SEATTLE, Wash.— The greater Seattle area will host a fifth upper-level adult women’s soccer club this year with the arrival of AC Seattle, a club that will play in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) along with three other Washington-based sides, the Spokane Shine, Issaquah SC and Emerald City SC.

Greater Seattle will see matches from the new top pro level Seattle Reign FC of the NWSL, the second-tier Sounders Women of the W-League, and the three WPSL sides (Issaquah, Emerald City, AC Seattle) in a spring and summer that will flood the market with around 40 home matches.

AC Seattle, whose full name is actually AC Seattle PH-America, was revealed as a side this week in an article by Inland NW Soccer News reporting on the recent WPSL AGM. In the story Emerald City FC head coach and new WPSL Northwest Commissioner Niki Taylor says: “We see it as a positive that our NW Division is growing and is now up to eight teams. Having four teams in Oregon and four teams in Washington allows us to split into two divisions, play more local games, and hold a Conference Tournament to determine our representative to Regionals…an event that should make the summer more exciting for players and fans. The league added a third Seattle team because they saw their player pool niche as different from the current teams in the greater-Seattle market.”

Since then goalWA.net has contacted the new Seattle club and also uncovered its website and social media sites.

www.ACSeattle.com / Facebook / Twitter /

AC Seattle spokesperson Emily Magnotto tells us, “Our goal with AC Seattle is to create a competitive team by ‘importing’ Italian soccer players from first and second divisions teams, and integrating them with local players to form a complete team for this summer season.”

Players will take advantage of the different league calendars to come to Seattle for more games and training.

“The Italian girls are able to participate because their season ends just as this season begins, and their next season begins as this one ends,” Magnotto says. “The timing is perfect and allows the players to continue training throughout the summer.”

“This will be a culture and soccer experience / exchange for all of the players, and of course we’re excited to have the Italians visit Washington and experience what this amazing city has to offer!”

Head Coach and player already onboard

AC Seattle already has a head coach and its first player.

“Our head coach is one of the best in women’s Italian soccer and he will utilize a tactical training approach to the game,” Magnotto declares. Antonio Cincotta is his name, and his bio page on the club website goes into detail about the 27-year-old.

AC Seattle’s first player is one rumored to have been with Issaquah SC last year. That fell through but it looks now like Alessandra Nencioni will be coming over to the states. Her bio page says she’s a Women’s Serie A veteran.

The AC Seattle website is already full of information and it appears the long-term goal of the organization may be to also field a men’s club of some kind. Several graphics, including the 2013 AC Seattle kits, feature male players or uniforms.

Giuseppe Pezzano is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of OSA Soccer Consulting, a leading company in soccer consulting, located in Seattle. He is founding and funding AC Seattle.

The club website describes AC Seattle as “A unique project with two souls: soccer and life experience in the States.”

AC Seattle has yet to announce a home venue for its matches, though Magnotto says the club hopes to find room and available dates at Starfire, where the Reign and Sounders Women play.

The STATE of Soccer

There are now an even ten upper-level adult soccer clubs in greater Puget Sound, five for men and five for women. The state of Washington now boasts twelve outdoor pro or semi-pro clubs that play in regional or national leagues.

MEN: Sounders FC, Sounders U-23, Kitsap Pumas, North Sound SeaWolves, Washington Crossfire, Bellingham United FC.

WOMEN: Seattle Reign FC, Sounders Women, AC Seattle, Issaquah SC, Emerald City FC, Spokane Shine.