RENTON, WA—Port Orchard Football Club players Austin Valdez and Ethan Bell did well in the 2026 CPL All Stars match against the Sounders U20’s on Sunday night June 28 at the Sounders training center. The CPL / EPLWA combined team lost the match 1-0.
Valdez played the second half and was in goal when the Sounders U20’s scored a late winner. “I played pretty good,” Austin says, “Yeah, I got scored on in the last five minutes (a top bin shot) but I also had some good saves.”
Austin says there was really no time for team cohesion. “We kind of just did whatever we wanted on the field but it worked best that way with everyone not knowing each other. Sounders U20’s weren’t bad but we could’ve definitely won if we had any good chances.”
Bell shared similar sentiments. “It went eally well. I thought I played good and the team played really great for never playing with each other. I loved the exposure, it was amazing! I am thankful for the opportunity to represent POFC.”
“It was a night to compete well and also to celebrate a collaboration between two leagues,” says POFC Coordinator David Falk. “We launched our club in the Cascadia Premier League (CPL) and this year moved over to the Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA). It was a kind of full circle moment. POFC hopes to see the two leagues do more together in the future.”
