By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
You’ve probably heard the promos on local broadcast outlets mentioning the Red River Raiders soccer club, so let’s fill in some of the blanks because the season is about to kick off.
Red River FC, the Raiders sponsor club, has been around for a few years, mainly doing youth soccer camps, spreading the love of soccer around the Shreveport-Bossier area. This year, they stepped up to the big leagues, or should I say the third highest professional soccer league in the country — think AA minor league baseball. In pro soccer there is the MLS, then USL1 and next comes USL2.
The Raiders begin play on the road Wednesday night at 7 against the Louisiana Krewe in Lafayette. The Raiders make their home debut Saturday at 7 against the Little Rock Rangers. All home games are being played at Airline High School. Games can be live streamed on Sports Engine, or watched on the club’s social media platforms after 24 hours.
Red River FC has not forgotten its roots, as they have soccer camps planned at different locations around the twin cities, and even one in West Monroe, spread out over the summer. Staffing won’t an issue, as now they have 30-plus players to draw from to help spread their passion and knowledge of the game of soccer to our area.
RRFC President Ryan Wheeler hopes to bring all area soccer programs together to grow the sport, allow for opportunities for advancement in the sport and just for the love of the game. Something he said resonated with me: “Rising waters elevate all boats.” It sounds like the future is bright for Red River FC, and by extension the soccer community as a whole.
The Raiders are filled with mainly collegiate players from around the country. The roster has a large international presence. There are players from Brazil, Puerto Rico, Germany, England and Japan, just to name a few countries. The final roster is still fluid, as there are a couple players attending MLS tryouts, and if signed they won’t be here. That shows the level of players picked to represent Shreveport-Bossier this year.
Blending all these talented players fall in the hands of head coach Bryan Turner, who has over 13 years of experience coaching at all levels of soccer, from youth to high school and up to the semipro level.
This past Saturday the Raiders put on an intersquad match that was open to the public and media, as an introduction of the squad. Media and fans alike were able to interact with the players and the coaches before the exhibition began. There were a bunch of excited youth running around meeting the players, all of whom were very friendly and interactive with their new fans. There might even been a new Raiders fan jersey or two being worn by those kids.
The game itself was quite exciting for an intersquad scrimmage. The players played hard and took it as seriously as they would had it been the regular season. Perhaps they were working for a starting spot.
Even coach Turner was all in, as he loudly protested a call made by the center referee. Perhaps a yellow card would have been issued had it been a real game. With a late Red goal, it was a 1-1 draw, not that it mattered, but surely someone would want to know.
What you need to know is this is a good fit for our community and a boost for soccer here. If you enjoy the game, and especially if you have kids who do, check out the Raiders this summer. If you aren’t all into soccer, this is still worth a look.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net