WINDSOR, Colo. — Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC will make their first trip to the state of Washington to take on Spokane Velocity FC on Saturday.
Both teams are coming off of away wins in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, with Hailstorm taking out NPSL side Tulsa Athletic, 4-1, and Spokane eliminating USL League Two’s Ballard FC, 1-0, with a 97th minute goal from midfielder Andre Lewis.
“They might have an advantage,” Hailstorm head coach Éamon Zayed said. “They got to bus to Ballard, and we had to fly to Tulsa and now we’re flying to Spokane.”
Hailstorm midfielder Danny Robles played with Ballard last season, helping them win the USL League Two championship. He will now travel to his home state of Washington for the first time as a Hailstorm player.
“It’s exciting to play in front of a big crowd, but more exciting to play in front of my family,” Robles said.
Spokane drew a sellout crowd of 5,086 for their first-ever home match against the Richmond Kickers last week, taking home a 2-1 win. A similar crowd is expected for the first match under the lights at ONE Spokane Stadium.
“I know what it’s like to be a new team,” Zayed said. “Sometimes it works in your favor with the home crowd, but maybe we can take advantage of some disorganization.”
Hailstorm and Spokane kick off at 7 p.m. Mountain time Saturday in Spokane. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+.
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The home of Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC, 118-acre Future Legends Complex will feature 6,500-seat TicketSocket Park, 2,500-seat 4Rivers Equipment Stadium, multiple baseball diamonds, multi-purpose fields, an indoor sports arena, lodging, and retail; and will host guests for major sports leagues, tournaments, events and more.
More information is available at HailstormFC.com and FutureLegendsComplex.com.