Shortly before Deri Corfe scored the game-winning goal in FC Tucson's first professional playoff match on Saturday night, a large, black-and-white sphinx landed on the Kino North Stadium grass, injured and unable to fly away.
FC Tucson president Amanda Powers scooped the moth up with a glossy, yellow cardstock rally sign emblazoned with the word "BELIEVE" in big, blue letters. She carried the moth around on her hand for the remainder of the game and into the post-match celebration, where it clung to her through the high-fives and hugs. Finally, a staffer suggested a fitting name for the unexpected mascot: Victory.
Victory won't be making the trip to Nebraska for Saturday's USL League One semifinals against Union Omaha, but a handful of dedicated fans will. Dozens more will travel to a destination a little closer to home — American Eat Co., 1439 S. Fourth Ave. — for a watch party. Others will be streaming the match from home on ESPN+.
But last Saturday, 1,793 fans turned out to Kino North Stadium for FC Tucson's quarterfinal match, and the atmosphere was electric.
With drums beating in the background, kids lined up against the railings for a better view and the team's unofficial fan club, the Cactus Pricks, leading the crowd in chants, the match was a spirited combination of fun and competition.
Powers and vice president of marketing and communications Jason Christley are hoping for more crowds like that in the 2022 season.
"We can do this," Powers said Wednesday. "Saturday was magical. It's very clear to me that our ambiance, our fan base... they're family-oriented and kid-oriented. The fans are starting to own this team."
Ramses Abud bangs a drum during Thursday's pep rally. Fans like Abud packed Kino North Stadium for last week's playoff opener, a win. Team officials hope it's the start of something special for the USL League One club.
Powers called last week's playoff game a cornerstone moment that lets her know the club is on the right track.
"When kids are leading the fan efforts or getting a pair of boots from Shak Adams or I'm getting text messages from a fan who's son has a wall of FC Tucson posters and flags," Powers said. "These kids are building idols. That's exactly what we'd envisioned: inspiring the lives of kids."
Christley worked at NASCAR for 14 years before making the move to soccer before the start of the 2021 season. The former Florida resident says he's not surprised by the turnout for the club's playoff opener.
"It's something that's been building," Christley said. "What Amanda's done in the community is now bearing fruits. People are seeing it and telling other people and those people are telling other people. That's how you build a grassroots club."
Christley said Powers' and FC Tucson owner Brett Johnson's vision for the club is what brought him to Tucson.
"I've seen what Brett's built in Phoenix and I see what he's building in Pawtucket," Christley said, referring to Johnson's $400 million USL Pawtucket project, which focusing on bringing soccer to blighted areas in order to assist in revitalization."I saw what Amanda built in New Mexico. That's why I packed up my family and moved."
Christley praised coach Jon Pearlman, who helped found the club a decade ago. And he said Powers is working to rebuild some things that had slipped in recent years — like the club's relationship to the community. Christley said it's been great to see the players buy in and get involved with fans.
It's that engagement that led to Saturday's crowd, which Christley said has been building all season, with groups from Canyon del Oro High School and the City of South Tucson, UA teams and students, and even the resurgence of the Cactus Pricks.
"At first there were a couple of them, and then midseason they brought the drum back out," Christley said of the fan club. "There was over a dozen of them Saturday night."
With three separate supporters sections all doing their own thing while rooting for the team, Christley said the crowd was demonstrative of what he, Powers and the club are trying to achieve.
"That's what sports is supposed to be about: community coming together to cheer for a unified interest," he said. "But it's the teams that carry the flag for the community. If we can be that for Tucson, that's amazing."
First-year season-ticket holder Lucas Everett is unable to make the trip to Omaha this weekend, but he and his family has reservations on hold to go to either Greensboro or Chattanooga should the club advance to the finals.
Everett grew up playing soccer and waking up early on the weekends to watch European matches. When FC Tucson joined USL League One, Everett was thrilled to have a local professional team to support.
"The season was played behind closed doors last year, so we got tickets this year," Everett said. "I have a 3 year old son and it’s great being able to share a local sports fandom with him. It’s great to see all the families that are there. Makes it a really fun positive environment."
FC Tucson has been purposely creating exactly that type of atmosphere, Powers said.
"Anyone will notice unlike other professional soccer matches, the kids are the front and center of the crowd," she said.
And even with the semifinals and maybe even finals on the horizon, the team is already at work planning for 2022, starting with its presence at kid-friendly events like the Tucson Association of Realtors Fort Lowell Shootout in January.
After that, they'll be hitting up some parts of Southern Arizona that are perhaps unfamiliar with club, starting with South Tucson, the Summit View neighborhood, and the Pascua Yaqui Reservation. From there, Powers is hoping to host soccer clinics in Willcox, Sierra Vista, Nogales and Sahuarita. The clinics will serve two purposes: Connecting with the community and finding players for FC Tucson's tuition-free academy program.
Powers' efforts to date haven't gone unnoticed by fans, new and old.
Tucsonan Jeff Kantor has been a season-ticket holder with the club since its first year. He grew up with Pearlman, playing high school and club soccer with FC Tucson's coach.
"We're rabid soccer fanatics," Kantor said. "We've been to the last seven World Cups and the last two Women's World Cups. I live and breathe soccer as much as I can."
FC Tucson is the "No. 1 club" in Kantor's heart. He attended last week's quarterfinal match, calling it a nail-biter. He was happy to share the stadium with so many other fans, whether they be new or returning.
"The crowd was reflective of the fact that we're winning again and a fun team to watch," Kantor said, adding that Powers' efforts to draw in the community clearly made an impact. "She's really leaving no stone unturned to connect with the community, get the word out, establish partnership and business relationships. She's driven."
Kantor said when the clock ran out, with FC Tucson advancing to the semifinals, it felt like old times.
"I felt like, "Ok, we're back. This is FC Tucson again,'" he said. "It's good to see."
Kantor can't make it to Saturday's game, but if his No. 1 club advances to the finals?
"We'll definitely be there. Absolutely," he said.
These are the stories Powers has been waiting patiently to hear since arriving in Tucson months before the pandemic touched down. And while things aren't back to normal, in Powers' book, that's just fine.
"This is the new chapter of FC Tucson. We’re now writing the new history together and we have the right people at the table to write it," Powers said. "We're not going to live in shadow of what FC Tucson was (back) in the day."
