight more matches left in the regular season, and six of those coming against clubs currently in the eight team playoff picture, Velocity will get a good chance to set themselves up for the challenging tail end to their inaugural season.