The Portland State men’s soccer club is on break this summer after a stellar year. The Vikings had some success in the fall and spring under new head coach Luis Zambrano and a strong contingent of players.
This was Zambrano’s first year at Portland State after moving from South America. Some of the players had to adapt to Zambrano’s coaching style as he speaks Spanish. Considering the year, it seems they adapted just fine.
The club started off in the fall playing other Oregon collegiate soccer clubs including Oregon State, University of Oregon and Lewis and Clark. The team finished a strong second in the Collegiate League, despite having its eyes on first place.
After the fall season ended the soccer club took a small break before readying itself for spring league.
In the spring, the greater Portland area coordinates a recreational club soccer league, which is divided into under 21, 21–30, over 30 and the premier division. The Vikings play in the premier division, which is the most competitive.
Despite their division standing, the difficulty level is lower in the spring compared to the fall, and thus the team tore through its opposition.
The club also played in a very competitive tournament down in Eugene at the University of Oregon called the University of Oregon World Cup. The Vikings made it to the semifinals and played a hard-fought battle, but in the end lost 3-2.
Lastly, the Vikings played in the invitation-only Regional Tournament, consisting of teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado and Utah. Yet even with multiple fundraising efforts—a juggle-off contest in the Park Blocks and a raffle for Dane Cook tickets—the team was unable to raise enough money to participate in the tournament and its season was over.
The soccer club is looking forward to the upcoming year.
“Overall, we had pretty good season,” said team captain Keith Bowhan.
The team plays a standard 4-4-2 formation, which has four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards. Coach Zambrano kept it plain and simple, and the results of last season showed his style works well.
“We have no real player that stands out, and we are pretty solid at just about every position,” Bowhan said. “The only problem was that it was difficult to get players.”
The team will hold tryouts in August for the upcoming fall season, with Zambrano making cuts as needed. The only requirement to be on the team is that you are enrolled in at least one class at Portland State.