Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC News 

Soccer season is about to start as teams are receiving their fixtures and signing new players to take them to the top. Here is all the news surrounding Hailstorm FC

Launched in January 2021 and only playing their first game in 2022, Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC is one of the youngest teams in the world, especially the United States. Playing in the USL League One season, the club has played all their home games at Future Legends Complex’s 6,500 seater stadium, sharing with the Northern Colorado Owlz professional baseball team.

The crest of Hailstorm FC was unveiled back in July 2021. The team was founded by and for the Northern Colorado community. The club is majority-owned by the Katofsky family and Future Legends ownership group, the lead developers and co-founders of the amazing stadium – the Future Legends Complex. Going into their second season, here is all the news on what is set to be an exciting year for Hailstorm FC.

Opening Game

The action of League One is ready to start on Friday, March 17, with Hailstorm FC’s first home game being played Saturday, May, 27th where they will host Central Valley Fuego. The team is likely to play at Future Legends Complex, where everyone is feeling high anticipation for the auxiliary stadium, which is expected to be ready. Another Hailstorm game was listed on this list for Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Fuego will face Northern Colorado in its first match in California on that date.

Other home game openers of note see new club One Knoxville SC play their first-ever home game. They will face another newcomer in the league, Lexington SC. Get your calendars ready, the games will come quicker than you think, and you don’t want to miss the chance to get the best soccer odds before the games begin.

McCain Clarke 

The Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC has announced the two-year signing of midfielder McCain Clarke. Although he was born in Arizona, the young player considers himself a native of Colorado, as he has lived in the state for most of his life. During practice sessions in 2022, the 18-year-old Clarke spent a lot of time with Hailstorm creating a bond before being signed officially. The drive up north from Broomfield, Colo has shown his commitment to play for the team in the early days.

In a very short time, Clarke has learned from the Hailstorm players and staff what it is like to be a professional football player. The young player looks to be excited about this opportunity to have a chance to play closer to home and more regularly. Despite being young, Clarke shows great ambition and maturity. This kind of drive is exactly what the coach is looking for in his young players making Clarke the perfect addition to the team.

Marky Hernandez

Hailstorm has declared they are re-signing forward Marky Hernandez to play for a second season. Both players and coaches have known and worked with each other for a long time, first meeting during their time at Chattanooga Red Wolves.

In 2022, Hernandez played in the team’s 23 league matches, with 10 of those starting the game. Through the 2022 season, Hernandez had three goals and three assists, which coach Zayed believes can be exceeded in 2023. Hernandez has totaled over 1,000 minutes of game time. Within that time, his record stands at 206 successful passes with 15 of those being categorized as key passes.

Valentin Sabella 

It has been announced that Hailstorm FC has signed forward player Valentin Sabella for the upcoming 2023 season. Sabella is still a young player with room for growth but has already scored some of the biggest goals of his life. In 2019, just a few months after graduating, he was lifted to national acclaim by scoring one of the most important goals ever.

Sabella led United Premier Soccer League side Florida Soccer Soldiers to a win against the then-USL Championship side Charlotte Independence in the second round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. He sparked this dream story with a goal-equalizing effort in the 119th minute of extra time. His team had received a red card which meant they were a player down, and all had to work much harder. The Soccer Soldiers brought the game to penalties and overcame their valiant opponents, making Sabella the man of the match, scoring that crucial equalizer.

This match was played in mid-May, but by the middle of the next month, the team that Sabella caused so much upset for signed him to play for them. He began the three-year period at Charlotte, starting half of the 18 games he played during his first season. In 2021, the forward contributed to a career-best of three goals, helping his team come sixth in the championship.

Sabella and Irvin Parra shared the field that season, with Sabella assisting Parra on September 18th in the 81st-minute game-winner. This up-and-coming player finished 2021 with three appearances for Cancun FC. In March 2022, he signed with MLS NEXT Pro’s Tacoma Defiance, where in 15 appearances, he scored 2 goals. Throughout his entire professional career, Sabella has been making a positive impact that will hopefully continue during his time at Hailstorm FC.