Huskies' Matt Van Houten playing for Washington Crossfire this summer

University of Washington Husky soccer midfielder Matt Van Houten is playing summer ball with Washington Crossfire, Seattle's entry in the United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL).

This weekend Washington Crossfire crosses the Sound to invade Bremerton in a PDL match against the Kitsap Pumas in a 7:30 PM. (Tickets online here or at the gate on match night.) Just a few weeks ago Van Houten made that trip with the Huskies, who came away 2:0 losers to the Pumas in a spring training tilt. He thinks the result can be different with his new club this time around.

Describe your first three years with the Huskies. How have they gone for you personally, and also for the team?

"My 3 years playing for the Huskies have been a dream come true. My freshman year I started almost every game and the team made it to the 2nd round of playoffs. It allowed me to get used to the college demands and gain a lot of experience. My sophomore year ended with a season-ending injury where I tore my groin. My junior year has been my best year so far, where I scored 4 goals. The team has always been very close and we all enjoy hanging out with each other."

There is a lot of buzz for UW in 2010. Do the players feel that and know that 'now is the time' to go deep into the NCAA's?

"The team definitely knows that 2010 is a big year for us to shine. We have a lot of confidence coming off of the spring season where we went 4-0 against college teams. We know that we have a great squad and can compete for the Pac10 championship and also going deep into the playoffs."

Does playing soccer at UW seem to be overshadowed by football and basketball?

"Football and basketball will always overshadow any other sport because they are the money making sports, but lately it has been tough for us to get noticed because we haven't made the playoffs. One thing that Husky soccer has is that we have one of the highest fan attendance ratings in the Pac10."

How did you connect with Washington Crossfire?

"I got connected with Washington Crossfire from the coach, Seth Spidahl, who was the assistant coach at UW for my freshman and sophomore seasons. I was planning on staying in Seattle this summer and he offered me a roster spot."

What have the Crossfire practices been like so far?

"They have been great, fun and upbeat. Seth knows the right mix where we are able to have a competitive practice and also have fun."

Looking around, do you see a lot of players on the club that should make Washington highly competitive in 2010?

"The team consists of some of the top players from different colleges. It's like being on an all-star team and once we figure out how everybody plays and the right formation, then we will start playing really well together."

Matt Van Houten of the Washington Huskies matches up against Kitsap Puma Jason Cascio in an April 24 exhibition match. (David Falk)

Talk about Washington Crossfire's opening 3:1 loss at Portland. How would you say Crossfire performed? Does it seem like the Timbers U23's will be tough this season?

"The loss to the Timbers was a setback for us but we are ready to bounce back. They are a good team and on the day outperformed us in every aspect of the game. Being our first game though we were trying to get used to each other and I think when they come and play us in Seattle it will be a great matchup."

What was it like going up against UW teammate Brent Richards (in the Portland match)?

"Brent is not only a UW teammate, but also one of my roommates so it was tough going against him. He is a great player and knows how to score goals, so I definitely would rather have him on my team. He had a great game against us, scoring two goals."

Van Houten (right) with UW against the Kitsap Pumas and Dan Scott, on April 24th. (Jenni Conner)

How was it when UW went to Bremerton on April 24 to play the Kitsap Pumas? What are your impressions of that club?

"I played against Kitsap Pumas with UW in April, and it was a tough game. They have a lot of solid players and they've been playing together for awhile now. When I played them with UW, we had an off day and were thrown off by their physicality, but I think that with Crossfire we have the group of players that can beat them."

What is in your soccer future? Will you try to go pro after graduation?

"It is my goal to play professionally after college, and if the opportunity is given to me then I will take it and try my hardest to go as far as I can. I love playing soccer and I want to play as long as I can."

Van Houten wears a #10 football jersey in this UW student-produced rap video:

Matt Van Houten, Brad Keller, and Stephen Fung (Men's Soccer) created and produced this Hip Hop music video for CHID 250: It's Bigger than Hip Hop. The assignment was to express who they are in the world through Hip Hop and since training and competition as Husky student athletes takes up so much of their time... they decided to show their UW pride through their lyrics.