SPOKANE, WA—(club release) The Spokane Shadow announced Wednesday that the club has appointed former player Chad Brown as head coach of the team for its debut season in the Evergreen Premier League (EPLWA). The Central Valley High School product will be returning to his hometown after playing professionally and coaching amidst the collegiate ranks for the past few years.

“I am excited to be back. Spokane has a pretty big place in my heart, obviously, in my development as a player and development as a coach with my philosophy,” said Brown. “Playing with some older guys when I was playing in high school was a great experience, and the guys that were here prior running the organization did a great job of promoting and getting the community involved. For me, I have similar goals and aspirations to be able to come back and help in that regard; hopefully pass on from my generation down, help with the development of the youth side and the kids coming through.

“This is home. Throughout my travels in the course of the last 20 years, I’ve been around and lived in some different spots. I’ve been asked where is home, and Spokane always has been home and always will be home for me so I am excited to get back and be around friends and family that I haven’t seen in a while.”

Brown was a member of the team since its humble beginnings as a provisional member of what is now the USL PDL in 1995, and holds the distinction of being the first player to ever score a goal in a Spokane Shadow jersey.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring Chad on as our head coach of the EPLWA team,” said club Technical Director Abbas Faridnia. “Chad brings a wide range of knowledge to the team, having experienced what many of our players have gone through as well as the professional level. Plus, his college coaching experience will be invaluable managing players and communicating with their respective college coaches.”

He went on to play for the Shadow through its league runners-up finish in 1999 before moving on to the Seattle Sounders Select, a rival PDL team. Midway through the 2000 season, he was called up to the Sounders first-team squad for the USL First Division (second-tier). He spent another five years with the future Major League Soccer club, winning the league USL-1 championship in 2005.

Brown, who holds a USSF National A License and has been a Region IV ODP assistant coach, first began coaching following the completion of his collegiate career at Fresno State in 1999, serving as a volunteer assistant while finishing his degree, and returned to the coaching ranks as a member of the Washington Crossfire youth club until joining UNLV as an assistant coach from 2006-09. In 2010, he was named the assistant at West Virginia, which he recently departed. Collegiately, Brown also played for Bellevue CC (1994) and CC Spokane (1996).

CHAD BROWN: FIRST-EVER SHADOW GOAL SCORER

Trailing the top-flight Seattle Sounders in an exhibition April 30, 1995 at CVHS by three goals, Brown put away a loose ball with eight minutes remaining in the contest. Dave Berto would go on to tally a minute later for a 3-2 final score. That year, the Sounders won the first of two consecutive APSL (later USL First Division) championships. In 1995, the APSL was the highest-level league in the US as MLS would launch the following year.

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