OSA Seattle FC

OSA Seattle FC
OSA Seattle FC emblem: A blue striped and checkered shield is adorned with the words "OSA" across the top and "SEATTLE FC" across the middle. And below is a yellow Fleur-de-lis.
Full nameOlympic Soccer Academy Seattle Football Club
Founded2008
as FC Tacoma 253
StadiumStarfire Sports Complex
Tukwila, Washington
Capacity6,000
OwnerGiuseppe Pezzano
Head CoachJuan Pablo Murillo
LeagueNational Premier Soccer League
2019Northwest Conference: 2nd
Playoffs: Regional Quarterfinals
Websiteosaseattlefc.com
Current season

OSA Seattle FC, formerly FC Tacoma 253, is an American association football (soccer) club based in the Seattle metro area. The team plays within the Northwest Conference of the National Premier Soccer League, a national league generally considered the fourth-tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.[1]

It is affiliated with a women's team, OSA XF (formerly AC Seattle), which competes in the semi-professional Women's Premier Soccer League. Both are run by OSA Soccer Academy, LLC.[2]

History

League

FC Tacoma 253 was announced as an National Premier Soccer League expansion team in November 2014, with plans to begin play the following season.[3][4] Tacoma tied Real San Jose, 1-1, at home in its first-ever league match on March 28, 2015. Abdi Galgalo scored the team's first league goal.[5]

The club's first notable signing was of Oussama Essabr, a Moroccan product of the Juventus F.C. Youth Sector. Shortly thereafter, the club acquired Samuele Piccinotti from Serie D A.S. Varese 1910's academy along with Marco Dugo, Gianmarco Peressini, and Stefano Layeni.[6][7][8]

The team finished its inaugural season as champions of the Northwest Conference, which secured qualification for the 2015 NPSL West Region playoffs.[9] However, the team lost to Sacramento Gold FC, 3–2, in extra time in its first match.[10]

During the offseason, following meetings between head coach Filippo Milano and owner Giuseppe Pezzano, the team re-branded to OSA FC with plans to integrate more Italian talent alongside young American players.[11][12] The newly branded team finished the 2016 NPSL season first in the Northwest Conference for a second straight year, defeating Portland Spartans FC, 2–1, on July 2.[13] OSA earned the organizations first playoff win the West Region first round when it beat CD Aguiluchos USA, 3–2, on the road.[14] The team fell to West Region top seed Albion SC Pros in the region semifinal.[15]

Prior to the 2020 NPSL season, the team changed its name to OSA Seattle FC.

U.S. Open Cup

Prior to the 2015 regular season's start Tacoma played its inaugural match on February 20, 2015 in a qualifier for the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in which they defeated fellow Northwest Conference team and Oregon-based Spartans Futbol Club, 2–1, at Starfire Sports.[16] On March 22, 2015, In its second match, FC Tacoma beat Southwest Conference representative San Diego Flash, 6–1, at Memorial Stadium (Seattle), and officially qualified for the 2015 U.S. Open Cup.[17]

Tacoma faced the Kitsap Pumas in the first round of the tournament on May 13, 2015, and lost, 5–2. Steven Wright scored the team's first ever goal in the tournament, while Pedro Milan picked up the second.[18]

The team, now playing under the OSA name, qualified for a second time via an at-large bid based on its 2016 NPSL results. In the 2017 U.S. Open Cup First round, OSA won its first ever tournament game when it defeated Seattle Sounders FC U-23 in a penalty kick shootout, 0-0 (5-3), on May 10, 2017. A week later in the second round, the team played to a second straight penalty kick shootout against United Soccer League side Reno 1868 FC where it lost, 1-1 (3-4).

Stadiums

Name Location Years
Memorial Stadium Seattle, Washington 2015 1 NPSL match, 1 U.S. Open Cup Qualifying match
Starfire Sports Complex Tukwila, Washington 2015, 2017–present
French Field Kent, Washington 2016
Kentlake Stadium Kent, Washington 2016
Highline Memorial Stadium Burien, Washington 2017, 2019
Renton Memorial Stadium Renton, Washington 2019

Crest history

  • FC Tacoma 253 (2015)
    FC Tacoma 253
    (2015)
  • OSA FC (2016–2019)
    OSA FC
    (2016–2019)
  • OSA Seattle FC (2020–present)
    OSA Seattle FC
    (2020–present)

Year-by-year

Year League Regular Season Playoffs U.S. Open Cup Notes
2015 NPSL 1st, Northwest Conference Regional first round First round Lost to Sacramento Gold FC in the West Region First round
2016 1st, Northwest Conference Regional semifinal did not qualify Lost to Albion SC Pros in the West Region Semifinal
2017 5th, Northwest Conference did not qualify Second Round
2018 4th, Northwest Conference did not qualify did not qualify
2019 2nd, Northwest Conference Regional Quarterfinal did not qualify Lost to Crossfire Redmond in the West Region Quarterfinal
2020 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic[19]

Honors

National Premier Soccer League

Northwest Conference Champions (2): 2015, 2016

References

  1. ^ "OSA Soccer Group returns to its home in Seattle as OSA FC! - OSA Football Club". osafootballclub.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015.
  2. ^ "WOMEN'S PREMIER SOCCER LEAGUE - THE LARGEST NATIONAL WOMEN'S SOCCER LEAGUE IN THE WORLD".
  3. ^ "FC TACOMA 253 JOINS THE NPSL - National Premier Soccer League". Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  4. ^ Pentz, Matt. "New franchise FC Tacoma 253 to join National Soccer Premier League". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "GAME OF THE WEEK: SOCCER UNDER THE SPACE NEEDLE - National Premier Soccer League". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  6. ^ "FCT 253 reveals first Italian import for NPSL side". goalWA.net. February 14, 2015.
  7. ^ "FCT 253 building roster ahead of NPSL debut". goalWA.net. March 7, 2015.
  8. ^ "FCT 253 never stops: Stefano Layeni is the next incoming Italian player". OSA Football Club.
  9. ^ "FC TACOMA 253 NAMED NORTHWEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS". National Premier Soccer League. July 2, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Dominguez, Ruben. "Gold KO's Tacoma in extra time". sacramentogoldfc. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  11. ^ "OSA FC BRINGS "AN ITALIAN-AMERICAN FUSION" TO THE NPSL". National Premier Soccer League. April 14, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  12. ^ "THE OSA GROUP STARTS AGAIN FROM OSA FC – Giuseppe Pezzano". Giuseppe Pezzano. November 18, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "Game of the Week: Osa Fc Defeat Spartans Fc 2-1 in Regular Season Finale". Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  14. ^ "OSA FC wins NPSL playoff match in California". goalWA.net. July 10, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  15. ^ Scavuzzo, Diane (July 18, 2016). "ALBION PROS MAKE NPSL WEST REGION FINAL • SoccerToday". SoccerToday. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  16. ^ "2015 US Open Cup qualifying: FC Tacoma one win away after NPSL playoff victory". February 23, 2015.
  17. ^ "2015 US Open Cup qualifying: FC Tacoma crushes well-traveled San Diego Flash to complete 2015 tournament field (with complete list)". March 23, 2015.
  18. ^ Randy Meeker (May 14, 2015). "Kitsap Pumas defeat FC Tacoma 5-2, advance to second round". Sounder At Heart.
  19. ^ Prince-Wright, Joe (March 26, 2020). "2020 NPSL season cancelled". ProSoccerTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 28, 2020.