Matthew Lacy is the Victory Lookout – providing inside coverage of Vancouver Washington’s own soccer club. Watch for his columns on your #HometownSoccer club as they stay #ShipShape for the people of Clark County and beyond!

By Matthew Lacy

May 29, 2018

VANCOUVER, WA— After a rough two week road trip where we dramatically dropped two games against two powerhouse teams, our Vancouver Victory look to return to their winning ways here at home on the Hampton Inn Championship Field at Harmony Sports Complex to face the Spokane Shadow on Sunday, June 3rd, 3pm.  Here is what has me on the lookout.

Halftime Antics.  The Little Vancouver Victory U7 and U8 players who participated in the 2018 Spring Development Camp are going to be balling during halftime.  These young folks are the future of soccer in Vancouver, Washington and it is always fun to cheer them on.

The Vancouver Victory Fight for their Home Fortress.  We have a stretch of four home games in four weeks beginning this weekend.  Here is where the V2FC prove that they belong in the play-offs. While it may seem early, in a ten game regular season, these are the games that will define the end results.   And with the workman style that head coach Logan Emory wants to employ, I expect there to be some real verve in the Vancouver play.

A V2FC Statement Win.  Coach Emory and his Boys in Blue are going to want to prove that the current numbers do not tell the whole story of their team. Our schedule had us opening at home where we soundly beat Yakima United, 2-1.  Then we had to go on the road for two weeks to face Washington Premier FC and the Seattle Stars, both beat us by the same score line, 4-0. WPFC has the best record in the league right now and the Stars won it all last year.  Now, after a well-timed, league wide Memorial Day break, I am betting that our boys are aiming to blow their barbaric yawps over the rooftops of Washington to declare their rights to the playoffs.

The V2FC Mid-Field Engine.  Much has been stated about the strength of our mid-field.  As this is the place where we have seen the most success, I am on the lookout to see how these fellas influence both the attack and the defense.  Richard Henderson and Ivan Colin have the only two goals for the Victory so far. Who will be the next heroes in blue?

The Spokane Shadow Attack.  This historically strong team have the second best scoring record in the league, following Washington Premier FC.  Their goals have come from eight different players, two of them have two goals each: EPLWA veteran ballers Mike Ramos and Jake Levine.  In a squad that has only played three games, this is a huge splay of goal scoring potential that will certainly test our, so far, leaky V2FC defense.

The Spokane Shadow Offense.  This team can leak goals as well and arguably have only won games two out of their three bouts due to their prolific goal scoring.  The offense have allowed 6 goals in their three league games, but one of those was a shutout. So, the question is which defense is going to show up?  A large part of that is going to be wrapped up in the attacking performance of our Boys in Blue.

The Spokane Shadow Depth.  This team enjoys being one of the only clubs who are not at the top of their organization.   They have a team above them that plays in the National Premier Soccer League, meaning that they could have players dropping down to play with the team we are facing on Sunday.  This might also explain why their goals come from so many different players.

The Action off the Pitch.  We had a spectacular group of smart supporters making up the Sea of Blue for our opening game, cheering at the right spots and not just focusing on the goals.  There is a high IQ there and it is fun to be a part of that. There will also be a merchandise table full of classy ways to support the V2FC. Also, we saw our share of blue smoke and a strong tifo during the last home game coming from the Vanguard; the vocal, independent supporters group of the Vancouver Victory.  I wonder what might crop up from that corner as well.

It is going to be an exciting match, Sea of Blue.  I’ll see you at Hampton Inns Championship Field in the Harmony Sports Complex at 3pm this Sunday to watch our Vancouver Victory FC take on the Spokane Shadow.  Tickets are available online and at the game: $6 for adults, kids 12 and under are free.