AC Boise dominated its first home game. Here’s why it had to settle for a draw
The soundtrack around Idaho’s first professional soccer team remained the same for the past year.
Machinery moved earth, buzz saws signaled new construction and a steady flow of trucks brought new equipment to Expo Idaho.
But Saturday provided a change in tune. Diehard fans banged bass drums, songs emanated from the supporters’ wall and a packed stadium of 7,211 buzzed all the way through stoppage time of a tense game.
The evening ended with Athletic Club Boise securing a 1-1 draw against the Spokane Velocity, the two-time defending runner-up in USL League One.
That result may have disappointed some considering AC Boise dominated the scoring chances in its home debut. But it made a clear statement: Boise is now a soccer town.
“I’ve been around a lot of really cool stadiums. But this is definitely up there,” said Eagle native Blake Bodily, a homegrown player with MLS experience. “I think as far as the USL goes, this is about as good as it gets.”
The standing-room-only crowd of 7,211 set a new regular-season record for a USL League One game, breaking the mark set by the Portland Hearts of Fire last October. The Maine club drew national headlines throughout 2025 for its rabid soccer fan base in a small market. But it took Portland nearly an entire season to set the previous record of 6,440.
Boise did it on night one.
“I’m not even from here, and I was getting kind of emotional,” said Nick Moon, who came to Boise with experience from six previous pro clubs. “It was amazing to see just so many people in the stands all pulling for the same thing.
“We’ve seen this project come together slowly, and to see it all come together tonight was amazing.”
Tennessee’s One Knoxville still holds the USL League all-time attendance record with 7,500 in last year’s league championship game. But the season remains young for Boise.
AC BOISE ONLY CONVERTS ONE CHANCE
Moon earned Boise (1-1-1) the single point at home, burying a rebound off Luan Figueirôa Brito’s saved penalty kick in the 51st minute. That marked the only goal for Boise despite controlling 68% of the possession and putting six shots on target to Spokane’s two.
Boise tilted the field and laid siege to the Spokane (2-1-1) net for the final 80 minutes Saturday. But Denys Kostyshyn narrowly missed a header in the top right corner of the net in the 15th minute, and Spokane goalkeeper Carlos Merancio Valdez stoned Kostyshyn from 10 yards with a one-handed save in the 50th minute.
That save set up the sequence that led to Moon’s goal. Tumi Moshobane corralled the rebound and earned a penalty kick, and Brito’s powerful spot kick forced a rebound. Moon broke free and one-timed a bouncing ball into the net for the equalizer.
Bodily nicked the right goalpost three minutes later, and Jonathan Ricketts fired a rocket just over the crossbar in the 70th minute. But Boise could never penetrate the Spokane net again as Merancio Valdez finished with five saves.
“I mean, 80% of the game was us attacking them and them defending,” Boise coach Nate Miller said. “And that’s the posture we want to put our opponents in, for sure. But in football, the hardest thing is to score goals.
“… I just think our box entries weren’t great. The quality of our crossing wasn’t what it will be. Some of our tight, combination play around the box, that’s something that’s always the last piece with how we play.”
MISTAKE LEADS TO EARLY SPOKANE GOAL
Miller took the blame for a 21st-minute goal from Spokane’s Joe Gallardo that put Boise in a 1-0 hole and forced it to settle for a draw.
Miller said he has pressed Boise goalkeeper Joseph Andema to build from the back instead of punting the ball 50 yards downfield into 50-50 opportunities. But with Spokane creating little offensively, Andema laid the ball off along his own end line to defender Moussa Ndiaye to start a chaotic sequence that ended with the ball in the back of Boise’s net.
Ndiaye also declined to clear the ball, instead trying to thread a pass to retreating teammate Jake Dengler inside the 18-yard box. With attackers on both shoulders, Dengler could only tap the ball back to Andema in net, forcing Andema to scramble and desperately boot the ball upfield.
But Spokane’s Joe Gallardo jumped in front of the clearance at the edge of the box, beat Andema to the loose ball and tapped it in from 10 yards out before raising a finger to his lips to silence AC Boise’s supporters section.
“I just want to be clear,” Miller said. “I asked our goalkeeper to play that way. So that’s on me.
“… It’s just decision-making. It’s just like, that’s not the time. That’s the time to just punt it. We were in complete control. This is one of the first times they’ve come into our third, and it’s just a decision.
“People want to know why do you want an experienced team? Because you learn from your experiences, right? And so as a team, sometimes we have to learn with our players and bring them along.”
UP NEXT
Boise hits the road next week, traveling to Southern California to take on AV Alta (0-1-3). Kickoff is at 8:30 p.m. Mountain on Saturday and the game will air on ESPN+.
Boise returns home in two weeks for its second home game at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18, against Westchester (1-2-1) from New York. Limited remaining tickets will go on sale Friday, April 10, and the club will offer 200 first-come, first-served tickets for $10 seats in its family zone starting at 2 p.m. on game day at the stadium.
This story was originally published April 4, 2026 at 10:52 PM.
