FC Arizona successfully made jump, became 1st professional women's soccer team in Arizona

On Saturday afternoon, FC Arizona lost to Santa Clarita Blue Heat, 3-1. With that, they finished in fourth place in United Women’s Soccer’s West Division, well outside the playoff places.

But in doing so, FC Arizona made history. They became the first semi-pro women's soccer team in Arizona, completing a season at the highest level at which any women’s team in the state has ever played.

In the U.S., the hierarchy of women’s professional soccer starts with the National Women’s Soccer League — arguably the best women’s league in the world. Below that, the USL operates its W-League, which is a mix of independent clubs and teams that are affiliated with USL men’s teams.

But the USL W-League is largely confined to the East Coast, with no active teams west of Kansas City. So for the entire western half of the country, UWS is the second most prestigious league, behind NWSL.

FC Arizona, which played home games at Bell Bank Park in Mesa, made the leap to UWS this spring, joining from the Women’s Premier Soccer League, which is fully amateur.

“WPSL, they started adding a lot of youth players to their rosters, which we didn't feel was very competitive,” FC Arizona manager Tara Koleski said. “We won 10-0 last year against El Paso. We only had one really competitive game. We really wanted to attract more higher level college players. … So we decided to join UWS because it's a higher level, there's more competitive players.”

The UWS season, though, began in mid-May, a little more than a month after FC Arizona decided to make the leap. That posed a number of challenges, both from a roster-building and scheduling perspective — the team had to play three sets of back-to-back games in a back-loaded schedule.

Koleski and her staff cast a wide net, using connections with local club and college coaches, as well as tips from people privy to local co-ed and women’s recreational leagues. The club acquires players mainly from three groups: Arizona natives who now play college soccer elsewhere, players at local colleges and recent Division I players who now live in the Valley.

Relying so heavily on college players, though, comes at a price. Many of those players aren’t out of school until June, meaning they miss the beginning of the season. Plus, Koleski doesn’t want to overwork them, leaving them worn down for their college season. That, combined with the difficulty of older players’ work schedules, means the club is limited to two training sessions a week.

There have been other challenges, too. Three of the team’s top defenders suffered midseason injuries. Two players tore their ACLs. And one standout — Meredith Manley — had to leave midseason after she took a job in research and development with the San Francisco 49ers.

“We have working women,” Koleski said. “One of our players works for Boeing. She wasn't able to commit to some of the travel. It's always a mixed bag right now. So next year, we're gonna have to plan a little bit differently.”

Still, Koleski chalks the first season up as a success. The club won three of its five home games and finished the season with an even goal difference.

And for college players, some of FC Arizona’s opponents provided valuable learning experiences. Because Canada doesn’t have a professional women’s league, Calgary Foothills — the best team in the West Division — features Canadian players with World Cup and Olympic experience. Santa Clarita has players on some of the best college teams in the country, as well as two members of the Jamaican national team.

This season, FC Arizona couldn’t match that level of prestige — although it did have players from schools like LSU, Wisconsin, Creighton and Marquette.

“You put those conferences up against UWS and it's a whole other ball game,” Koleski said. “You're talking about internationally experienced players. Players that have competed in Olympics before, for their country. Hands down, it's a faster pace game, a more quality game.”

Eventually, Koleski’s vision is to see FC Arizona join the USL W-League (Phoenix Rising does not currently have a women’s side). The league is currently going through its first batch of westward expansion, with clubs in Oakland, Stockton and Spokane set to begin play in 2023 and 2024.

In the shorter term, Koleski wants FC Arizona to grow into UWS, becoming even more competitive in its second season in the league.

“I'm a native of Arizona,” Koleski said, “so if we can start bringing women's soccer here, and high-level women's soccer, that's great.”

Theo Mackie covers Arizona high school sports and Phoenix Rising FC. He can be reached by email at theo.mackie@gannett.com and on Twitter @theo_mackie.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: FC Arizona's 1st season in women's pro soccer league a learning process