The Far Post Soccer Supply was empty but for a pair of workers on a recent Monday afternoon, and that suited the workers just fine. Cesar Rodriguez and Alex Elliott shook their heads at a replay from Arsenal vs. West Ham, which was showing on the store’s three television screens. A defensive error by the Gunners’ had led to the opening goal, and with no customers in sight, the two men were free to lend the match their undivided attention.



Being able to watch soccer on the clock is definitely a perk of working at the Far Post, but it wasn’t what drew Rodriguez to the gig. He first encountered the shop as a youth coach with Hillsboro Soccer Club over in Portland’s western suburbs, and went from purchasing gear to slinging it as the Far Post’s team sales manager.



That’s part of what attracted Elliott, too. He’s originally from Corvallis, Ore., an hour and a half away, and as someone who plays a lot of pickup soccer, he figured...