BRIARWOOD, Wash.
– Yukon Soccer Clubs are set to merge to create a new club that would bring together more than 70 local soccer clubs.
The club would join Cascade, the current home of Cascade Mountain Sports Club.
The move comes after two years of negotiations.
“It’s very exciting,” said Cascade’s president and CEO, Jim Miller.
“We’re very excited to be able to build on what we’ve been building together.”
Miller is a former president of the YSSC, and the two have been working on the merger for a few years.
He said the merger would allow Cascade to expand its presence in the region, which has a population of more than 10,000.
Cascade has already played host to many local sports teams and played host the US Women’s National Team in 2017.
It was also a member of the Seattle Superdraft in 2014.
The YSSCs goal is to create an “international, professional, professional-grade soccer organization,” Miller said.
“To get into that league, to get into the elite leagues and to have that infrastructure that will allow us to compete in the world.
It’s really exciting.
It makes sense.”
The two clubs have been operating independently for more than 20 years.
The merger would be a boon for the region.
Cascade’s membership numbers have grown steadily in recent years, as has its television viewership.
Cascade and YSSc are both located in the northern part of the state, which is in the middle of a drought that has impacted the area.
In 2019, the drought caused snow to fall on the area, with many areas without power.
“That’s why the Yssc is able to attract the players,” Miller explained.
“They’re a professional organization, and that’s why they’re able to make money.
It means they can stay out there, they can spend money, and they’re going to continue to grow.”
Miller said the YSRC will focus on its home state of Washington, where it already has an affiliate team, Cascade Mountain.
Cascade currently has about 1,000 players and is in a strong position to win a World Cup bid, he said.
YSSs goal is also to attract a new U.S. national team, which will be looking to compete for the 2019 FIFA World Cup.
Miller said that if Cascade succeeds in securing a bid, it will be able “to really be competitive with the U.A.E.”
The federation has already been part of two World Cup bids, the 2010 World Cup in Brazil and the 2017 edition.
“If Cascade is able for them to win that World Cup, it’ll be a big deal,” Miller told Fox Sports.
“You’re going from an independent team to a professional soccer league.”
