Cascadia official soccer team
The Cascadia official soccer team is an soccer team representing the Cascadia region of the United States and Canada and is controlled by the Cascadia Association Football Federation (CAFF). The team is composed of players from the U.S states of Oregon, Washington and the Canadian province of British Columbia. The stated mission of the team is "...to allow Cascadia as a distinct cultural entity, isolated bioregion and growing society with common interests to be represented at the international level in the sport we are all passionate about."[1] CAFF is a member of ConIFA. Cascadia is not a member of FIFA or any confederation or subconfederation as the region is wholly a part of both the United States or Canada. However, CAFF is not opposed to those organizations and sees itself coexisting as a non-FIFA regional representative team.
Nickname(s) | The Dougs | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Cascadia Association Football Federation | ||
Confederation | ConIFA | ||
Sub-confederation | North America and Caribbean | ||
Head coach | James Nichols | ||
Captain | Patrick Wilson | ||
Most caps | Charlie Gregory, Max Oldham (7) | ||
Top scorer | Calum Ferguson (5) | ||
| |||
First international | |||
Ellan Vannin 4–1 Cascadia (Sutton, United Kingdom; 31 May 2018) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Cascadia 8–1 Darfur (Kent, Washington; 27 July 2019) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Ellan Vannin 4–1 Cascadia (Sutton, United Kingdom; 31 May 2018) | |||
ConIFA World Football Cup | |||
Appearances | 1 (first in 2018) | ||
Best result | 6th, 2018 |
It is hoped that the team will help expose more players from the region to international competition as well as foster a connection between the culture of Cascadia with other regions and peoples around the world.[2] Cascadia will participate in the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup.[3]
The purpose of the team is cultural and sport focused, not political as there are many different ideas as to what Cascadia's common and increasingly interconnected economic and political future may become. Neither CAFF nor the team is associated with the Cascadia independence movement.
History
The idea of a Cascadia representative soccer team existed long before the founder of CAFF and friends first discussed the possibility. People on internet soccer discussion forums discussed the possibility as far back as 2011.[4] In early 2012 an Adidas Cascadia football shirt was designed by Kelly Dews and sold through the Cascadia Trifecta Facebook group to supporters and fans of the three Cascadian MLS teams: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC, and the Portland Timbers. The first run of these shirts were highly popular and were visible at matches throughout the region.[5]
Following the 2012 London Olympic Games and noting the athletes from Cascadia, the current CAFF President Leonard Laymon and others began investigating just what it would take to form a non-FIFA regional representative team. In August 2012 the decision was made to go forward with making such a team a reality and networking was conducted with the non-FIFA football community.
In January 2013 CAFF convened its first general meeting at the headquarters of Golazo Energy in Seattle.[6] At this meeting CAFF's board of directors was elected and its bylaws and team eligibility requirements ratified, by vote.[7] It was also determined in a vote by the CAFF board following the meeting that Cascadia would send a representative to the N.F. Board's Annual General in Munich Germany at the end of the next month. An Indiegogo campaign raised the funding for the application process in less than a week.
In February 2013 Sascha Tillmanns was elected as Cascadia's European representative and initially sent to the meeting to deliver CAFF's application documents, express Cascadia's interest in joining the N.F. Board and help CAFF get an understanding of what its next steps should be. Tillmanns was asked at the meeting to give a presentation on Cascadia which was well received. In early March 2013 Cascadia learned that the N.F. Board would be deciding in the summer to admit up to three new members, of which Cascadia was one. Following this positive news that the early work of looking for Cascadia eligible players and a coach began.
In late April 2013, Alan Koch of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC was the first potential coach to step forward and declare interest in becoming Cascadia's first coach. Later in July 2013 another potential Cascadia coach emerged when in a Q&A session on Twitter, former US men's national team defender and ESPN analyst Alexi Lalas proclaimed that "it would be an honor" to coach Cascadia.
In June 2018 Cascadia took park in the 2018 CONIFA World Football Cup in London, finishing 6th. CAFF qualified for the tournament by being the only active CONIFA member in North America
Cascadia hosted its first true home match on July 27, 2019, playing a friendly against Darfur at French Field in Kent, Washington.[8] Cascadia won the friendly 8–1.[9]
In October 2019 CAFF made an agreement with the Western Washington Premier League. WWPL became an affiliate league of CAFF, and the two organizations will work together on projects. [10]
International record
CONIFA World Football Cup
Year | Position | P | W | D | L | GF | GA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Did not enter | ||||||
2016 | |||||||
2018 | 6th | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 11 |
2020 | Qualified | ||||||
Total | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 11 |
Cascadia qualified to participate in the 2018 CONIFA WFC by merit of being the only organization of its kind in North America in good standing with CONIFA. In April, UEFA B licence coach James Nichols was brought on to lead the team. Despite an opening day defeat to Ellan Vannin, a 6–0 victory over Tamil Eelam ensured Cascadia's progress to the quarter finals on goal difference. However a defeat to eventual winners Kárpátalja saw Cascadia crash out. A 4–0 win over Western Armenia ensured they would finish in the 5th–6th place playoff, for the best teams knocked out of the quarter finals. Despite coming back from 3 goals down to draw 3–3, Cascadia eventually lost on penalties to early tournament favourites Panjab to finish 6th.
Fixtures and Results
2018
31 May 2018 2018 ConIFA WFC Group A | Ellan Vannin | 4–1 | Cascadia | London, England |
Whitley 15' Jones 41' Caine 62' McVey 70' |
18' Doughty | Stadium: Gander Green Lane, Sutton |
2 June 2018 2018 ConIFA WFC Group A | Barawa | 1–2 | Cascadia | London, England |
Bettamer 9' | 35' Doughty 45+1' Morales |
Stadium: Colston Avenue, Carshalton |
3 June 2018 2018 ConIFA WFC Group A | Tamil Eelam | 0–6 | Cascadia | London, England |
10' (p), 87' Nouble 32', 71' Hayden-Smith 69' Farkas 89' Ferguson |
Stadium: St Paul's Sports Ground, Rotherhithe |
5 June 2018 2018 ConIFA WFC QF | Kárpátalja | 3–1 | Cascadia | London, England |
Gyürki 49' Takács 59' Gajdos 87' (pen.) |
80' Haddadi | Stadium: Gander Green Lane, Sutton |
7 June 2018 2018 ConIFA WFC PR2 | Cascadia | 4–0 | Western Armenia | London, England |
Ferguson 24', 62' Oldham 54' Farkas 79' |
Stadium: Hayes Lane, Bromley |
9 June 2018 2018 ConIFA WFC PR3 | Panjab | 3–3 (4–3 p) | Cascadia | London, England |
Virk 18' Minhas 24', 34' |
Morales 45' Ferguson 54', 60' |
Stadium: St Paul's Sports Ground, Rotherhithe | ||
Penalties | ||||
Purewal Zia Virk Dhillon K. Singh Jung |
Riley Gregory J. Wilson Oldham Haddadi Levock |
2019
25 May 2019 Friendly | Cascadia | 6–3 | Chagos Islands | Surrey, England |
Powell 22', 73' Boone 23', 78' Calfo 46' Oldham 50' |
Report | Sagai 30' Bunjun 51' (p) Heroseau 87' |
Stadium: Church Road, Whyteleafe Referee: Dan Friar |
27 July 2019 Friendly | Cascadia | 8–1 | Darfur | Kent, Washington |
Haddadi 9' (23), 65' (pen.) Blanchard 39' Menzies 45' Bjork 47' (72), 81' |
Abdulkhalik 68' | Stadium: French Field Attendance: 152 |
2021
29 May 2021 Southern Frontier Cup | TBC | v | Cascadia | Surrey, England |
Stadium: Church Road, Whyteleafe |
30 May 2021 Southern Frontier Cup | TBC | v | Cascadia | Surrey, England |
Stadium: Church Road, Whyteleafe |
Squad
Current squad
The following players were called up to the Cascadia squad for the friendly against Chagos Islands on 25 May 2019.[11]
Caps and goals correct as of 25 June 2018 after the game against Chagos Islands.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Brendan Norris | 1 | 0 | Winchester City | |
5 | DF | Charlie Gregory | 27 December 1991 | 7 | 0 | Sporting Bengal United |
4 | DF | Patrick Wilson (captain) | 16 May 1986 | 6 | 0 | New Milton Town |
DF | Lorne Jenkins | 23 May 1995 | 1 | 0 | Unattached | |
DF | Kyle Lemon | 1 | 0 | Bedfont Sports | ||
DF | Jacob Toms | 1 | 0 | East Cowes Vics | ||
7 | MF | Max Oldham | 8 July 1993 | 7 | 2 | Corinthian-Casuals |
16 | MF | Tayshan Hayden-Smith | 23 September 1996 | 4 | 2 | ENAD Polis Chrysochous |
6 | MF | Brian Simpson | 24 May 1998 | 3 | 0 | Hatfield Town |
8 | MF | Angelo Calfo | 1 | 1 | RIASA | |
15 | MF | Taylor Fisher | 17 April 2000 | 1 | 0 | Dartford |
2 | MF | Zane Provenzano | 1 | 0 | RIASA | |
9 | FW | Chase Boone | 1 | 2 | RIASA | |
11 | FW | Callum Powell | 28 January 1996 | 1 | 2 | Stourbridge |
FW | Gavin McCallum | 24 August 1987 | 0 | 0 | Welling United |
Recent call-ups
Records
Top Goal Scorers
# | Name | Career | Goals | Caps | Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Calum Ferguson | 2018– | 5 | 6 | FW |
2 | Jon Nouble | 2018– | 2 | 2 | FW |
Josh Doughty | 2018– | 2 | 3 | MF | |
Tayshan Hayden-Smith | 2018– | 2 | 3 | MF | |
Yuri Farkas | 2018– | 2 | 4 | FW | |
Hector Morales | 2018– | 2 | 6 | MF | |
3 | Hamza Haddadi | 2018– | 1 | 2 | FW |
Max Oldham | 2018– | 1 | 6 | MF | |
Kit
In early 2012 Kelly Dews designed an Adidas produced limit run of Cascadia shirts. The kit was white, green and blue with a green sash reflecting the colors of the Doug Flag.
In August the new design was announced by Kelly Dews and the Cascadia Association Football Federation. It is a horizontal tri-color design similar to that of the flag of Cascadia. It features the CAFF crest on the front and Cascadia on the neckline in the back. The new shirt is made by a local company, Looptworks, but never used. After Cascadia were announced to feature in the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup the team announced stingz sportswear as their kit supplier for the team and sponsored by Giordano.
See also
References
- "Mission statement from the official site of the Cascadia Association football federation". cascadiafa.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- Cascadia: the heartland of football in North America World Soccer Magazine
- West, Phil (24 May 2018). "James Riley: From MLS to the CONIFA World Football Cup with Cascadia". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- Cascadia In Bed With Maradona
- Cascadia National Team Jersey... Yes Please Stumptown Footy
- Cascadia Football Announces First General Meeting Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine – Press Release
- Cascadia Announces Board of Directors, Meeting Results Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Press Release
- The Pacific’s Cascadia to play Darfur United in first all-CONIFA Men’s soccer match in North America Darfur United
- https://www.prostamerika.com/2019/07/27/cascadia-make-home-debut-in-with-darfur/229554/
- https://westernwashingtonpremierleague.wordpress.com/2019/10/26/western-washington-premier-league-announces-affiliation-with-caff-and-team-cascadia/
- The Cascadians who’ll face the Chagos Islands as they celebrate their good news Prost Internationa. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.