There will be no shortage of women's sports to watch this summer in Portland. With the addition of the Portland Fire (WNBA) and the well established Portland Thorns (NWSL) comes the debut of a pre-professional USL W League team: Portland Cherry Bombs FC. Competing in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference, the Cherry Bombs will kick their season off with an exhibition match on May 17th under the helm of Head Coach Janine Szpara.
Forging a New Path
Although the roster is not set as of yet, the team currently consists of a handful of collegiate players competing during their off seasons. Open tryouts to complete the squad will take place on May 2nd and 3rd. General Manager of the Cherry Bombs, Courtney Schmidt, said that the goal of the club is to "give women another platform to play soccer," and hone in on the local community in Portland.
The focus of the club, Planned Parenthood, will be front and center of the jerseys as they were unveiled at a kit release at the Sports Bra. Schmidt said, "We wanted to make a stand and make sure that Cherry Bombs are speaking up for our community and Planned Parenthood does such amazing work to create accessible health care for women, nonbinary people, and men in Portland."
As with most teams competing in the USL W league, there is a magnifying glass on the cities in which the teams play. It's clear that the staff behind the Cherry Bombs are being intentional about representing their community.
Lucy Quinn, a CBFC midfielder and Portland native, said, “I've always been very adamant on women's sports having good coverage," and that what drew her to the Cherry Bombs was the effort and support being put into the branding of this team. Something that stands out to Quinn about the evolving squad is that, so far, all of the players are "embracing the uniqueness" of the team. Something important to her is elevating women's sports and the Cherry Bombs seem to be doing just that. When asked what she expects from the first match, Quinn said, "To win, to have fun, to have energy, to have community."
Cherry Bombs is Portland
The ideas and values behind the club's name is rooted in The Runaway's debut single "Cherry Bomb", which was an anthem for Portland's riot grrrl movement in the 90's. Schmidt spoke on the mission of the club, that being one of advocacy and outspokenness about the importance of women’s health and overall health of people in Portland. The collaboration between Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette (PPCW) represents this mission with ease. Both organizations will support the idea that everyone deserves access to healthcare, access to sports, and access to a healthy lifestyle.
Dr. Sara Kennedy, CEO and President of PPCW, spoke on the partnership between the club, saying, “to be able to offer women choice and strength and health is really important for PPCW and you look at the Cherry Bombs and these players they're just like these incredible athletes and I think it's just a natural collaboration”. With just a 6-week season, the Cherry Bomb players and staff are charged to create a strong culture and community in a short amount of time. Kennedy's vision for representation among the squad is that the players "feel comfortable saying that we are here to take care of everyone and help the community and help people live healthy strong active lives."
Catch a Match this Season
The Cherry Bombs will play at Lents Park, a pitch adjacent to the Portland Pickles' Walker Stadium. Improvements will be made to the existing field, including picnic tables, bleachers, and pitch-side seating. Catch the first exhibition match on May 17th at 7pm.
For tickets, check out https://www.cherrybombstickets.com/
