A woman will lead one of the newest semi-professional soccer teams in the USL 2, a men’s league that includes Ballard FC.
Midlakes United will be based in Bellevue and was announced as the latest addition to the Northwest Division of the league. The club also named former professional soccer player Justi Baumgardt as their first-ever head coach.
Baumgardt will become the only female-identifying head coach in the league and possibly the first ever. Owner Treencee Russell said she considered the potential criticism that a woman couldn’t command the same sort of respect a man might while coaching a men’s team.
So she went to her adult sons, who have competitive soccer experience, to hear their thoughts. She was pleasantly surprised.
"For the player, it's more about, 'Are you going to provide me an experience where I can actually improve my game?' And then the rest is...it doesn't matter in terms of male or female," Russell said.
Baumgardt was called up to the national team several times, playing alongside the likes of Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy. She played professionally after being a standout at the University of Portland. Baumgardt has been coaching ever since she retired from the game.
"I'm extremely motivated to prove that women can succeed as a coach in the men's game," Baumgardt said. "I want to try to see if I can help knock that barrier down and prove that can happen, and it doesn't matter who you are. But coaching is about communication and developing relationships and the trust between players and the staff."
Russell is the club’s owner and general manager making her one of the only female operators in the league. Midlakes United will play their home games at Bellevue College and will kick off its inaugural season in May.
