Photo by rocky ross
CHASIN’ IT DOWN. Chase Tangney got the Tide turned around with a goal against the Cascade Surge.
One of the Nike commercials broadcast during European coverage of the 2008 soccer season showed the residents of the city of Liverpool adopting all kinds of Spanish décor and trappings in honor of Fernando Torres. Houses were painted in red and yellow, Spain’s flag flew on Mersey ferries, soccer fans were shown taking language lessons and then talking to Torres himself as he wandered through a park.
Over the past week or so, a little closer to home, there’s been some debate over soccer’s legitimacy in the United States, in general, and Washington state, in particular, by anti-soccer commentary in the Seattle Weekly. Well don’t expect all the houses, or even the doors, along the 40th Street heading down to Curtis High School in University Place to be painted yellow and blue in homage to the Tacoma Tide (10-4-1), as it wraps up its regular season schedule against the Yakima Reds (9-5-1). But when the two sides line up to play July 19 at 7 p.m., there will be two skilled teams facing each other for a playoff spot, with emotionally-invested fans rooting them on, and a physically-invested sense of urgency by the players on the soccer field. In other words: a real sporting event.
The Tide can capture the division title in the PDL Northwest summer league, or at least a playoff spot, with a victory. A loss will put Yakima in the playoffs, and the Tide will be eliminated.
Tacoma won its 10th game of the season, 4-3, July 12th in Salem Oregon against the Cascade Surge.
The Surge took an early 1-0 lead against the Tide lead on July 12. Goals by Chase Tangney and two by Spencer Schomaker Tacoma’s gave the Tide a 3-1. Rory Agu, scored in the 81st minute to provide the Tide with the winning goal.
The division-leading Vancouver Whitecaps (10-3-1) lost, 3-0, in Spokane to the last-place Spiders, while Yakima beat Abottsford, 4-1.
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