In many ways, the real beginning for FC ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ — which first fielded a team back in 2011 — was this year.
The club gained professional status in 2019, played in a brand-new league and was under the guidance of a new head coach.
The inaugural USL League One season was a bumpy one for the Men in Black (8-11-9), who finished eighth out of 10 teams.
But the seeds of growth have been planted.
“I’m not used to being 8-11-9, I’m used to being on the other side of things, so it’s hard for me,†said FC ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Darren Sawatzky, who brought an extensive coaching background from the Seattle Sounders’ academy, and even coached Guam.
“I’m learning, but ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has been incredible.â€
FC ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ spent its previous years in the USL Premier Development League — now USL League Two — and its roster was mostly filled by college players for the summer season.
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Now fully-professional, FC ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is faced with a number of challenges — namely, a longer, eight-month season, facing difficult travel and opponents that have similar ambitions.
There was also an adjustment period dealing with player comings and goings from Phoenix Rising FC, the first-place USL Championship club that happens to own FC ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. Six Men in Black players bounced between the two clubs throughout the season.
“We’ve done an excellent job of helping Phoenix Rising,†Sawatzky said. “We helped them on their 20-game (winning streak), so we did our job as a reserve team. I’d have loved to have seen us win more games, but the real jewel in the season for us is that guys are signing (for Phoenix).â€
While Phoenix rolls, the Men in Black stumbled down the stretch, going 0-4-2 and missing out on the playoffs.
“The season as a whole was an opportunity missed, and it manifested itself in little ways in every game,†defender and captain Kyle Venter said. “Missing a chance here, giving up a soft goal there — our consistency with delivering those things wasn’t there.â€
Following the team’s 3-1 loss Friday to North Texas SC — the reserve team for FC Dallas, which has one of MLS’ top developmental academies — Sawatzky seemed to be looking into a crystal ball.
“That’s the fruit of that labor — it will take us 15 years to get to that level,†he said. “Every time someone goes up (to the first team), there’s a 16-year old fighting for that spot. “We just don’t have that culture yet, that’s going to take time.â€
What’s in the club’s immediate future remains to be seen. Some players, like 17-year old Ilijah Paul, who got his first taste of professional soccer the last few games, will return to Phoenix as his loan to FC ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ completes.
Others understand that their footing may not be so solid.
“We all have our individual motivations,†midfielder Karsten Hanlin said. “Everybody has somewhere they want to go next and win a contract, and that’s not going to happen if we sit around and watch the team lose.â€
Forward Jordan Jones scored a team-high 10 goals and received a call-up from Phoenix in August, but even that’s not enough for him to be to feel comfortable about his future.
“We’ll see,†he said.
