On February 4th, the Woodland B05 Riptide soccer team was standing with medals around their necks on the picture platform at the 2024 Founders Cup. The Washington Youth Soccer Founders Cup is a state cup tournament held every January and traditionally entered into by select and competitive teams, not recreational teams (there is a separate WYS Recreational Cup in December).
But the Riptide redefined that. The Riptide are a recreational team through and through. And the Riptide made it all the way to the championship match.
(Photo caption: Founders Cup finalists Woodland B05 Riptide with coaches Patrick Basilio and Tersh Barber)
In this photo, the boys aren't exceptionally thrilled because the game didn't end as they had hoped. They placed second, playing in the final against Crossfire Select B05/06. They played a tight 0-0 game, giving up just one goal in the final minutes on a quick-played free kick just outside the box. Now though, after some time has passed, both players and coaches look back at their run in the Founders Cup as a fun and amazing experience, one they are glad they took a chance on. The players are high school seniors and their success at this cup was the perfect way to wrap up the past 12 years of playing together.
What makes RIPTIDE special
Back in 2012, Riptide coach Tersh Barber had just moved to Seattle and his kindergarten aged son wanted to join the local neighborhood club, Woodland Soccer. Tersh didn't start coaching until the following year, and the core of that group became the beginnings of the Woodland Riptide team (although back then they weren't called Riptide, they started out as FC Messi). Over the years, the Riptide lost some players (and parent coaches) to select soccer, as recreational teams do over time. They also continued to grow, as players would rejoin the team after stepping away from their select teams, and as the remaining players would rave to their friends about the team and encourage them to come out. The team also added a great assistant coach, Patrick Basilio, dad of longtime player Christian, to round out the practice and game-day duties.
While the boys are mostly seniors, at mainly Lincoln and Ingraham High Schools, they are a mix of interests, hobbies and personalities. Many of the players on Riptide are athletes who are predominantly focused on other sports (football, cross country, ultimate frisbee, baseball, lacrosse), and some don't play other sports at all, just rec soccer. "One of the best things about this team over the years, is that it has allowed each of them to get a whole new peer group, and not just with other athletes. These kids come from all walks and it's so great because even if they don't hang out in the same groups at school, when they pass each other in the hallway, they'll give high fives and talk about soccer," says Tersh.
“I have loved my time playing rec soccer, which for me started kindergarten. I played select for a few years but came back to rec in high school. My favorite part about playing for the Woodland Soccer Club team (then and now) was the opportunity to play on a team with my childhood friends.”
The freedom to JUST play
Not just in makeup, but visually as well, the Woodland U19 Riptide is the portrait of a classic rec team. On the field during the state cup tournament, they were easy to identify. Being the only recreational team to enter Founders Cup, they stood out because they had no matching socks or shorts, just jerseys. "We were kind of a ragtag team out there, a classic rec team," says Tersh.
Despite the randomness of the uniforms, on the field during Founders Cup, Tersh said it was remarkable to watch all of the boys have each other backs and support each other. Their Founders Cup run is even more impressive because of the team's lack of practice - getting together just once a week all fall, with a pretty small group in attendance each time because of other commitments.
"Because we didn’t have practices and stuff, a lot of the coaching got done on the field by the players. That's kind of cool, the more experienced guys help coach the newer guys. We noticed in the other games, every select team was better on a player-by-player basis, and clearly were more practiced - but we were more in it for each other. There was more freedom, we could just play. The pressure was lower and it was more fun. Reactive and adjustable soccer - this is my method of playing. And I rotate everyone through, keep the playing time pretty even. Even during the tournament."
This freedom and lack of pressure was obvious when looking at the goal differential the Riptide managed to rack up through the course of the tournament (when players can play with freedom and creativity and don't carry the weight of expectations, they often end up taking more chances which can result in more goals). After a 3 way tie for first place in the group stage, Riptide's goal differential ended up pushing them into the top spot. From there they entered the knock out round and beat another Crossfire team 3-0 and an MIFC team 4-0 before landing in the final and losing 1-0.
REflectinG on The Tournament, and the team
When asked why the team entered Founders Cup, Tersh says "the kids wanted to see what it was like."
And what was it like? Tersh described it as "both fun and intense. We won some really close games, exceeded our wildest expectations, and even after the hard-fought finals loss, we celebrated the season and our last game together as a team with parents in a tight circle. The kids for sure have great memories and lasting friendships from Messi/Riptide. Patrick and I will especially cherish the size extra-small Woodland kits the kids all signed, and the printed team photo with memories shared by kids and parents."
