Sporting Cascades FC was officially unveiled on Friday as Eugene’s professional soccer team. Over 100 fans gathered at the launch event in the heart of downtown’s Farmers Market Pavilion. 

Sporting Cascades FC will replace Lane United, which played in the United Soccer League Two and will play at the newly built Civic Park in South Eugene.

“In reality, we’ve been working on this project for 12 years. We first started Lane United, and we’ve finally made it to this point,” Dave Galas, President of Eugene Sporting Cascades FC, said.

Sporting Cascades FC will compete in a 40-game season, with matches streamed live on ESPN+ and CBS Sports platforms. 

The club’s name and crest are inspired by iconic landscapes that make up the Pacific Northwest. Using the colors Deep Cascade Blue, River Valley Brown, and Maple White, the crest makes up the visual identity to capture how deeply residents identity with the natural world. 

On the crest, the white mountains are meant to symbolise the Three Sisters and the broader Cascade Range. The two water rapids flowing below the club name are to represent the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers that flow throughout the Eugene/Springfield areas.

“Everyone really keyed in on how they identified with nature,” Galas continued. “We want to put a strong, powerful brand that’s unifying to our community, but also representative of who we are as we go out and face all these teams across the country.”

Among the crowd was Scott Lacey, father of Charlie and Joey Lacey, who both played for Lane United.

“We’re super excited to have professional soccer in Eugene,” Lacey said. “This is a really neat step for the community … it’s embracing competition in a way that feels authentic to Northwesterners.”

The club also introduced its first signee, Mouhameth Thiam, a breakout forward who joined Lane United midway through the 2025 season. Thiam scored seven goals and added one assist in just six matches.

“This is one of the best opportunities that came my way,” Thiam said. “I was very honored to play for Lane United and to represent my community around Eugene. I’m very happy to start being a professional soccer player and work to get to the highest level.”

With a live DJ, local food trucks and a sense of anticipation, Cascades revealed its name, crest and vision for the future.

“We felt that this pent-up energy existed and we just needed to tap into it,” Galas said.

The Cascades aren’t just here to play, they’re here to represent the Northwest, inspire the Eugene/Springfield community and build a lasting legacy. The brand identity reflects that mission: Born Sporting. Fire Fed. Water Driven. Currents Unite.