Sporting Cascades FC hosts closed combine as club-building process continues

Every part of the process at new Eugene soccer club Sporting Cascades FC feels real to its staff — every coach hired, every sponsor signed and every check cashed. Maybe the most real part yet, though, happened over the weekend, when the club invited 37 players for a two-day closed combine ahead of its inaugural season in 2027.

After a World Cup-focused summer, head coach Darren Sawatzky returned to the pitch to scout potential additions to the club.

“It feels unbelievable,” club president Dave Galas said. “I’ve been doing this at a pretty professional level for 12 or 13 years, and opening day is always great. I’ve been dreaming about what opening day is gonna be like at the pro level. And this is the first hint — having a really, really high-level combine.”

Why a closed tryout?

Sawatzky and the front office want to compile a roughly 26-player roster ahead of opening day, to fill out their 18-player matchday squad. The group Saturday at Civic Park was largely a mix of out-of-contract professionals and recent college players who graduated in the middle of the 2026 USL League 1 season.

A focus of the invite-only combine, Sawatzky said, was a club-wide emphasis on Pacific Northwest-based players.

“Bringing kids from the Northwest out and giving them an opportunity is huge, but we have kids from all over the country and the level of this is the highest I’ve run in 10 years,” Sawatzky said.

While the tryout pool was closed, spectators could attend, with about 50 in the stands, including Tony Guerra, who traveled to watch his son, Edgar, play, and Matthew Auxier, a season ticket holder from Springfield who fell in love with soccer as an adult. 

“I see this as a pretty unique opportunity to get to see a club form from the beginning,” Auxier said.

How real was the World Cup bump?

Back when the FIFA men’s World Cup first came to the United States in 1994, the idea of a World Cup bump — a boost to a sport outside the margins of the major American leagues — manifested in the launch of Major League Soccer two years later, helping to popularize the modern game in the U.S. The impact of this summer’s tournament is still materializing, but in Eugene, team owner Bill Cornog views it as an “upward blip in an overall upward trend.”

“I don’t think any of our success really hinges on how [the tournament] went — it just helps put a spotlight on things and it was a great way for our community of fans to get together and celebrate the game long before we have the opportunity to do it out here,” Galas said.

“One beautiful thing is people with money that love soccer have been emotional, and they’ve jumped in — Bill included,” Sawatzky said. “He wants it done correctly and he expects performance. But people with money that have wanted to be involved have gotten involved and put their money where their mouth is.”

Since the tournament, during which the club hosted local watch parties, it’s organized a select-a-seat festival for season ticket holders and plans to host supporters’ group meet-ups throughout the fall. The sport’s growth means more opportunities for young players too. After leaving the University of Portland, Sawatzky went to Mexico to seek playing opportunities. Saturday, after the 11-versus-11 portion of the combine, he gathered the players in a circle and told them they “have way more opportunity than I had at your age.”

What’s next?

As the roster continues to take shape, more marketing is coming. The club is planning to publicize its building process through an ongoing YouTube series, while a brand refresh is in the works. Cornog says he’s doing it to attract an enthusiastic, every-game fan base he believes will lead to success.

“I think, behind Autzen Stadium in the fall, in Eugene, this is going to be the second-best sports experience,” Cornog said. “My objective is for people to come in and say, ‘If I can get a ticket to that, that’s awesome. It’s a can’t-miss sporting event.’”