Soccer fans officially have another semiprofessional soccer team to cheer for in Snohomish County.
At Haywire Brewing Co. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, Snohomish United announced the addition of a USL W League franchise, which will take the pitch in 2026.
The club will have home games at the 50-acre Stocker Fields complex and will compete in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference, joining the table with Bigfoot FC (Maple Valley, WA), Lane United FC (Eugene, OR), Salmon Bay FC (Seattle, WA), Tacoma Galaxy (Tacoma, WA), FC Olympia (Olympia, WA) and West Seattle Rhodies FC (Seattle, WA).
Pictured left to right: Tammy Dunn (Snohomish County Sports Commission executive director), Anthony Sardon (Snohomish United coaching director), Zoe Hopkins, Sophie Hanson, Anna Babcock and Scott Uderitz (Snohomish United technical director).
“It means a lot. It’s a full-circle moment,” said Sophie Hanson, a former player of Snohomish United’s youth program and who also recently completed her sophomore season at Seattle University. “As a young girl who played club soccer, I always looked up to the older girls within the club, and I think it’s an opportunity for us to inspire the next generation of women’s soccer.”
Snohomish United is comprised of various programs, including year-round youth premier clubs that compete at the state, regional and national levels and three-month recreational teams. Earlier this year in May, Snohomish United fielded its first men’s USL League Two squad, which advanced to the second round of the 2025 USL League Two playoffs and lost 2-1 to Ballard FC, a team that went on to finish runner-up to first-time champions, Vermont Green FC.
“After a successful inaugural season, we were approached by the USL to add additional programming for the USL W League. We jumped at the chance,” said Anthony Sardon, Snohomish United coaching director. “It was imperative to us to add another tier in our player-development pathway for our young female athletes. We will always be committed to add programs that will help players reach their goals and grow women’s soccer throughout Snohomish County.
“We have an advantage of being on the youth side and getting to watch players grow up and play. And so we get to not only see them play on the field, we also see how they act on the field. Everything that we do, we want to have purpose behind it,” Sardon continued. “It’s going to be identifying and recruiting talented players. A lot of them are going to be local. This is one of the best states in the entire country for soccer, so it’s not hard to find good talent here. … The standard of this program for both the men and the women moving forward is to win, and win a lot, and win national championships and bring civic pride to this area and to provide family entertainment that’s both affordable and community based.”
Anthony Sardon, Snohomish United coaching director
According to the league’s website, this opportunity to play for a pre-professional club will help develop “the next generation of women’s talent both on and off the field and enhanc(e) the women’s soccer pipeline between college and professional soccer. … The W League offers a summer platform for athletes to compete at a high level and also retain NCAA eligibility. With over 90 teams across the United States, the USL W League will bring elite women’s soccer to communities across the U.S., creating more opportunities to play, watch and work in the women’s game.”
The expansion of a USL women’s team will provide local players with another option to not only continue playing soccer but to also compete in the same community that initially sparked their interest in the sport. An example of that local growth is seen in Zoe Hopkins, who is also a product of Snohomish United’s youth program and who later helped lead Lake Stevens High School to 2022 and 2023 Class 4A playoff appearances. Hopkins also concluded her sophomore season at Seattle University this fall.
“It’s bringing it back to the community. I think it’s to show a lot of the young girls that you’re able to go to the next level just like we were,” Hopkins said. “A lot of the time, people get caught up in the name of the club or team, and I think it will keep them humble and know they can do it too.”
Also in attendance to represent the addition of a USL W League franchise was Anna Babcock from Sedro-Woolley, who recently committed to play soccer at Penn State University and who also has represented the United States at the U-17 and U-19 levels, even earning a bronze medal at the 2024 U-17 World Cup.
Pictured left to right: Megan Dunn (Snohomish County District 2 councilmember), Sophie Hanson, Zoe Hopkins, Anna Babcock and Linda Redmon (City of Snohomish mayor)
Below is a list of the other semiprofessional teams and leagues in Snohomish County.
- United Premier Soccer League (UPSL): Everett Jets FC, Gala FC (men’s), Snohomish Sky FC (men’s)
- Cascadia Premier League (CPL): Gala FC (women’s)
- Western Indoor Soccer League (WISL): Everett City FC, Snohomish Sky FC (men’s & women’s)
Below is more information about the USL W League, obtained from the FAQs section listed on the league’s website.
Q: What is a pre-professional league?
A: A pre-professional league is one in which all players competing have an amateur status. The USL W League will respect the amateur status of its players and focus on developing the next wave of elite talent while using best-in-class resources and infrastructure to bring elements of professionalism to this new opportunity for women’s soccer players. With the addition of the USL W League, the USL now operates two pre-professional leagues, the other being USL League Two on the men’s side.
Q: Who is eligible to play in the USL W League?
A: The USL W League is a pre-professional league open to elite youth players, collegiate players, aspiring professionals, and former professionals. The League is focused on developing the next wave of elite talent in the women’s game while also respecting the amateur status of players in order to protect collegiate eligibility. The League welcomes participation from domestic and international players.
Q: How does the USL W League help prepare players for a pro career?
A: The USL W League is working with key stakeholders in the women’s game to best prepare our players to reach the next level of competition. The league offers players the opportunity to compete in meaningful games and train/play in professional environments. Each player will have a personal player profile containing highlights and scouting evaluation reports that work in line with the scouting processes used by U.S. Soccer and will benefit from the relationships USL and its clubs have with key soccer organizations across the United States and globally.