By Henry Krueger, Gonzaga University ’25
With its inaugural season opener roughly one month away, Spokane Zephyr FC has signed 25-year-old midfielder Emina Ekić, pending league and federation approval.
Ekić most recently played forward for Melbourne City of the A-League Women, where this past season she made 21 appearances and scored eight goals, according to Flashscore. The club finished the regular season atop the league table.
The Louisville, Kentucky native was picked fifth overall in the 2021 NWSL draft by her hometown club, Racing Louisville FC. In Ekić’s debut, she scored Racing’s first NWSL regular-season goal in a 2–0 win over the Washington Spirit, the club’s first victory.
Ekić played collegiately at University of Louisville, starting in 65 of her 66 career appearances, while tallying 29 goals and 19 assists. As a senior, she was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to receive that honor.
In 2023, Ekić – whose parents were born in Bosnia – was called up to the senior women’s national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and since has earned 12 caps in international play.
After building a name for herself in her hometown and overseas in Australia, Ekić is bringing her talents to Spokane and the new USL Super League.
“The vision and culture of the club is what sparked my initial interest in Zephyr,” Ekić said. “I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of and I can’t wait to get started!”
Zephyr will play its first match Aug. 17 at ONE Spokane Stadium in downtown Spokane, as part of the new Division One USL Super League, a professional women’s league that sits atop the women’s soccer pyramid in the United States. In addition to Zephyr, the inaugural season of the USL Super League will include Brooklyn FC, Carolina Ascent FC, Dallas Trinity FC, Fort Lauderdale United FC, Lexington SC, Tampa Bay Sun FC, and DC Power FC.
USL Super League is the only U.S.-based professional league aligned with the international club schedule, with regular-season matches played August through May with a Winter Break. The top four teams at the end of the regular season will compete in the USL Super League Playoffs in June. The Zephyr Fall Schedule has been released and can be found here. Season tickets are now on sale for this historic season that will change the landscape of women’s professional soccer in Spokane, America, and worldwide.
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