NEWS ARCHIVE
Surge tops 'Birds 4-1 at OSU
The Surge from Salem defeated the Firebirds 4-1 in the first of two matches to be played at Paul Lorenz Field at Oregon State. The Firebirds finish out the 2000 season with a match on Friday night at 6:30 against the division leading Yakima Reds, also at Lorenz Field. In the last match in Corvallis between these two teams, the Firebirds won 3-2 on June 9.
Five goals in five games
Former Firebird Greg Howes is pushing quickly to the top of the A-League scoring list. With nine goals and four assists in sixteen matches, he leads the Sounders in scoring, and is in the top 10 in the entire 25-team league. Most recently, he scored both goals in the Sounders' 2-0 win over US Pro-40. He has scored the Sounders last four goals, and has five goals in the last five matches. Greg is making a serious run at being league Rookie of the Year.
86ers rout tired Firebirds side
After a tough match in Seattle the night before, the Firebirds were no match for the 86ers and ended up on the short end of a 9-0 rout. Click here for match photos.
Firebirds lose 1-0 and 2-1 leads, fall to Seattle 3-2
The Firebirds once again played well against the Sounders Select, but once again were victimized by an extra-time goal. Click here for match photos, and a link to a match report from Seattle Pitch.
Greg Howes plays giant killer in Seattle
Greg Howes scored the lone goal Saturday in the Seattle Sounders 1-0 win over the defending US Open Cup champion Rochester Raging Rhinos. Greg now has 7 goals and 2 assists in 14 matches for the A-League Sounders.
Battle of Oregon goes to the Surge, 3-0
Jason Aldous scored twice, and Juan Pablo Galavis added a goal and an assist as the Cascade Surge defeated their neighborhood rivals 3-0. Click here for a match report with match photos.
Firebirds fall again, 5-1 to Spokane
The Firebirds were 0-2 on their eastern Washington road trip, falling to Spokane 5-1. A match report from Spokane.net is available here. Another match report is available on the Spokane Shadow website.
Greg Howes and Brian Winters among A-League's best
These two former Firebirds have made more of an impact at the A-League level than anybody might have expected. Anybody that is except for Firebirds fans who knew how special these players were. Greg Howes is the second-leading scorer for the Seattle Sounders with 6 goals and 2 assists in 13 matches. Greg had the late game-tying goal in Seattle's most recent match, a 2-2 tie with Montreal on July 1. Brian Winters has been making major contributions to the league-leading Minnesota Thunder with 4 goals and 5 assists in 14 matches. Brian scored both goals in the Thunder's 2-1 win over US Pro-40 on July 4.
Yakima routs Firebirds 9-0, putting them in tie for division lead
The Yakima Reds moved into a first place tie with Seattle for the division lead with a 9-0 pounding of the Firebirds in a match played Friday night in Yakima's Marquette Stadium. A match report from the Yakima Herald can be found here. The Firebirds play at Spokane tonight in a rematch of last year's league semifinal.
Firebirds lose 2 goal lead, fall to Surge 5-4
The Firebirds held leads of 2-0, 3-1, and 4-2 in their match against the Cascade Surge, but just as the 'Birds appeared ready to take a 5-2 lead, a non-call in front of the goal, and the subsequent counterattack suddenly made it 4-3, and the Firebirds were never able to recover, and lost the momentum, then the match. Click here for a match report with game photos.
Firebirds rally to spoil Seattle's perfect record, 5-4 in OT
Firebirds midfielder Fred Kummernes scored four minutes into stoppage time to tie the score at 4 and force overtime. Then defender Eric Wooten scored with a header off a Kummernes corner five minutes into overtime to give the Firebirds a 5-4 overtime win over the previously undefeated and untied Seattle Sounders Select. A match report with photos is available here.
Spokane Shadow tops the Firebirds 2-0
Zane Higgins scored twice as Spokane shut out the Firebirds 2-0. After Higgins scored on a header early in the match, the Firebirds had a tying goal disallowed in the 65th minute, and couldn't pull even before Higgins scored again in the 88th minute to put the game away. A match report with game photos is available here.
Howes and Winters both make major contributions to their A-League sides
Midfielder Greg Howes, who led the Firebirds in scoring in 1999, has become one of the A-League Seattle Sounders most consistant scorers, scoring three goals in the last three games. On Wednesday night, he scored the lone Seattle goal in their 2-1 US Open Cup loss to the MLS Los Angeles Galaxy. On Saturday, he scored the first Seattle goal in their 2-1 win over the San Diego Flash. And on Sunday, he scored the first goal in the Sounders' 3-0 win over the Vancouver 86ers.
Former Firebirds midfielder Brian Winters scored in the 84th minute for the defending A-League champion Minnesota Thunder in their 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Riverhawks.
Abbotsford 86ers top Firebirds 2-0
The Firebirds ended up 0-2 on their weekend road trip when they fell to Abbotsford 2-0. Details will be posted soon.
Late Seattle rally edges Firebirds 2-1
Jason Crevar scored in the 36th minute, and it appeared that John & Phil's Willamette Valley Firebirds were on the way to their third league win until Seattle's Ian Chursky found the net during injury time to level the score at 1-1. Chursky once again found the net after nine minutes of extra time to give the Sounders Select a 2-1 win and improve their record on the season to 7-0. The Firebirds fall to 2-5. A match report from Seattle Pitch can be found here.
Firebirds top Yakima Reds 3-2
Jason Crevar scored twice and Fred Kummernes added a penalty kick as John & Phil's Willamette Valley Firebirds scored their second league win of the year with a 3-2 victory over the Yakima Reds in a match played at Corvallis High School on Friday night. The 'Birds played well for a well-earned victory over a solid Reds side who had beaten the Firebirds 4-1 in Yakima just last month. Click here for a match report, or click here for a match report from the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Greg Howes' late goal lifts Sounders to tie
Midfielder Greg Howes, who led the Firebirds in scoring in 1999, scored in the 87th minute to bring the Seattle Sounders level with the Orange County Waves in an A-League match played Sunday. A match report can be found here. Former Firebird Brian Winters had an assist on Saturday in the A-League Champion Minnesota Thunder's 3-1 win over the Milwaukee Rampage. Here is a report from the Thunder website.
Cascade Surge shut out Firebirds 3-0
Jason Aldus scored twice, and Zac Marfell added a goal as the Surge topped the 'Birds 3-0 in a match of the Oregon rivals played at Corvallis High School. GK Colin McMillen saved his third penalty kick on as many attempts in the last two nights, but it wasn't enough as the Firebirds drop to 1-4 in league play. A game report with match photos is available here.
Firebirds top Spokane 4-3 in overtime
Forward JP Capodanno pounced on a loose ball in front of the Spokane net, and blasted it home five minutes into the first overtime to give John & Phil's Willamette Valley Firebirds a 4-3 win over the Spokane Shadow. Fred Kummernes scored twice and assisted on Capodanno's game-winning goal. The Firebirds scored their first win in a rare match in that there were four penalty kicks (two for each team). The difference in the final is that the 'Birds converted both of their PK's, while Spokane was not able to convert either of theirs. Match photos and a game report from Spokane.net are available here.
Former Firebird Greg Howes scores his first A-League goal for Seattle
Midfielder Greg Howes, was the leading scorer for the Firebirds during their 1999 Western Conference championship run, scored a goal in the A-League Seattle Sounders 3-0 victory over the Bay Area Seals. A game report from Seattle Pitch can be found here. Former midfielder Brian Winters, who also contributed to the Firebirds successful 1999 season, had an assist in the A-League Minnesota Thunder's 4-0 win over the Indiana Blast.
Former Firebird Brian Winters scores for A-League champion Minnesota
Midfielder Brian Winters, who spent part of the season with the Firebirds in 1999, scored the game-winning goal in the defending A-League champion Thunder's 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Rampage Saturday night. A game report from the Thunder site can be found here.
Firebirds fall short against Seattle. Lose 3-2.
Seattle forward Ian Chursky scored twice to lead the Seattle Sounders Select to a 3-2 win over John & Phil's Willamette Valley Firebirds in a match played before about 100 fans at Corvallis High School. Chris Farnsworth also scored for Seattle, while Jared Fitzgerald and Jason Crevar tallied for the Firebirds. You can read the game report (with photos) here.
Firebirds top Surge 2-0 in third US Open Cup qualifier
Jason Crevar scored twice, and JP Capodanno added an assist as John & Phil's Willamette Valley Firbirds topped the Cascade Surge 2-0. The match was played in front of 250 fans at McNary High School in Keizer. Crevar scored his first goal off a JP Capodanno corner when he headed it home early in the first half. In the 33rd minute, Crevar made it 2-0 when he scored on a free kick from 25 yards out. This result does not count towards the standings as it was a US Open Cup qualifier only so the Firebirds' official record stands at 0-2 heading into Saturday's game vs. the Seattle Sounders Select at Corvallis High School at 7:30pm. All of the rest of the Firebirds' matches this season will count towards the standings. A game report and game photos are available here.
Firebirds lose second US Open Cup qualifier 3-1 in Spokane
The 'Birds lose 3-1 in their second US Open Cup qualifying match, after losing to Yakima 4-1 in their first qualifying match on Friday night. The Spokane match does not count towards the standings, leaving the Firebirds at 0-2 heading into their Friday night match against the Surge in Salem (which will also not count in the standings). The loss also eliminates the Firebirds from US Open Cup play. Here is a game report from Spokane.net and a report from the Spokane Shadow website .
Firebirds drop to 0-2 after 4-1 loss in Yakima
Yakima's Greg Foisie scored three goals in just 10 minutes late in the first half to spark the Yakima Reds to a 4-1 win over the Firebirds. Jason Crevar netted the only Firebirds goal late in the game when he scored on a penalty kick. The game report from the Yakima Herald can be found here.
Former Firebirds both register assists in A-League matches
Greg Howes, who led the Firebirds in goals during the 1999 season, had an assist for the Seattle Sounders in their 4-2 season opening win vs. Vancouver. Howes was a first round draft pick for the Sounders. Brian Winters, who played part of the 1999 season with the Firebirds, had an assist in Minnesota's 4-0 win over the Indiana Blast. Brian was picked up by the Thunder after being released by the MLS Columbus Crew.
Firebirds drop season opener 3-2 to Abbotsford 86ers in double overtime
John & Phil's Willamette Valley Firebirds fought back from a 2-0 halftime deficit to even the game at 2-2, but lost in the second overtime when 86ers midfielder Joe Scigliano scored with less than five minutes left in the match. A match report and game photos can be found here. A short report in Sunday's Corvallis Gazette-Times can be found here (scroll down to see the story).
Two former Firebirds playing in the A-League in 2000
Midfielder Greg Howes has been signed by the A-League Seattle Sounders, and scored a goal in the Sounders 2-0 victory over a Washington State U-23 Select
team. He has played in both of the Sounders' preseason matches, and has impressed in both. Also, midfielder Brian Winters has been signed by the A-League champion Minnesota Thunder. Brian was drafted by the MLS Columbus Crew, but was released before the start of the regular season.
Former Firebird Brian Winters named to Olympic team
Former Firebirds midfielder Brian Winters has been named to the US under-23 national team for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament that begins Friday in Hershey, PA. Winters, who played several matches for the Firebirds during their 1999 season, is the only A-League player on the national U-23 squad. News reports on this story can be found here, here, and here.
PDL Preseason News
Louisiana Outlaws Join PDL
USL Announces Mid Michigan as Host of 2000 PDL Championship Aug. 11-12
USL Announces 2000 PDL Schedule
32 USL Players Chosen in 2000 Major League Soccer SuperDraft
2000 A-League draft
Premier Development League Sends 17 Representatives to Umbro Select
Wichita Jets To Take Flight In USL As Newest Member Of PDL