Bellevue Athletic travel to Everett to take on Gala FC
Written by Adam Race
Bellevue Athletic carry their first UPSL winning streak of 2025 into a road match this Sunday against Gala FC at Goddard Memorial Stadium in Everett at 3 P.M. BAFC is coming off a 2-1 Eastside Derby win over United Sports last week, and they are undefeated in their previous three games and have won their last two on the bounce.
The Athletic currently sit third in the UPSL standings, and for a second straight week, need a win to guarantee that they remain in the playoff qualification zone. Just about halfway through Spring 2025, Bellevue have found their form, outscoring their opponents 5-1 over their last three games. If Bellevue are to win on Sunday and 3 Cities FC drop points on the road against Snohomish Sky, the Eastside Boys will move to second in the standings behind league leaders and winners of five straight games, SeaGam FC.
The Gala FC Lions started their first UPSL Spring season with a win and a loss but have since dropped three straight matches and sit in 8th place in the league table. However, all three losses in the Lions’ current losing streak have come against teams within the top four of the league table, with this Sunday’s match rounding out perhaps the most challenging run of matches any team will face this season.
Gala FC is one of just a few familiar opponents in Spring 2025 for Bellevue, having played in UPSL Fall 2024. Bellevue Athletic defeated Gala 2-1 in Bellevue during a near-perfect 9-0-1 Fall 2024 regular season in their previous UPSL matchup.
“Spring 2025 has been challenging and great for the league for the new teams who have joined,” said Bellevue Head Coach Mike Mata. “It has made it more competitive and pushed us to be better.”
With five games left in the regular season, every team in the league could still mathematically win the title, and the battle for playoff spots is separated by only a handful of points. “With the table where it is now, every game is going to be a final. We are looking for excellence and for mistakes to be at a minimum,” said Mata. “We are working hard to win the league title and secure our spot in the playoffs to start thinking about nationals.”
Know the Opponent: Gala FC
Gala FC, nicknamed “The Lions”, is a non-profit club founded in 2013 and based out of Snohomish County. The club was founded in 2013 by ex-professional player and current Head Coach Daghan Kesim.
Kesim founded the club with the goal of elevating local underprivileged youth talent to the collegiate ranks of soccer in the United States. “There are a lot of minority and low-income kids who cannot afford college,” said Kesim. “The Ultimate goal is to get these kids soccer scholarships, especially those who would have trouble paying for school otherwise.”
After being founded as a youth academy in 2013 and focusing primarily on age groups below 18, the club entered the local semi-pro scene in 2018 with their entry into the Cascadia Premier League 2. Kesim was at that time the coach of Cascadia Premier League 1 side Snohomish Steelheads, and Gala was initially used as a second team for the Steelheads. But as Gala grew, the club eventually moved up to the Cascadia Premier League 1 itself, and starting in Fall of 2024, became a part of the UPSL.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the club was dominant in high-school age groups, and grew to its largest number of teams and players. They were consistent competitors in the Cascadia Premier League and finished 7th in their first UPSL season. Highlights of their first UPSL season included a five-match run near the end of the season in which the Lions went 3-1-1, including a 5-1 win against 3 Cities FC and a 9-0 win over Thurston County Soccer Academy.
After a promising start to life in the UPSL, Gala lost several key players to other clubs in the league, including current Bellevue player Miguel Guevara. With a rebuilt roster, the Lions got off to a 1-1-0 record in Spring 2025 before going on their current three-game losing streak. “We have started a bit shaky in the league. We are probably the most tactically disciplined team in the league, we just need a bit more experience.” Gala has had to face some of the top teams in UPSL Washington over the last few weeks, and are looking to bounce back in a highly competitive league. “We are a developing team, but we want to become a dominant team.”
What matters most to Kesim is that Gala has been achieving its goal of helping young talent pursue their college dreams, having produced over 200 players who have gone on to receive college soccer scholarships, including 170 from low-income backgrounds.
You can learn more and support the club at their website: https://www.galafc.com/
The Eastside Classic
Despite playing on the road in the UPSL this week, Bellevue Athletic still had an opportunity to play in front of a home crowd at Bellevue College on Thursday as they took on USL-2 neighbors Midlakes United in the second annual Eastside Classic. The Eastside Classic is a friendly match played between the two premier semi-pro soccer clubs in Bellevue, Midlakes United and Bellevue Athletic.
Since their inaugural USL-2 season in Summer 2024, Midlakes United have also played their home matches at Bellevue College, leading to a friendly in-city rivalry between Midlakes and BAFC. Last year’s first iteration of the classic Bellevue and Midlakes drew 1-1 on the Eastside.
“The Eastside Classic is a great annual opportunity to see the best Eastside collegiate talent come up against the best pre- and post-collegiate talents in the area,” said Bellevue Athletic General Manager Anastacio Rivera. “I think it means a lot to both sides, especially since we both call Bellevue College our home pitch. I’d liken it to the Derby della Madonnina in Milan, where AC Milan and Inter Milan duke it out for San Siro and city bragging rights.”
Coaches of both squads appreciate the matchup as a high-quality friendly for both teams and sets of players to face off with high-quality talent. For Midlakes,it serves as a final preseason tune-up before USL-2 starts, and for Bellevue ,a mid-season friendly and an opportunity for players to test themselves against the next level of competition.
“The Eastside clásico has all the ingredients to be a fantastic soccer party for Bellevue and the families in the area,” said Bellevue Head Coach Mike Mata. “We both share Bellevue College, and it is for sure the best soccer played on that field during the year.”
Midlakes head coach Felix Vu also holds the match in high regard, saying: “The Eastside Classic is more than just a rivalry—it’s a celebration of local talent and community. It’s a fun, competitive game that brings Eastside soccer together. Events like this really help grow the game in Bellevue and keep the soccer culture strong for the past, present ,and future.”
Although a 6-1 scoreline this Thursday didn’t go the way of BAFC, the match still marked a great day to be a fan of the beautiful game in Bellevue.
Bellevue Athletic 2025 UPSL Stats
Individual: Outfield
Player | Goals | Assists | Goal Contributions | Appearances |
Tyler Hopp | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
Kenny Mansally | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
Jacen Stein | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
Kaydin Wall | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
Nii Engmann | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Marc Pedrosa | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Scott Burkholder | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
Jackson Finn | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Kiran Menezes | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Owen Gortner | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Eli Peterson | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Ernesto Arevalo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Eyal Shechtman | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Zak Khan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Austin Hill | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Brady Minor | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Miguel Guevara | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
Edgar Lopez-Ramirez | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Individual: Goalkeeping
Player | Starts | Saves | Goals against | GAA | Clean Sheets |
Matt Janke | 4 | 21 | 4 | 1.00 | 2 |
Bruce Corrie | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2.00 | 0 |
Team: Overall
Bellevue | Opponents | |
Goals | 28 | 6 |
Goals per game | 5.6 | 1.00 |
Clean sheets | 2 | 1 |
UPSL Washington Standings/Schedule
Team | GP | W-L-D | GD | Points | |
1st | SeaGam FC | 6 | 4-0-1 | +1 | 12 |
2nd | 3 Cities FC | 5 | 3-2-0 | +9 | 11 |
3rd | Bellevue Athletic | 5 | 3-1-1 | +22 | 10 |
4th | Seattle Eagles FC | 5 | 3-0-2 | -3 | 9 |
5th | Everett Jets | 4 | 2-1-1 | +5 | 7 |
6th | United Sports FC | 6 | 2-0-4 | +3 | 6 |
7th | Snohomish Sky FC | 5 | 1-1-3 | -1 | 4 |
8th | Gala FC | 5 | 1-1-3 | -6 | 4 |
9th | Thurston County | 5 | 0-0-5 | -37 | 0 |
Playoff Qualification Zone
UPSL-Washington Matchday Two Schedule: |
Sunday, May 18th: Seattle Eagles at Everett Jets, 1:30 pm Bellevue Athletic at Gala, 3 pm 3 Cities FC at Snohomish Sky FC, 5 pm SeaGam FC at Thurston County FC, 5 pm |
How To Follow
Fans can follow Bellevue Athletic online at bellevueathletic.com and via social media on Instagram (@bellevueathletic), Facebook (@bellevueathletic), and YouTube (@bellevueathletic).