By OkayGoal 
The sudden collapse of Spokane Zephyr FC has sent shockwaves through the USL Gainbridge Super League and the wider women’s soccer community. On Monday, May 18, players and staff were informed the club would immediately fold, ending professional women’s soccer in Spokane after just two seasons.
For many involved, the announcement came without warning.
According to an anonymous message shared with Girls Soccer Network, ownership informed employees in “three minutes” that the organization was shutting down: “Everyone is now unemployed. They have known for months and kept players and agents and staff in the dark.”
The news became public later that week, with Spokane officially announcing on May 20 that the club would “not continue operating” beyond the 2025-26 season.
Spokane Zephyr FC was one of the founding clubs of the USL Gainbridge Super League, the Division I women’s soccer league operated by the United Soccer League. The franchise was awarded to Aequus Sports on May 16, 2023, before the club officially unveiled its name and crest later that year.
A Promising Start Ends Abruptly
The Zephyr played their inaugural match on Aug. 17, 2024, against Fort Lauderdale United FC in front of a sold-out crowd at ONE Spokane Stadium. The match finished in a 1-1 draw and marked a major milestone for women’s soccer in the Pacific Northwest.
Over two seasons, Spokane built a passionate local following and averaged just over 2,000 fans per game. The club narrowly missed the playoffs this season after finishing sixth in the nine-team USL Gainbridge Super League standings.
Head coach Nicole Lukic and assistant coach Sly Yeates helped guide the club through its short history while competing in one of the league’s most difficult logistical situations.
Spokane was the westernmost team in the league by a significant margin. Their closest opponent was Dallas Trinity FC, located roughly 1,500 miles away, while three clubs were based in Florida. Travel quickly became one of the defining challenges of the organization.
Players Left Facing Uncertainty
While the folding of a club impacts an entire organization, the biggest immediate effect falls on the players themselves.
Many of Spokane’s soccer players had recently finished the season and were preparing for offseason training, recovery, or contract discussions. Instead, they are now suddenly searching for new teams, new housing situations, and in some cases, entirely new careers.
For many professional women’s soccer players outside the NWSL and USWNT spotlight, financial stability is already limited. Salaries in newer leagues often require players to rely on roommates, offseason jobs, coaching, or side work to continue their careers. Losing a club with no advance notice creates enormous uncertainty, especially for international players who relocated to Spokane specifically for the opportunity.
The timing also impacts coaches, trainers, sporting staff, front office employees, and support personnel who now enter an already competitive job market unexpectedly.
Players in leagues like the USL Gainbridge Super League are still fighting for long-term professional stability in women’s soccer. While the sport continues to grow rapidly at the youth and international levels, including through the influence of the USWNT and the continued rise of girls’ soccer participation across the country, moments like this show how fragile parts of the professional game still remain.
Questions Surround the League’s Future
The situation has also created larger questions about sustainability within the USL Gainbridge Super League itself.
Spokane’s isolation geographically made travel expenses difficult from the beginning, and some supporters around the league have questioned whether expansion happened too quickly. Discussions across social media and fan communities have also centered on player protection and whether more safeguards should exist for clubs and employees if teams suddenly cease operations.
Meanwhile, uncertainty remains surrounding Spokane Velocity FC, the city’s men’s USL League One club, which continues to operate and currently sits near the top of the standings.
For now, though, the focus remains on the players and staff left behind. In a sport still fighting for consistent investment and security, Spokane’s sudden ending is a reminder that growth in women’s soccer still comes with instability behind the scenes.
Featured image via @spokanezephyrfc