Spokane Zephyr FC

Leading up to the inaugural USL Super League season kicking off this weekend, we’re dropping five facts about each club. Up next is Spokane Zephyr FC.

1. All home matches are played at ONE Spokane Stadium

Spokane Zephyr FC will play home games in the new ONE Spokane Stadium that opened in September 2023 and is in the North Bank Arts and Entertainment District. Spokane made a $4M investment in the stadium that seats nearly 5,000. Tickets for Spokane’s opening weekend match can be found here. 

2. Jo Johnson leads the team in its inaugural season

Former collegiate player Jo Johnson will be the head coach for Spokane Zephyr for the 2024/25 season. Johnson had a decorated career at the University of Texas-El Paso, and she began her coaching career there after graduation. Since then, she spent nearly a decade coaching at the high school and college level. 

3. Washington native Makena Carr brings talent to the backline

Makena Carr was one of the first signings for Spokane Zephyr’s inaugural season. The defender spent three years at the University of Washington before wrapping up her collegiate career at Saint Mary’s College, where she recorded 1,543 minutes of action and was named to the All-WCC First Team. Carr was drafted 43^rd overall in the 2024 NWSL Draft. 

4. The crest reflects the region and the club’s mission

All the details within the Spokane Zephyr crest are unique to the team and city. Zephyr means “a wind from the west,” and the team’s crest is designed to reflect the movement of wind and to evoke the power of change, as the wind does to landscapes over time. More information about the crest can be found here. 

5. Business moguls Katie and Ryan Harnetiaux headline ownership group

Club owners Katie and Ryan Harnetiaux are bringing decades of business knowledge and leadership to Spokane. Katie most recently held prominent positions at Amazon and Starbucks, while Ryan is an investor and business strategist in portfolio and asset management. Katie also serves as the club’s President.  

Follow along with Spokane Zephyr this season on Twitter/X and Instagram, and find the team’s full Fall schedule here.

Taylor Aylmer is used to finding calm amongst the chaos, and she’s never felt more motivated. After winning a National Women’s Soccer League Championship with the Washington Spirit in 2021, the 25-year-old midfielder is ready to bring a title to her new team Spokane Zephyr FC.  

“It’s hard to put into words how special it feels to be part of this,” Aylmer said. “This new league is bringing so much excitement.” 

Although the team is far from the New York native’s home, she sees in Spokane a team that shares her values, a place that feels like home, and a city that is already invested in the brand new club. 

“From my first conversations with everyone involved at the club, I saw they had a very clear framework for their values and what they want this club to represent which is something that so deeply aligns with how I view myself as a player,” Aylmer said. “It was such an easy decision and it immediately felt like home and the right place for me.”

The enthusiastic embrace from the city of Spokane is already apparent to Aylmer and her teammates. In July, the squad visited its brother team, Velocity FC, and received a standing ovation from the crowd, a moment that will stick with Aylmer for many years to come. 

“It was the first time the whole team was together and I got chills standing at the game,” Aylmer recalled. “The city is so genuinely excited to have a women’s team and it just makes this all the more special.” 

With the season slated to start in just a few weeks, Aylmer is ready to take all that she’s learned to her new team in a new league. She is prepared to bring her insight from her professional career and help motivate and encourage her club, raising the standards both on and off the field.

“I hope I can bring a sense of calmness in the chaos,” Aylmer said. “It’s a new league, so who knows what the season will bring. Seasons are long. In the past I’ve been on teams with plenty of chaos, so I hope that I can bring a voice of calmness and steadiness.” 

For Zephyr coach Jo Johnson, it was both Aylmer’s leadership and playing style that made her confident she was the perfect fit to the team. 

“Taylor was a crucial signing for our club, valued not just for her on field abilities but also for her leadership and the extensive playing experience she brings to the locker room,” Johnson said. “When forming a team in a new professional league, it was important to sign players who align with the organization’s vision and can establish the club’s standards and values through their conduct. Taylor meets all these criteria, and we are already relying on her leadership during preseason as we gear up for the upcoming season.”

Throughout Aylmer’s professional career, she has never forgotten what motivates her during the inevitable ups and downs. It is her internal motivation that has helped her through pre-season, getting to know her teammates and their style of play, and finding joy in the moment when it all comes together. 

“For me, it’s the pure joy I get when I’m on the field,” Aylmer said. “We’re a team with about 20 girls who have never played together and we have to figure out how to become a team in a few weeks. It’s that feeling when it clicks, how good it feels to look like a team that’s been playing together for months and to have built those connections, that feeling is what motivates me.”

As Aylmer prepares for the start of another season, she’s ready to explore a new city, finding the best coffee spots along the way. Most of all, she’s excited for soccer fans in Spokane to see good soccer played by great players, an opportunity that has only been made possible with the Super League.

“This is such a great opportunity for fans to support the women’s game, continue to see it grow, and give opportunities for players to play closer to home in the states,” Aylmer said.

From the front office to the coaching staff to her fellow players, Aylmer’s experience has already been fantastic, and she’s looking forward to this translating to the team’s on-field results.She is confident that the team will have no problems navigating whatever chaos comes their way while building a legacy for Spokane.

“Our whole team is already such a cohesive group of good people and that’s what’s going to make this experience so fun to be part of,” Aylmer said. “In five to ten years, I’m going to look back at this and know I was there at the beginning. It’s so cool to be part of this moment.”

When Spokane Zephyr FC take the pitch on Aug. 17 to kick off USL Super League action, the players will be sporting kits featuring two iconic Spokane brands alongside two internationally known powerhouses.

Spokane Zephyr unveiled its inaugural season kit this week. The kit, emblematic of the natural forces of the Inland Northwest, features a variety of the club’s official colors –  Basalt black, Wheat gold and Cloud white – along with the flowing Zephyr Crest.

The home kit is all black with gold embellishments, and the away kit is a white jersey with gold bottoms and embellishments, and black numbers. Both sport a “Z-pattern” fabric. The club’s brand and kit were designed by the Spokane-based branding and creative firm bkgd creative. Watch for an alternative kit to be revealed later this year.

Purchase your own official Zephyr kit at an exclusive event Wednesday, Aug. 14 at Brick West Brewing, 1318 W. First Ave., in Spokane (watch the club’s social media for more details). The next opportunity to purchase the kit will be at the Stadium Store at the August 17 home opener.

Davenport Hotels and Rosauers Supermarkets are among the kit sponsors whose logos will be emblazoned on Zephyr kits for the club’s inaugural season. Davenport Hotels, whose downtown Spokane properties include the Historic Davenport Hotel, the Davenport Tower, the Davenport Lusso, the Centennial, and the Davenport Grand, is the front of kit sponsor. Locally owned Rosauers, with 24 locations in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon, is the back of kit sponsor.

They join Capelli Sport, the international sportswear manufacturer who is the club’s official kit apparel provider, and Zappos, the e-tailer known for shoes, clothing and exceptional customer service, that will be the Zephyr kit’s sleeve sponsor.

“We are grateful to have the support of Davenport Hotels, Rosauers, Zappos, and Capelli Sport partnering with us to bring women’s professional soccer to the Spokane region,” said Katie Harnetiaux, President of USL Spokane and Principal of Aequus Sports. “The Zephyr FC kits are amazing, and we can’t wait for our fans to get an early look at them at Brickwest Brewing on August 14th.”

By Henry Krueger Gonzaga University ’25

Spokane Zephyr FC revealed two new signings on Thursday, with 23-year-old center midfielder Emma Jaskaniec and 22-year-old fullback Julianne Vallerand joining the squad for its inaugural season in the USL Super League, pending league and federation approval. 

Jaskaniec, who was drafted 26th overall by the Utah Royals in the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League Draft, spent five seasons at the University of Wisconsin. In 91 matches for the Badgers, she accumulated 37 goals and 15 assists.  

Jaskaniec was named to the All-Big Ten First Team and United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region in 2023 after helping the Badgers reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  

The Wisconsin native’s other accolades include earning the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year award in 2022, despite missing the final four matches with a season-ending injury. Jaskaniec was also selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team in 2019.  

“Emma is an absolute Badger legend, and being named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year is a huge accomplishment. We are so happy to have her joining us in Spokane,” said Katie Harnetiaux, President of USL Spokane and co-owner of Aequus Sports. “She is a promising talent, and her selection by Utah in the second round of the NWSL draft proves it. She can pass, shoot, score and works hard to get back in defensive positions.” 

“I am excited to be a part of the USL to carve a path for more players to get the opportunity to play professionally,” said Jaskaniec. 

Jaskaniec is heading West to Spokane alongside Julianne Vallerand, who is coming off her fifth year at the University of West Virginia. Vallerand tallied 16 goals and six assists in 80 matches as a forward/defender for the Mountaineers earning her a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team four years in a row. 

Hailing from Terrebonne, Quebec, Vallerand has played for the U-15, U-17, and U-20 Canadian Youth National teams, winning two Concacaf medals (2016 silver U-15 and 2018 bronze U-17). Vallerand competed with fellow Zephyr teammate Wayny Balata, who grew up an hour away in Montreal. She was also on the squad for the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay in 2018.  

“Julianne is a gifted player who has a lot of potential to grow here with us in Spokane,” Harnetiaux said. “She has a lot of great experience playing for the Canadian Youth National program, on top of her five years at West Virginia. She has really become a player who takes defending to heart.” 

“I’m excited to be a part of this new league and to contribute to a project that will influence the future of women’s soccer for the better,” said Vallerand. “We need more leagues to meet the player demand. I’m grateful to say I can be part of something that is so much bigger than myself and can’t wait to see how great it turns out!”