The 2011–12 Tacoma Stars season was the second season of the Tacoma Stars professional

indoor soccer Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...

club as a franchise in the

Professional Arena Soccer League A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

. Head coach Leighton O'Brien led the team to a 3–13 regular season record, leaving them 5th in the Western Division and out of the post-season. The Stars participated in the 2011–12 U.S. Open Cup for Arena Soccer. They were granted a bye through the Round of 16 then fell to the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League ( ...

13–6 in the Quarterfinals.

History

The Stars played this season's home games at

Starfire Sports Complex Starfire Sports is a multi-purpose stadium and sporting facility in Tukwila, Washington, United States. It is located on the banks of the Green River, just south of Seattle. The stadium is operated by the nonprofit corporation Starfire Sports an ...

in the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

suburb of

Tukwila, Washington Tukwila ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located immediately to the south of Seattle. The population was 21,798 at the 2020 census. Tukwila is a community of communities, with residents of many diverse origin ...

. General admission tickets were free but seating in this facility was limited. This was the team's only season in Tukwila after leaving their longtime home at the Tacoma Soccer Center and waiting for the purpose-built Pacific Sports Center to be completed. This team was named after the Tacoma Stars that played in the Tacoma Dome from 1983-1992 as a member of the original Major Indoor Soccer League. An earlier version of this current franchise was incorporated in 2003 as a member of the

Premier Arena Soccer League The Premier Arena Soccer League (PASL) is an indoor soccer league with mostly semi-professional teams; along with a number of amateur teams across North America. The PASL was previously known as the Federation of Sports Arenas (FSA). The PASL logo ...

before moving up to the pro league in 2010.

Off-field moves

Early versions of the Stars' schedule for this season showed matches against the

California Cougars The California Cougars were an indoor soccer team, founded in 2004. The team was a charter member of the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL-Pro), the first division of arena (indoor) soccer in North America. They played their home matches a ...

and the Phoenix Monsoon. The Cougars folded shortly before the season began and were replaced by a new franchise, the

Turlock Express Turlock Cal Express is an American professional indoor soccer team based in Turlock, California. They joined the Major Arena Soccer League (then Professional Arena Soccer League) in 2011 and are currently members of the Major Arena Soccer League ...

. The Monsoon franchise was revoked by the league in late December 2011 and replaced in January 2012 by another new franchise, the

Arizona Storm Arizona Storm was a professional indoor soccer team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They played in the Southwestern Division of the Professional Arena Soccer League. Launched in 2011 as the "Phoenix Monsoon" with the Phoenix Sports Centre in Phoenix a ...

, who inherited their roster and record.

Roster moves

The Stars held open tryouts on September 29, 2011, at the Starfire Sports Complex. A second open tryout was held on October 6, 2011. In early October 2011, the Stars announced a preliminary roster for the season based on these tryouts that included several players from the 2010–11 team as well as veterans of the

Kitsap Pumas Kitsap SC Pumas was an American soccer team based in Bremerton, Washington, United States. The team played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid. From its foundation in 2009 to 2016, the clu ...

, Seattle Sounders, and various area

teams. Later in October 2011, the team announced the signing of players Leighton O'Brien and Kevin Sakuda, both veterans of the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

and several indoor soccer teams. O'Brien would also serve as the team's head coach this season. In late October, the team announced the signings of Seattle Sounders veteran Viet Nguyen and English player

Adam Nowland Adam Christopher Nowland (born 6 July 1981 in Preston) is an English retired footballer. Career Early career: Blackpool and Wimbledon Nowland started his career at Blackpool in 1998 where he made his professional debut at the age of 17. When ...

. On November 1, 2011, the Stars announced the re-signing of re-signings of defenders Steve Mohn, Vitalie Bulala, and Jeff Bader plus midfielder Mark Lee. On November 3, the team announced the re-signing of re-signings of defender Kris Bowers plus midfielders Ian Weinberg and Micah Wenzel. The same day, the team signed defender Kellen Wantulok, forward Eli Gordley, and midfielder Kyle Johnson, all formerly of the

Awards and honors

Citing his 5 goals and 4 assists in leading the Stars through back-to-back victories over the team from Arizona the previous weekend, the

named

as its Player of the Week on December 7, 2011.

Schedule

Exhibition

Regular season

† Game also counted for US Open Cup, as listed in chart below. § Game rescheduled from Sunday, December 18, 2011, due to "arena equipment issues".

2011–12 US Open Cup for Arena Soccer

References

External links

Tacoma Stars official websiteStarfire Sports Complex official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2011-12 Tacoma Stars season Tacoma Stars (2003) Tacoma Stars Sports in Tacoma, Washington Soccer in Washington (state) Tacoma Tacoma