Boise’s prospects as a pro soccer market tested by USL match

Get ready for your closeup, Boise.

Portland Timbers 2 and the Swope Park Rangers of Kansas City square off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Meridian’s Rocky Mountain High. The game marks the second professional soccer match in the Treasure Valley in the past year. But it’s more than just a goodwill trip.

Billy Taylor, president of the Idaho Youth Soccer Association and an organizer of the event, said the game will test whether Boise can support a minor-league soccer team. He said leadership from the United Soccer League, the third tier of American soccer leagues, Portland Timbers management and potential investors will all attend the game.

“We’re continually just moving the dial one step closer to having something more permanent, which is what the goal is,” Taylor said. “We’d like to see professional soccer here on weekly basis.”

Taylor said Saturday’s game has sold approximately 3,700 tickets as of Friday afternoon. Tickets remain available at the Idaho Youth Soccer Association website and will be for sale at the gate.

All tickets are $20.

“Right now, it’s very loose,” Taylor said of talks of a Boise USL team. “But I think those discussions will get more real once we are able to see what the results of the game are.”

This story was originally published June 3, 2016 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Boise’s prospects as a pro soccer market tested by USL match."